From the air, here's a look at
the main entry to the Town of Lockport Nature Trails. The camera is looking south,
across Slayton Settlement Road with Wicks Road seen going north in the lower right of the
picture.
The City of Lockport Grant Wilderness Park has been such a success with tourists the Town of Lockport decided to turn one of its unused properties, on the north side of the city, into a similar venture. With the encouragement and enthusiasm of long-time Lockport Town booster, Dick Gallagher, access development of this 112-acre nature preserve south of Slayton Settlement road and west of Day Road began in the Spring of 2001. The new Lockport Town Supervisor, John Austin, and members of the Town Board had been seeking to expand recreational services in the town and development of this wilderness area appears of fit meet a segment of those goals. Gallagher's family owned the property from 1934 to 1955 when it was sold to the town for a token amount. Efforts are now continuing to enhance trails and make access to the many acres of wilderness accommodating to visitors while still protecting it's "forever wild" nature. Volunteer help is sought.
From the air, here's a look at
the main entry to the Town of Lockport Nature Trails. The camera is looking south,
across Slayton Settlement Road with Wicks Road seen going north in the lower right of the
picture.
Turning south off Slayton Settlement Road a stone/gravel driveway leads to a parking area just before you reach the main gate.
Staffers from the Lockport Home Page were invited to explore this new town nature preserve of trails through wilderness in Spring '01 when the full complement of vegetation had not yet taken control of the area and when more detailed photography is possible. Potential visitors may find printing out these pages provides a helpful guide.
A
Topographic Map May Help
The topographic map to the right may help you
with bearings. Just as with the photo above,
the map's North side is at the bottom, the South
side is at the top. West is on the right and East
is on the left.
The photo covers just a portion
of the Wilderness Nature Trail property but
the map shows it all. The property fronts on
Slayton Settlement Road and its other three
boundaries are shown, approximately, with the
white lines.
Explaining how to read a topo map is beyond the
scope of this pictorial but the brown contours
indicate elevation in feet above sea level. The
"contour interval" is 5-feet. The road into the preserve is shown but
trails are not. To gauge
distance consider the space between the two
white lines running north-south as about .25 miles
or about 1400 feet.
This is actually the beginning of the Niagara Escarpment and, as can be
seen on the map,
there is varied terrain with elevation changing
almost 100 feet from the entry to the area, on to
the southern limits.
This is the North Side
The small feeder creek to the East Branch of the 18-Mile Creek can be seen as a blue- green wavy line inside the property boundaries. A small waterfalls is where the creek passes through the squeezed brown contour lines.
A gate stops other than emergency and maintenance vehicles from proceeding past the initial several hundred feet of entry off Slayton Settlement Road. Motorized vehicles (including snowmobiles and ATVs) in the nature preserve area are no longer permitted. This is protect the fragile environment, especially during development.
From the parking lot area seen below, visitors on foot walk around the gate and begin the hike down the small dirt road which shows clearly in the aerial photo (above). At the end of this road there is another assembly area where explorers can hike off on a choice of several trails, or just take a break for a picnic or rest. There's a small stone quarry in here also but it was abandoned after only about a year of use because the stone was too soft. There is no significant depth to the quarry clearing. The wood chips shown in the photo (below) are being used extensively throughout the preserve to provide a base for the walking trails. In this case they cover a slight built-up area that flanges out from each side of the entry gate.
What To Bring
Protective shoes or boots
Backpack with
Water
Camera
Compass
Pencil & Notebook
Recommendations
Daytime exploring only.
Don't hike alone.
Cell phone might be useful.
Apply Insect Repellent
Entering
the wilderness. Dick Gallagher took our Lockport Home Page
explorers as far into the wilderness area as possible using his SUV but there came a
point, at the end of the dirt road seen in the aerial photograph, where it was time to
begin the walking journey.
We had maps, we had a magnetic compass, a cell phone, and, we had expert guide Dick Gallagher (right in photo). But Lockport Pager, Peter Buckholtz still wanted additional assurance so he brought along a handheld GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) unit. We also had bug spray repellant which was most useful.
Visitors will find a dispenser available with photocopies of a rough trail map and there are a limited number of posted signs along the trails to help you stay on course. If you stick to the trails, you can't get lost (for long).
Caution: The area contains extensive collections of poison ivy. Try to be familiar with this dangerous greenery before you enter. You shouldn't encounter it if you stay on the trails but just inches off the trail in some areas you'll see huge vines of it. It's part of being in the wilderness!
Are You Ready? We Move Into The
Wilderness...
On The
Next Page
.