Darien Lakes State Park, Buffalo NY - Small yet surprisingly pleasant!

This Sunday we decided to explore our area a bit. We wanted to find a dog-friendly park around Williamsville, NY, that would make for a nice hiking / relaxing spot :) And we scored!!! 

Darien Lakes State Park is a really small but cozy park that - in addition to some hiking and horseback riding trails - has a large campground, nice little lake (with a beach!) and really well-maintained picnic area. 

We will definitely be coming back here in the Summer time for a short camping trip with Wilson and Victoria :)  

The terrain of Darien Lakes State Park is described as "hilly with woodlands, ravines, streams and 12-acre Harlow Lake". 

I am not sure about the hilly part, as it is mostly flat, but it might be just my skewed perspective (having lived in Vancouver, Canada for three years, I am used to REAL mountains and hills). 

It's definitely green and beautiful, though. The lake is very picturesque with a small island connected by a bridge. 

The campground is equipped with electricity. There are also heated comfort stations with showers and flush toilets (you can't appreciate these enough until you spend some time in Candian Rockies, where many of the toilets are just a step above a hole in the ground). 

In Winter, many of the trails are open for hiking, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling - fun!

While pets are welcome, there are some restrictions.

As specified on the Darien Lakes State Park website: "Household pets only; caged or on a leash not more than 6 feet. Proof of rabies inoculation. Not allowed in bathing areas, cabins or Darien Lakes day-use area. For campers, if your site allows pets, there is a two-pet maximum."

For more information visit Darien Lakes State Park website!

Bottom line is: We had fun looking around the Darien Lakes park, Wilson enjoyed the walk and we found a new great spot for family picnics and Summer weekends! :)