Tifft Nature Preserve

Who knew — a nature preserve just outside of the city? Not me, until I went here on a date this past summer.
Upon arriving, it occurred to me that a hike in the woods was perhaps not the best choice for a second date with a guy I hardly knew. So I promptly checked in on Unilocal and periodically posted pictures to create a timeline, just in case.
This was pretty cool; a really nice walk. As part of the nature experience we saw turtles, frogs, baby deer, and the Bat Cloud where bats can sleep, hang out, and upload their files to a secure server, I guess. I think this would be a really great family outing with children.

Went on a nice Falls Walk on a Sunday afternoon with a group. First time here. Saw plenty of wildlife like Canadian Geese, turtles and come upon some White Tail deers on the trails.

Nice little trail with interesting views. The wildlife are not scared of people as several deer continued to graze on the trail five feet away from us and only moved aside when we walked past them. Many activities hosted by the buff museum of science.

This was my first time ever visiting Tifft and I brought my two dogs with me bc I was unaware that pets were not allowed. When I parked and first got out of my vehicle, a staff member, who saw my animals, approached me and politely requested that I park my car in a different lot due to an event that was being held there. He never mentioned anything to me about dogs not being permitted. I moved my vehicle to the alternate lot within the preserve as he advised me to do. As I did this, a woman who had just pulled into the lot in her car, stopped in the middle of the lot and glared at me as I was getting my things together and getting out of the car. As soon as I got out, she called out from her car and rudely told me that dogs are not allowed in the park. I told her I was confused bc another staff member, who saw the dogs, had only asked me to move my car and that he never mentioned anything about dogs not being allowed. The woman condescendingly and rudely insinuated that I was lying by telling me that it was «impossible» that someone would have only told me to move my car but not addressed the dogs. She proceeded to grill me about my interaction with her coworker. She kept trying to tell me that I must have misheard or misunderstood what he was trying to tell me. (Keep in mind she was yelling all this to me from across the parking lot, while sitting in her car.) When I told her that I hadn’t misunderstood what i had been told she again reiterated (in a nasty tone) that dogs were not allowed and said that I should’ve known that from looking at their website. I apologized and said that I didn’t know and that I had no problem with leaving bc of it. I did, however, tell her that while I had no problem at all with the no dogs rule, I did have a problem with being talked to so rudely. Her tone got a bit nicer and she tried to make it out like it was all a big «misunderstanding». I was so upset when I left that I was shaking. I would love to go back there (without my dogs) one day, but after that experience I don’t know if I will.

This place is going to have a special place in my heart for a long time. Believe it or not, it’s actually where my profile picture was taken. My friend and I made it to Tiftt before sunrise, to catch the sun and take different shots for a movie he was putting together.
To the right of the park (just before getting into any path) there is a pathway leading to a grassy walkway. If you keep walking down this pathway, you reach the apex of the area. I didn’t see another high rise like the one we were on top of, except a much smaller hill further on the grassy walkway.
The sun peeks through the treeline in front of you and illuminates the whole area. It’s addicting and something you want to keep on trying to chase after, even if it’s so freaking early.
Careful though! While we were filming, we looked down and we were covered with red fire ants! The area is pretty prone to them but both of us still have tiny welts on our skin from the bites. That’s hardly detracting from giving this place five stars, though.
Katherine P’s juxtaposition of the decrepit buildings and the beauty of the park is one of the reasons why this park is so amazing. Even if a city falls apart (and not just Buffalo either), you’re still able to find beautiful places out there, if you’re only willing to look for them.
The trails are great and we even stumbled across some deer in the forest, following us down the trail. If you have children, this would for sure be a great field trip for them. This is the ultimate place to discover nature and all the simple beauty that surrounds us.
Tifft is a hidden gem. It’s not integrated into the city; you need to be the one to go look for it and find it. Whenever you need to remind yourself that nature is not totally inclusive of society, go to Tifft. All you have to see are the rotting mills to understand that nature cannot be so easily destroyed.

If a girl named Tiffany just seduced you, bedded you, and then stole all your money and clothes, you’ve been Tifft. It’s happened to me many times. It’s just nature. In fact there are people out there who are lining up to reserve a night with Tiff so they can get Tifft. She’s calling the reservation service the «Tifft Nature Reserve.»
I’ve only been here 3 or 4 times, which is a crime because it’s one of the loveliest places in Buffalo. It’s by the lake, and also by all the old abandoned industrial factories, and yet in the middle of all this, you have this wonderful greenery filled with animals and plant life and wildlife… you will almost certainly see deer and a lot of birds, as well as many other delights of nature if you are lucky.
If ever there was a five star, it is this place. I hope it is preserved forever, and always.
I’m just glad there aren’t any cows here though, because they might get Tippt.

Not being from buffalo this was my first trip to the tifft nature preserve. Went with the kids on a chilly spring day and spent two hours wandering around. We didn’t even walk every trail! Fun way to spend a couple hours. Nice well kept trails and board walks. Nice marsh and swamp (yes I wrote nice swamp!!!) Saw a bunch of garter snakes, turtles, geese, and a muskrat. They have information posted along the trails and a duck blind to sit in. Can’t wait to go back!

Once upon a time there was a dumpsite for city refuse…
That city dumpsite had already had a few lives — the first as land for the local Indian tribes of course then as a large dairy farm owned by George Washington Tifft. It went on to become a coal and ore shipment area. Then it was the city dump. And then in 1972 a bunch of smart Buffalonians got it from the city, took care and managed the land well, allowing for the Nature Preserve it is today to open in 1976.
They covered the city dump with soil from nearby areas, and made some of the waterways larger and cleaner. This encouraged various wildlife (plants and animals both) to come back to thrive more in the area.
By the early 1980’s Tifft was a part of the Buffalo Science Museum.
Tifft Nature Preserve is a nature refuge on the edge of the city. They do tons of environmental education here and host lots of walks and tours throughout the year. It opened in 1976 and has been upgraded and improved ever since. There are some 5 miles of hikes and walks, all mapped out so you can travel them on your own. Just like at the Friends of Times Beach preserve a mile and a half up Fuhrman Boulevard, Tifft has boardwalks for bird and animal observation.
There’s some fishing in certain areas of the Preserve. There’s also snowshoeing in the winter if there’s enough snow. You can cross country ski there.
School groups come to get education year round. There are also guided tours for adults. While its free to enter and walk around, they do ask for donations. If you come for a tour there may be a fee associated with it. The website has up to date info on all of this, including the current snow levels for winter sports etc.
Parking is OK, there is some construction happening now (Early 2015) at Tifft, so be prepared to read some signs and follow directions.
Also, this is an outdoor place. Wear appropriate hiking or sturdy walking shoes and you should be fine. Leave the heels at home though, it can get muddy.
Enjoy!

This is a hidden gem in Buffalo, for sure. I’d heard about it being a great open space to visit, and since Lee and I were in the general area, we figured hiking off lunch would be a good idea.
The weather was decent for it, clear skies and temps just around/​above freezing.
First, we stopped in the Visitor’s Center to find a map (very helpfully provided as a tri-​fold) and to use the restrooms. The Center has a lot of interesting interpretive maps showing the history of the location (It used to be a railroad loading terminal) as well as bird spotting lists, a nature library, and chairs and tables and a warm gas fireplace to thaw out and warm up. At this time of the year (winter) they also have snowshoes for rental, but we decided to skip this, since the snow wasn’t too deep and a lot of others had already snowshoed their way around the trails.
My only reason for docking them a star is because, although the trails are signed, they’re not blazed, and I’m always a proponent of blazing trails to keep people on the proper paths. The scenery was stark and beautiful at this time of the year, and I was able to make a couple of sighting additions to iNaturalist of deer, who are almost entirely unafraid of hikers.
I definitely plan on making a return trip in different seasons, as I’d love to add more sightings. It is great to know there’s some nice wild space right inside of Buffalo.

On oasis on the outskirts of the city.
Growing up I never knew this place existed however with my parents having some acreage in the Southern Tier we didn’t really need to experience nature in the city.
I came here last summer when I was looking a geocache on a sunny summer day; I must say that if you are not from this part of the city/​region it can be a tad difficult to get to. Going in I was impressed that the city has managed to preserve a bit of nature here. If you are looking for a little getaway from feeling like you are in an urban area AND don’t have the ability of an expert hiker I would highly recommend checking out this park.
Tifft is a 264 acre nature that is a mix of wooded and wetland and because of that last fact I can’t give them 5 stars, if you come here during the warmer months bring your bug spray due to the mosquitoes being rampant any time of day. (LOL) I know its nature, I know it happens but I have never been eaten alive like I was on my first trip here, those little buggers found any spot the spray might have missed.
BUT back to the experience, this place is perfect for beginner hikers due to the fact that the trails are simple, marked and mapped out and there is little to no change in terrain. I would recommend water proof, comfortable shoes as well. The multiple trails throughout the preserve will allow you to experience and witness various types of nature out there, one word of caution when in the back of the park and you are on the raised wooded walkways they are highly infested with red/​fire ants so you may not want to stay in one place too long. Also throughout the park you should take note of the signage that indicates any other «warnings» such as poisonous or irritable plants as well as ticks, bugs and other pests.
One item of interest to check out is the Bat Cloud constructed by UB, you will see them hanging from an area of trees right at the entrance bridge to the park. The Bat Cloud is designed to provide a sanctuary for a bat population by creating a safe livable/​sleeping space for them as well as an area they eat. You can read more about it at this article I found on Buffalo Rising:
Please note this is not the type of park you will stop and picnic in, the entrance may have a few tables near the lake or visitor center however this park is meant to be a refuge for the plants and animals within and when in the park you should take care not to disturb nature too much and be respectful. What you bring in should be taken out, i.e. water bottles, wrappers, etc.
Hidden within the park are a few geocaches, if you are new or curious about geocaching I recommend that you check out
for more info about these hide.

Buffalo somehow managed to save hundreds of acres of marsh within the city. HOW COOL IS THAT???
This is one of Buffalo’s gems. Urban nature preserve, including a large cattail marsh and lots of trails and boardwalks. Regular stop for my family. We’ve seen turtles, turkeys, deer, beaver, muskrat, lots of other birds and once a mink. Really like that this is so close to everything else that is happening in the outer harbor. Staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Programs (especially night programs for owls and bats) have been great.
Only complaint is that they don’t have a bathroom for off hours use like Reinstein Woods preserve. If the Visitor Center is closed, there is a porta potty, but that isn’t great with little kids.

We stopped here on a random day of stuff to do around Buffalo. It was warm out, but once you enter the area the breeze is really nice and comfortable. My girlfriend had to drag me here since it didn’t sound like much fun, but I am glad she did! I mean it is 100% free, and you just get to walk the trails and see beautiful landscapes. You may even see an animal or two. I really enjoyed it.shockingly.and I recommend others check it out for themselves if you got some time to kill and want to do something relaxing.

meh.
As an out of towner, this place was a challenge to find. What should have taken 5 minutes turned in a 25 minute project of spinning in circles trying to find the right way in. This may be easy for people from the area, but not a well seasoned traveler — which was ironic.
When I finally pulled in, it was a muddy (gravel) parking lot with enormous pools of water and huge potholes. Not good for average cars — perfect for LARGE SUV’s (and I mean rugged jeeps — not a cross over vehicle) There was a sterotypical gross porta-​potty and more poor/​missing singage.
I was looking for a tour and milled around for a bit before I decided to walk down a dirt road. There was a lot of construction/​trailers/​equipment/​fences so it didn’t seem like there was an actual visitor center. The only way I figured it out was from a sign behind the porta-​potty (placement of shit-​stinking porta potty next to visitor sign might be considered by park managemen in the future.)
I walked down the dirt road toward a building that looked like a lob cabin. More construction, more pot holes, more mud. (im not complaining about the mud — I dressed approprialtey and work in construction maangement, but it was everywhere so it was hard to walk without slipping on my ass even with construction boots on.) NO CELL SERVICE, NO SIGNAGE, NO PEOPLE, NO OPEN DOOOR!
Once they finally opened the visitor center was a a bit better: looks like log cabin. Had clean bathrooms facilities, lots of things for people to look at while waiting. Plenty of seating to chill out while waiting and also had a nice outdoor deck visitors could hang out on while waiting.
It was a night tour and I really enjoyed that part from what we could see. Tour guide (Meagan) was enthusiastic about the preserve and had a genuine interest in what she was talking about which was a positive. She also had some cool «engagement activies» focused on sensory shifts in the dark that were worth the cost of the tour.
Suggestions:
Please add signage near the porta potty to include things like:
a) Pardon our mess: We’re expanding our services!
b) Keep walking ahead for visitor center — which is under construction. Look for white door!
c) Regular bathroom facilities located in visitor center
d) All tours meet at visitor center
e) More parking ahead — near visitor center
f) Cell service is LIMITED in this area! (this one is important!)
g) please do not have exposed skin because of things like stinging nettle/​poison ivy/​ants (this is reasonable, but several of the visitors had exposed ankles and inappropriate footware)
h) Please wear approproaite footware for walking long distances in challenging terrain
i) please don’t use your tour as an experiment for your new smart phone — save that for your daughters wedding. (thissarcastic comment geared toward the woman would bitched the entire time about her new Samsumg Gallaxy phone and the photo capabilites of it while she slipped through the mud in her plastic clogs and capri khaki’s
Other things: felt group should be smaller, especially at night. I found out that grown adults are afraad to walk in the dark and everyone seemed to be jocking for NOT being last. I dont mind, but I wanted to hear what the guide was saying which was impossible with the larer groups of about 12 people.
It is labeled as a «Nature Preserve» but you definitely know you’re in the middle of the city because the sound of traffic from the surrouding highways was evident during the entire tour. Light pollution is everywhere but it is a double edged sword; offered ambient lighting on a cloudy night.
It was only $ 5 for the tour so I chalked it up as giving five bucks to a park that (clearly) needs some help.

3.5÷5
Tifft is an urban nature «mashup», not quite a natural trail space, not quite a city green space.
Pros:
–Very, very easy «trails»; very well paved with stones/​boardwalk/​cleared of plants
–Mixture of different habitat spaces; fields, marshes, woods, lakes, ponds (although very small)
–Visitor center is helpful for field trips
–FREE! and quick 10 – 15 minute drive
Overall:
I would reconsider taking students here for a field trip (its kinda boring and would probably entertain you for an hour before it gets really boring). Its a nice space to have so close to Buffalo. Might be a good place to run around and the surrounding Canalside area if you don’t mind driving to park there first.

Took the kids here for a nature walk this Sunday and it was great. I barely remember going to this place as I was a kid, first time back as an adult and have to say I don’t know why I haven’t been here more often.
While there we stopped at the visitor center which is nicely done in a log cabin motif. Got some excellent advise to take a walk back over to the boardwalk that goes over the cattail marsh. Was told it should be easy enough for our little ones to handle and an excellent spot to check out some of the wildlife. The guide was correct on both parts that it was perfect walk for the kids and while there we got to see a bunch of turtles, frogs and colorful birds soaking up some sun in the marsh.
Can see myself coming back here often as the place is right down the road from me and is a great way to get a little exercise while getting back in touch with nature. Bonus is that its free.

Tried to take my daughter to the zoo today but the line was way too long as everyone wants to see the baby polar bear. So what else do I do with a 7 year old outsideish on a nice day? TIft nature preserve!!! Great place to take the kids for free and let them just run around. Once they loose a little energy then you can show and teach them about nature. Great times

I LOVE YOU TIFFT! If I hadn’t happened to marry my BFF and love of my life here, I may have considered «putting a ring» on Tifft. It’s a beautiful space and certainly a nature preserve… while wandering the trails you might just run into a family of deer.
Also, apparently this place used to be a dump… like, literally, a garbage/​landfill type place. What a change it is!
I worked with Lauren at Tifft (and Erin at the Museum of Science) to plan my September nuptuails at Tifft. It’s a relatively inexpensive place to rent and Lauren is very easy to work with. I am so happy the weather also cooperated for our ceremony :)
We got married on the deck and 100 folding plastic chairs fit there. Excellent! Our rental fee included the entire facility, including the nature center/​classroom and they allowed guests to park next to the cabin too.
I loved our day. It was beyond perfect and I know the pictures will be breathtaking. The best part is I can come to Tifft all year long and remember how special my day was. If you’re looking for an outdoor wedding ceremony space I would totally recommend Tifft