Category Archives: Transportation

history, Park History, Recreation, State History, Transportation

Infrastructure’s Second Act: Transforming Rails to Trails

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Across New York, outdated infrastructure is getting a second chance to serve communities. Former factories, railroads, and hospitals are now spaces for New Yorkers to get outside, get some exercise, and disconnect from their electronic devices. In this new series, we explore how your favorite state parks once served a very different but equally important purpose to our state.

In this first installment of Infrastructure’s Second Act, fasten your seatbelts and learn about the state parks built from former transportation infrastructure, including railroads and canals. These sites served as critical community connectors in the past, and now connect communities in a much different way: as places to recreate, relax, and enjoy the natural world.

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2024 Centennial Celebration, Park Personnel, Share Your Story, Transportation

Share Your Story: KeJuan Harmon Talks ‘Ladders to the Outdoors’ Program

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All are welcome at New York State Parks and Historic Sites, but getting to our facilities isn’t always easy. People who don’t have cars, for example, are often left to navigate transportation barriers that prevent them from accessing outdoor recreation opportunities.

A group of adults and children experience the Maid Of The Mist at Niagara Falls through the Ladders to the Outdoors program.

KeJuan Harmon is actively working to bridge the access gap for kids to discover and experience the wonders of state parks firsthand. In his role as State Parks’ Statewide Ladders to the Outdoors Coordinator, Harmon is giving back to communities in Western and Central New York. As part of the Share Your Story project for our agency’s Centennial, he describes the magic that happens when kids experience the outdoors for the first time. 

“One of the most surprising things since I started working with our State Parks is the invisible barrier of Niagara Falls, the amount of kids from within three or four miles of Niagara Falls that have never been.”

– KeJuan Harmon

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Family Fun, Recreation, Transportation

Buffalo’s ‘Parks Adventure Bus’ Returns, Offering Free Transportation and Entry to State Parks

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For many of us, getting to our favorite state park isn’t as easy as packing some snacks and jumping in a vehicle to spend a beautiful day in nature. Transportation to parks located in rural and off the beaten path locations where public transportation doesn’t service can be a challenge. And even if the park is in an urban setting, it may not always be accessible either.

That is why NY State Parks in the Niagara Region are partnering with Erie County, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, and Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) to kick off the second season of the Parks Adventure Bus! The program launched in the summer of 2022, offering riders (1) FREE transportation to and from a number of Buffalo-area parks as well as (2) FREE entry to those parks.

How it works:

On Saturdays from June to early August, NFTA-METRO buses depart from and return to the Metropolitan Transportation Center in Buffalo throughout the day. The Parks Adventure Bus is free and park entry is free to riders. Please arrive 10 minutes to board all buses downtown and at all parks. Bike racks are available, but are first-come, first-served.

To get more information about what to bring and what to know before you go, have a look at our Parks Adventure Bus brochure.

Schedule and Trip Times:

  • June 17: Knox Farm State Park
  • June 24: Chestnut Ridge Park
  • July 1: Reinstein Woods and Como Lake Park (enjoy one or both)
  • July 8: Fort Niagara State Park
  • July 15: Emery County Park
  • July 22: Beaver Island State Park
  • July 29: Akron Falls State Park
  • August 5: Evangola State Park

If any of the days are cancelled due to weather, August 12 is reserved as a make-up day. Two trips in September and one in December are also available. Learn more here.

Buses depart from the Metropolitan Transportation Center at 8:30 AM, 10:15 AM, 11:30 PM, 1:15 PM, and 3:15 PM.

Buses depart from the park destination (to return to the Metropolitan Transportation Center) at 11:10 AM, 12:20 PM, 2:10 PM, 4:05 PM, and 6:00 PM.

PAL Trip Times:

Using the same dates above, Parks Adventure Bus service to and from each park will be provided on PAL for eligible riders.

Reservations are available to arrive at the parks at 9:00 AM, 10:45 AM, 12:00 PM, 1:45 PM, and 3:45 PM.

PAL vehicles depart from park destinations at 11:10 AM, 12:20 PM, 2:10 PM, 4:05 PM, and 6:00 PM.

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