Cross Country Snow Ski and Snow Skiing, Fishing, Snowshoeing, Snow Mobiling at Allegany State Park Ski Area in New York

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Allegany State Park Ski Area
Salamanca, New York
Phone: (716) 354-9163

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Trails: 45 km groomed, with some skating trails. Also more than 50 km of backcountry.

Trail fees: Park entry fee.

Lodging on site: 1 modern cottage and 94 rustic cabins available from the park.

Location of trails: In Allegany State Park, at the Red House area of the park, 7 miles west of Salamanca.

Trail map: Available at the trailhead.

Equipment rentals: Yes, call ahead.

Ski lessons: No

Other winter activities: Fishing, sliding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing.

Facilities: Day lodge, snack bar open on weekends.

Nature lovers and outdoor recreation enthusiasts will love , a huge (65,000 acre) nature preserve that borders the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. Salamanca, NY and Bradford, PA are the closest communities of any size.

"We're the largest state park in New York State and the third largest state park in the country," said George Wyman, park manager. It's also one of the state's busiest. According to Wyman, over 1.5 million people visit the park each year. Most are from Western New York or Pennsylvania, but visitors come from as far as Ohio or Ontario, Canada, to take advantage of the park's diverse facilities and acres and acres of undisturbed woodland.

For motorists, three paved roads pass through the park, and another encircles it. "If you want to encircle the park, that's a drive of over 40 miles," said Wyman.

Allegany State Park is one of New York State's oldest. The first land purchase, a 7,000 acre tract in the Quaker Run Valley, was made in 1921. It included the buildings of a sawmill camp. Until 1925 when the first permanent cabins were built, campers used World War I surplus tents erected on wooden platforms. A converted school house served as the first park administration building. New York's first state park bond issue provided funding for initial development of the Red House Area, including the administration building and the dam that created Red House Lake. Between 1933 and 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps built roads, bridges, picnic and camping areas. They were responsible for numerous conservation projects ranging from reforestation to stream bank retention and wildlife habitat improvements.

How to Get There (from Buffalo)

Allegany State Park (Art Roscoe Ski Touring Area)

70 miles from Buffalo

Take the NYS Thruway east to route 219 south, and continue all the way to Salamanca. Follow the signs to Allegany State Park, crossing the Allegany river and passing the exits for routes 17 and 219. You'll be going up a steep hill which is called ASP 1. Continue on past the park entrance to the top of the hill, and you will see a parking lot and signs for the Art Roscoe Ski Touring Area.

Cross Country
Ski Area

Allegany State Park is by far my favorite place to ski, in spite of the relatively long (1 1/2 hour) drive from Buffalo. I've been there about a dozen times this year, and have never been disappointed. All of the trails begin at the top of a hill which sits at around 2300 feet, one of the highest points in Western New York, which means that it's always at least a few degrees colder than Buffalo, and there's considerably more snowfall than in the city. I decided to chance it once after a warm spell turned everything to ice, and found 3 or 4 inches of new powder and some of the best conditions that season at the park. You can even rent out one of the cabins right next to the warning hut for a skiing weekend away from it all.

Allegany has trails for everyone, from novice to experienced, including trails set-aside for ski-skating. There are over 30 miles of trails, so you're guaranteed never to get bored. If you are new to nordic skiing, Sweetwater is a great beginners' trail with mild grades, and it's only about 3 miles long. If you're comfortable with Sweetwater, you're ready for Christian Hollow, a 3.5 mile trail with an incredible vista, providing a breathtaking view towards the northeast, of the Allegany River valley and the rolling hills beyond. Intermediate and experienced skiers will love Leonard Run, which has a short but exhilarating downhill chute (when skied counterclockwise) that will take your breath away. Experienced skiers looking for a larger loop with some challenging, long downhills should ski down Snowsnake Run and continue on to Ridge Run. Ridge Run is one of my favorite trails in terms of scenery, taking you along a high ridge for over a mile, with vistas to the east and west. It's a fairly long trail, though, so bring some water and snacks!

The parks department does an impressive job of grooming all the trails with two sets of tracks, saving skiers the inconvenience of getting out of the way for others. The trails are usually very well-groomed, with a wide enough path to ally you to step off of the course without fear of sinking into 4 feet of powder and losing your skis!

There is no charge for skiing the trails, and you can even rent skis at the warming hut for about $14 a day. The hut has several tables and a snack shop for that requisite cup of hot chocolate to warm your insides after a day on the trails. Unfortunately, it's only open on weekends, so you'll have to come prepared with skis and snacks on weekdays.