Writer discusses her winter camping trip to Allegany State Park. ‘I highly recommend it,’ she says
By Amanda Jowsey
Winter in Buffalo has this way of overstaying its welcome. My cabin fever, ironically, led me to book a cabin at Allegany State Park last winter.
I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a change of scenery and a new perspective to get through their countdown to spring.
The main roads at Allegany are plowed and maintained, there is a 24-hour rental desk and maintenance on duty and any unsafe roads are closed off so you can’t get yourself into trouble.
New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Department of Environmental Conservation make finding a site for winter camping in Western New York easy. Just go to their website to navigate, search for campgrounds with winter camping through the “find your site” and “camping this weekend,” links at the top of the page.
Accommodations
Winter camping was new for me, but Allegany State Park made it seem perfectly normal. I felt comfortable.
I was a little hesitant at first, not knowing what to expect, but when I arrived at Quaker Lake, a few minutes down the road from my site, the first thing I saw was a bald eagle flying overhead — my first. OK, I got this, I thought. The universe is on my side.
I rented a basic cabin on Weller trail with propane heat, a fridge and gas stove and four beds for $94.50 a night. There was no sink or running water, but a bathroom at the end of the loop. It’s pet friendly, so I brought my dog along for the adventure.
I checked in at the rental office down the road and got my key. When I arrived at the quaint rustic green cabin, the furnace had already been turned on for me and was nice and warm. I found firewood at a stop on the reservation in Salamanca on the way in and had a fire later that night in the outside pit.
Cabins can be upgraded to cottages, which include a bathroom with shower, electric refrigerator, gas stove, microwave, furniture, pillows, bedding, cooking utensils and dishes. Cottages have two bedrooms, a main room and kitchen, and five beds for $172.50 a night.
Health benefits of unplugging in the winter
The world was quiet. I could hear myself think again, but I didn’t need to. I slowed down. I resourcefully made myself meals and grounded myself, resetting that constant fight or flight state of a nervous system in this over-stimulating world.
Except for a few friendly neighbors (who helped me start my fire after an hour of unsuccessfully and stubbornly trying to do it without cheating), the only sounds around were birds chirping and the faint squawk of a crow off in the distance — signs of the slow arrival of spring all around that seemed to daunt me underneath the freshly fallen snow.
It was beautiful. It helped me appreciate winter in a whole new way.
New studies find that the strongest motivator for going camping is seeking feelings of happiness. Campers, on average, are shown to be happier and less anxious than non-campers, rating significantly higher across six areas of psychological well-being than non-campers.
Camping, especially in winter, has numerous physical benefits. It also burns more calories when hiking and doing activities outdoors because your body works harder to stay warm. Camping is shown to improve cognition, as it challenges the mind to learn and develop new skills or hone old ones. It improves mental well-being by reducing screen time and promotes physical activity.
I can attest to that.
If You Go
For more information on how to book your getaway:
• NYS Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, Department of Environmental Conservation:
newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/allegany-state-park
Reservations can be made online or through the Reserve America Call Center: 1-800-456-2267
• New York State Park Campgrounds: Same-day reservations will be allowed until 3 p.m. on day of arrival. This applies to campsites only. Walk-ins will not be permitted.
• DEC Campgrounds: Same-day reservations will be allowed until 2 p.m. on day of arrival at all DEC campgrounds. Walk-ins will not be permitted.