Dog Friendly, But Don’t Wear Flip-Flops!

The Pilafs decided to venture outdoors over the weekend and started with a dog-friendly hiking park. We saw several families enjoying the area, but it saddened us that some dog owners did NOT clean up their messes. On that note… fabulous place for a family friendly hike, but make sure your little ones keep an eye out for the dog waste! Sigh.

Tillman Road Wildlife Management Area – Clarence

Tillman is an easy hike and great for all ages. The paths are clear for the most part and you have several choices to follow.

Once you move a bit from the parking lot area and road, the world seems to quiet right down. We saw many birds, squirrels, chipmunks and footprints of several others.

The pond was surrounded by sand and really pretty rocks. It was fun to see a toddler fishing with her dad. We also found a frog or two in one of the more marshy areas.

There are a few benches throughout the open grassy areas for resting and enjoying the wildlife that happens to walk (or fly) on by. Beautiful!

Photographers, bird watchers, fishermen and fisherwomen, animal lovers, nature enthusiasts and hikers will all enjoy this lovely area.

Tillman Road Wildlife Management Area, 9988 Wehrle Drive, Clarence, NY 14031 716.372.0645

Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve – Depew

Our stop #2 is also a family-friendly hike, but it is not a park to bring your pets.

Reinstein Woods has several chances for outdoor education, including signage throughout some of the paths. They are filled with great information and we really enjoyed the refresher course about all New York’s claims (state flower, state fish, etc.).

The ponds and swamp-like areas already have turtles basking in the sun and there are several types of ducks and geese.

We also saw the red-winged black bird and the red-bellied woodpecker. The woodpeckers were screeching up a storm and really fun to watch.

This was our first time exploring this park and we were amazed at the size and the peacefulness of it all. It is 292 acres full of forests, ponds and wetlands. It is truly worth the visit!

Oh! Another nice feature at this park? A restroom! Dra was very thankful.

Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve, 93 Honorine Drive, Depew, NY 14043 716.683.5959 www.reinsteinwoods.org