Franklin Gulf County Park  *****

Visited May 30, 2021

North Collins, NY 14111

This park is bounded by Sandrock Road to the north, Larkin Road to the east and School Street to the south.  (Erie County)

Google Maps brought me to the Larkin Road parking lot which will hold approximately six vehicles on the dirt lot.  There is a larger lot on School Street which is also unpaved.

62 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny, light breeze

No toilet facility available, at least on this side of the park on the red trail.

Leashed dogs are welcome on the trails.  Please bring baggies and carry out your trash and any dog poo.

There were mosquitos, especially down by the water.

No cost to access these trails.  

Franklin Gulf County Park is a “631-acre undeveloped park.” I would budget at least two hours minimum to explore the trails. I took two hours to use the full red (orange) loop trail which was around 3 miles, but Wesley and I stopped to play in the water and take pictures along the way. The person who was running the trail probably used much less time to traverse the circle. I also recommend downloading a trail map such as Avenza and using a GPS or other trail guide because there are many small adjoining trails so it is easy to lose orientation.  The red trail is a dirt trail mostly carpeted with pine needles and oak leaves.  The morning lighting filtering through the trees’ leaves was beautiful and when it glinted off the sparkling water running down the falls, it was easy to believe in magic.  Wesley believed he wanted to play in the water, and play he did.  It is hard not to enjoy a quiet, beautiful place when in the company of a content spaniel, and so I did.  The trails have been treated with respect.  The only trash and untended dog poo we encountered was at the parking lot.  This was one of Wesley's and my favorite hikes. *****

The trail was dry, despite the rain we had two days ago.  There are a few creek crossings but with care shoes could stay dry.  If you have an enthusiastic spaniel pulling you into the water as I did, be prepared for the slate to be very slippery. During warmer weather, shorts would be sufficient here.  I usually recommend long pants for hikes but these trails do not appear to be overgrown where long grasses would be a problem.  This trail would be considered moderate difficulty due to the inclines and tree roots combined with the creek crossing.  I chose to do the trail counter-clockwise.  It took me down the more steeply inclined trail toward the remains of a chimney and after playing in the small waterfalls, Wesley and I headed uphill but it seemed more gradual than our downward path had seemed.  I could check an elevation map to verify that some day.

Today I saw robins and red-winged blackbirds. Many birds were singing while we were on the trail… it was so peaceful and quiet. All that could be heard as we gained distance from the road was birdsong, leaves rustling in the breeze, and the water running in the ravine. We only saw four people for the first half of the trail but passed many more on the way back to parking which we reached around 11:00AM.  Due to the leaves and the twists in the trails, I felt like I had the woods to myself until the people suddenly appeared.  It is such a beautiful place that most people that Wesley and I passed had smiles. There are oaks, pines, maples, cherry, and other varieties of trees.  We saw phlox, the remains of violets, May apples, ferns, and an inchworm.  

For more information about the park:

https://www2.erie.gov/parks/index.php?q=franklin-gulf-0

Nearby:

JP Fitzgeralds ( 17 min./ 9.9 mi.)

4236 Clark Street, Hamburg, NY

https://jpfitzgeralds.com/

I love this pub and its food.  It hosts indoor and outdoor dining.  If arriving at dinner hour, plan to call ahead.