Zoar Valley
/While in New York, we headed inland to one of my favorite places to hike, Zoar Valley. Zoar Valley is a "Multiple Use Area" near the town of Gowanda that is not a state park, but the land is owned by the state so it is open to the public. The valley has some of the tallest cliffs in New York state and I've read that one of its cliffs is actually the second highest in NY (500 + feet). Cattaraugus Creek and the South Branch of Cattaraugus Creek both flow through Zoar and at their confluence in the valley there are some spectacular stands of old growth trees accentuated by the high cliffs that tower above them.
South Branch of Cattaraugus Creek
The cliffs on the South Branch of the Cattaraugus can reach more than 300 feet and are spectacular in their own right. We started our hike at the trailhead along the South Branch and from there it is an easy walk down the stream (when water levels are low enough) to the confluence and the heart of the valley.
Confluence of Cattaraugus Creek (L) and the South Branch of Cattaraugus Creek (R)
Looking back up the stream to the confluence of the [main] Cattaraugus Creek and the South Branch of Cattaraugus Creek. The streams meet just below the cliff in the center of the picture, with the South Branch coming from the right side of the photograph.
Green Frog
Lithobates clamitans
We saw a few Green Frogs on our hike that day, although I'm not 100% sure they are Green Frogs and not Bullfrogs, but given their size, my guess is Green frogs. This guy was peaking out from underneath a boulder while we walked by and stayed still long enough for me to get a few good pictures.
Gossamer Cascade
Zoar Valley is also home to many "cascades" that are similar to waterfalls, except they trickle down the rock face instead of dropping off of it. It's probably just semantics, but the websites I've read are always make that distinction clear when talking about waterfalls and cascades in Zoar. The "falzguy" website in particular, which is a survey of sorts of western NY waterfalls, lists this as the "Gossamer" Cascade and says it is 130 feet high.
Beaver
Castor canadensis
The floodplains along the streams do support large trees and where there are trees and water, there are sure to be beavers. What struck me the most about this tree was the sheer size of the trunk... I've never seen beavers take down such a large tree. But the area around this stump had plenty of other beaver "sign" in the form of fallen trees and gnawed branches and trunks so there must be a healthy resident population.
Second Highest Cliff in NY?
While the websites I've read list a cliff around the corner as the second highest in New York state (500 + feet) based on its rise from the stream bottom to the peak, but this cliff sure seems higher to me. But either way, as you can see the cliffs in Zoar Valley are incredible tall and quite stunning. We took our lunch break below this cliff and then did a little swimming in a large eddy in the stream.
Woodland Sunflower
Helianthus strumosus
There are a lot of different types of sunflowers and there are even other flowers that resemble sunflowers so identifying Sunflowers can be difficult for me... but I am 95% sure this is a Woodland Sunflower. Its yellow center is a distinguishing characteristic along with the size of the blossoms, but I could be wrong.
More Pictures:
Green Frog
Lithobates clamitans
Waterfall on Cattaraugus Creek
Sweetpea (Non Native)
Lathyrus odoratus
South Branch of Cattaraugus Creek
Woodland Sunflower
Helianthus strumosus
Purple Loosestrife (Non Native)
Lythrum salicaria