The more I explore New York State, the more I am blown away by the infinite number of incredible destinations in our beautiful state. There is an area south of Buffalo in and around the Allegany State Park Region that has a collection of must-see destinations for those who enjoy nature and stunning beauty, parks containing massive outcroppings of gigantic conglomerate rocks.
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These colossal rocks, create these incredible city-like formations that have crevices, caves and are popular for climbing and exploring. Here are the 4 places in New York where you can explore these natural wonders.
Thunder Rocks
This was our first experience with giant conglomerate rocks. The Thunder Rocks are located in Allegany State Park. We have visited these rocks several times over the years. My kids thought this place was great when they were younger because the rocks were easy for them to climb up.
Why we love it: If you are already visiting Allegany State Park, you can easily find this portion of the park. The rocks are easy to climb and all the ones that young children can climb aren’t too high. This is a great place to give rock climbing a try. There are also wide open areas within the rocks where you can spread out away from the crowds.
What to Know Before You Go: This is an extremely popular destination with Allegany State Park. If you want to have it to yourself, you will need to arrive early in the day. Most of the crowds tend to stay in the front area of the Thunder Rocks. If you walk further back into the woods, the crowds thin and you can enjoy climbing on the rocks without throngs of people around you.
Rock City Park
This is a neat park just outside Olean, New York. It is one of the two privately own parks on our list. This is a great place to visit on a hot day because it is so much cooler on the forest floor.
Why We Love It: Rock City Park is the world’s largest exposure of Conglomerate Rock. This park is just magnificent. There are lots of crevices and caves at Rock City Park that you can explore. This particular park has some of the tallest and largest conglomeration rock formations. This is a great place to take some stunning photos. Make sure to take some time to visit the gift shop. We love rocks and gems and the gift shop here has an impressive and extensive collection at extremely affordable prices.
What to Know Before you Go: Be sure to check the weather before you visit. If the weather is bad, they will close the park to visitors. Although there are signs everywhere warning people to not climb on the rock, some people will inevitably try anyway. This can be dangerous here. Many of the rocks are moss-covered and extremely slippery.
Rock City State Forest
This collection of giant rocks is located in a New York State forest of the same name. Like almost all of the conglomerate rock outcropping, there are lots of caves, passageways, and crevices that welcome exploration. You literally feel surrounded and dwarfed by these immense rocks.
Why We Love It: Rock City State Forest is hardly ever crowded. We more or less had the entire place to ourselves. We were free to climb and explore to our heart’s content. The collection of rocks spread out over a large area and we literally spend hours exploring. The best part is this forest, unlike the other destinations on this list, is completely free!
What To Know Before You Go: The Rock City State Forest is extremely remote. We lost our GPS long before we reached the rocks. There are no bathrooms or water available. Make sure that you are fueled up, have water, and use a restroom before you head here. Also, it was slightly buggy when we visited. The horseflies were relentless. Make sure you bring bug repellent.
Panama Rock Scenic Park
We’ve ventured out to this park a number of times and the older my kids get the better our time here. I think the most shocking thing about our visits here is the fact that we more or less had the place to ourselves. This park is gorgeous and it really does feel like you are stepping into a mythical world.
Why We Love It: As previously mentioned, this park seems to get fewer visitors than the others on our list. Which makes touring Panama Rocks that much better. We love exploring caves, crevices and of course climbing on the rocks. The owners not only permit all these activities, they encouraged here, although safely. They make a point of speaking to children before you head out onto the trail and explain what you will encounter and how to enjoy it safely.
What To Know Before You Go: You will want to bring a non-disposable water bottle as these are the only bottles allowed on the trail. The trail is one mile long but you can wander off to explore the rocks. It gets chill around the rocks, even on really hot days. We saw ice and snow in some of the caves and crevices in the middle of August. Make sure you have a hoodie to put on.
Have you visited one, some or all of these amazing destinations? What did you think? Which was your favorite? We would love to hear from you. Please leave us a comment below.
you missed one. Moss Island just outside of Little Falls in Herkimer County is a great place to explore unique rock formations
That definitely looks interesting! We’ll have to check it out! Thank you for sharing this with us.
I agree that Moss Island in Little Falls should be on the list! The beautiful rock formations and potholes that were formed by glaciers are amazing! Moss Island is along the canal by Lock 17. It is also next to the Empire State Bike Trail!🤗
Ice caves mountain is another interesting place to check out.
https://nystateparks.blog/2018/07/31/the-ellenville-fault-ice-caves-a-national-natural-landmark/
Thank you for the tip! Looks like a place we’d love to explore.
Thanks for the list, looking forward to checking them out when I’m in the areas ☺️ I was expecting to see Moss Island on the list, but maybe on a future list, after a visit.
I visited Rock City state forest and had it all to myself! The rocks and crevices are amazing. You definitely want to keep small kids close by when exploring this area.
Panama Rocks is truly amazing. You feel like you are on an adventure in a Pirates of the Caribbean or Lord of the Rings! Besides all the exploring and stunning beauty, there are massive trees and root systems that have grown on the rock faces like I’ve never seen anywhere else. I wish I could attach photos!