Deer Lick Preserve

Visited July 24, 2021

Point Peter Road, Gowanda, NY

78 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny 

On this Saturday morning, there were three vehicles at 10:00 AM and one vehicle at 1:00 PM.

Pets are not welcome at this site.

There is an outhouse but it past primitive.

I would allow at least three hours or more to hike the trails.  I did not explore them all but logged 5.2 miles using the white, yellow, and red trails.  (Be sure to pack in water with you and bring your trash home with you.)  The trails were dry today but there were muddy sections.  The trails were single file with sections that were wide enough to walk side by side.    Long pants were not needed today except for one grassy section on the red trail.  

I passed only two young ladies as I left Bear Point during the entire three hours I was at the site.

I wore long pants and bug spray; the mosquitos were hungry today with the warm temperatures and the recent weeks of rain.

No cost for parking.

Parking in an unpaved lot.  Will host 5+ cars.

Today I saw a rich variety of species of trees and plants at this beautiful, peaceful place. I saw moths, butterflies, dragonflies, a snail, evidence of deer, mosses, ferns, goldenrod preparing to bloom in September, grapevine, American honeysuckle, sweet pea, black raspberry, daisy, buttercup, birds foot, milkweed, clover, yarrow, plantain, and jewelweed. There were birch, beech, oak, maple, hemlock, pine, tulip, American basswood, apple trees, and ash trees. Many mushrooms and fungi were flourishing due to the past two weeks of rain and the warm weather. 

For more information:

https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/central-deer-lick-conservation-area/