Activities
There are great outdoor activities to experience in all seasons.
Summer
Experience nature by hiking through the trails, photographing the animal kingdom or bird watching.
As a park with natural aquatic features, aquatic alerts of various types may have been issued. Be sure to check these sites below!
- For more information about preventing the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species: www.dec.ny.gov/animals/48221.html
- For more information on Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) visit: https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/83310.html
- To learn more about Fish Consumption Advisories for Western New York, visit https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/fish/health_advisories/regional/western.htm
Winter
You can snowshoe through the nature trails.
Park Facilities
On, October 31, 2019, we experienced a Lake Erie seiche event spurring a seven-foot jump in water levels along the Buffalo Metro shoreline. Times Beach Nature Preserve was specifically impacted by this high water event seeing significant damage to the boardwalk and trail system while depositing more than 3,000 cubic yards of debris, which lead to an official Disaster Declaration by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in December 2019. More weather events in 2021 and 2022 have led to additional damage to the boardwalk and trails.
As a result, about half of the trails at Times Beach Nature Preserve are closed to public access. However, due to volunteer clean-up efforts in spring 2023, trails on the western end of the Preserve are now re-opened, including access to an overlook and bird blind. Please traverse carefully and enjoy!
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work towards restoring Times Beach so that we can safely enjoy all that this natural habitat area has to offer.
History
It is believed that Times Beach Nature Preserve was once a shantytown which eventually faded to become a confined disposal facility (CDF) used by the US Army Corps of Engineers starting in 1972 for dredged materials from the Buffalo River and Harbor. The site was abandoned from dredging in 1976 when a new CDF was installed adjacent to the turbines along Lake Erie. Now Times Beach is owned by the City of Buffalo and is maintained by both the City and the County of Erie. The park has naturally blossomed into a wildlife sanctuary after being left to natural succession to become the wildlife haven that we enjoy today. Check out what The US Army Corps of Engineers has to say about Times Beach here Times Beach.
To learn how to get to Times Beach Nature Preserve by public transportation, visit this site: https://platform.remix.com/map/552c697c?latlng=42.88748,-78.90763,10.992&public=true
