Along 4 The Hike: Allegany State Park (Bear Caves/Mt. Seneca Trail)

SALAMANCA, N.Y. (WIVB) – This is the second of two hikes at Allegany State Park near Salamanca. This one is the Bear Caves/Mt Seneca Trail.

You won’t necessarily see bears, although you can never rule out seeing a bear anywhere in the park. You will see large rock formations that aren’t true caves, but they kind of seem like them. You can even go inside a few as you explore them. The “caves” stretch on for a while as you make your way up Mt. Seneca. This is another elevation hike, going up nearly 600 feet in about a mile. Once you’re down the other side you can either go up and back over again, or you could choose the less strenuous option of taking the Quaker bike path back to your vehicle.

• Park address: 8998 ASP Route 3, Salamanca, NY 14779
• Distance from Buffalo: 64 miles
• Parking: Park admission is not collected after Oct. 12. There are parking areas at most of the trailheads. A trail map can be found here.
• Difficulty: Difficult according to the WNY Hiking Challenge because of the previously mentioned elevation.

A link to the Quaker Area's web page can be found here. A link to the Western New York Hiking Challenge can be found here.