John B. Austin Nature Trail (Lockport Nature Trails)

Visited July 1, 2021

6674 Slayton Settlement Road, Lockport, NY 14094 (Erie County)

I used "Town of Lockport Nature Trail" as my Google Maps point and that brought me to a gravel parking area that will hold 30+ vehicles. (photo below)

74 degrees Fahrenheit, muggy at 10:09 AM, 80 degrees Fahrenheit at 11:28 AM

No toilets available at this site.

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

No need for long pants if you are staying on the trail.

There is poison ivy growing on the ground and on the trees near the trail edge.

No cost to access this park or the trails.

I enjoyed this trail with my friend, Melissa. To walk the 2.3 mile trip around a few of the trails to see the old oaks and the falls took us about 1.5 hours. You could add or subtract some of the loops if you have more or less time for this area, but we hit most of the trails. There was no memorable trash on this walk, I am happy to report. During the entire hike, we only passed one lady with a dog and one other person as we were on our way back to the parking lot. This was a peaceful, beautiful place that seems like it would be perfect for snowshoeing in the winter but also lovely for a picnic in the spring, summer, or fall. I look forward to returning to see this place’s seasonal beauty and especially to see the falls when there is more water rushing by in the stream. There are a number of benches spaced out along the different trails for those who need a moment to sit or for those who just want to soak in the peace and quiet.

The trail surface was natural. Most of the trail was dry. This trail had a few single-file sections but many sections were wide enough to walk side by side. The trails were mostly level with a few small inclines near the falls. With so little rain in the past month, there was not much to see but it was still a beautiful and serene place. I LOVE giant, ancient trees and there were some oaks here that fit the bill. They were staggeringly beautiful and charismatic.

I would love to return in the fall to see the Virginia creeper, oaks, staghorn sumac, and maples.

We saw grape vine, Virginia creeper, poison ivy, mayapple, ferns, mosses, goldenrod, apple trees, and cherry trees. We scared off a few chipmunks and gray squirrels while we were on the shady paths. Unfortunately, we also saw MANY gypsy moth caterpillars.

This hike is part of the Summer 2021 WNY Hiking Challenge. For more information:

https://outsidechronicles.com/challenges

For more information and a map of the site:

https://www.elockport.com/department-parks-trails.php

Nearby:

New York Beer Project: Lockport (9.2 miles away from Lockport Nature Trails/17 minutes)

6933 S Transit Road, Lockport, NY 14094

http://www.nybeerproject.com/

The service and food was great; the dining area and bathrooms were immaculate. I had a fabulous salad. My friend had a lovely seafood grilled cheese sandwich.