With nothing to do last Sunday, my husband drove us out to "Erie Bluffs". It is a state park that has been in the news lately because someone wants to build a lodge there. We had never been there and I had never heard of it before the newspaper article.
Before I started writing this, I went to the DCNR website to see what directions they gave to getting to this spot, I wouldn't want to steer you wrong.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateParks/parks/eriebluffs.aspx
If you go to the website you can read these directions.: Erie Bluffs is north of PA 5 at Lake City, twelve miles west of Erie. That is all the directions they give.
You'd never find the place with those directions. Even after knowing the real directions from the newspaper article, I thought we were in the wrong place. Here are the directions. Take PA 5 (west) past the Elk Creek Access and it is the first dirt road (like a tractor path) to the right (north). Yep, it isn't a real road, there are no signs to guide you, and you will probably question whether this could really be the place. You may even argue about it like I did. This just couldn't be it, corn fields? Muddy puddled areas (but our car made it OK)to drive through? Where were we going? There aren't any signs, a state park would have signs. What if we were in a farmer's corner field? I had visions of being run off by a shot-gun toting farmer. Through the small ruts and field we went. We came to 3 weathered picnic tables but that wasn't a clue as they could be for the field workers. The road split to the right but the right was a dead end a few yards ahead. So we went left. It turned out to be the right place. At the end of the road there was a "no motorized vehicles allowed" sign. Still that was the only thing that would assure you that you are in the right place.
On the way out I filmed a small clip that shows part of the road you'll have to take.
The flies were awful, like something out of a horror movie. We were covered with them when we exited the car. I dont' know if this was a one day event or not. I suspect the farmer's use of fertilizer as the cause. A heavy application of Deet on our whole bodies finally took care of the problem. The hike was fabulous, the views awesome and the beach was rocky and interesting. We briefly saw a couple of other groups walking on the paths. It is pretty secluded.
You can see a brief video of the beach below the bluffs and what the road looks like that you have to take. Search it out, (someone please put up a sign). Bring your Deet.
1 comment:
Linda, Don has been there a few times and says just as you pull of onto the dirt road near Rt. 5 there is a place to park then you walk down the road path past the corn fields to the park.
I'll have to have him take me sometime
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