Reinstein Dr Victor Woods Nature Preserve

I love Reinstein woods. I could come more often as its a great place to walk and relax, but I’ve only been here three times, all were events. Once for a fundraiser where they made recipes using ingredients found in the reserve, another time for fall fest, and this weekend for winter fest. Every time they have a public event it’s a great turnout. Lots of activities for children and interesting demos for all to enjoy.
Check their website for upcoming events. They are open year round and offer events to public for all ages.

I decided to spend Black Friday enjoying the great outdoors; taking a walk at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve. If it wasn’t for Unilocal,I would have never known this tranquil destination was in Western New York! Unassuming from the road, my friend and I pulled into the parking area and began my journey past the education center and bathrooms. I thought Reinstein Woods was just one big loop but there are in fact a few different loops.
We started on the Lily Pond Loop and then got a bit misguided and found ourselves on another trail. No worries, they all seem to merge together around two ponds and one lake. We got some great pictures even this late into November. Reinstein Woods is home to the largest Beech Tree in New York State! There is a lot of history in this Nature Preserve and there is a free guided tour every Saturday at 10am.
We walked for about an hour and a half, stopping for pictures and enjoying the nature surrounding us. I stopped at the bathrooms on our way out which were very clean and well maintained. As stated before, this is a great destination right in our own backyards! Check it out!

It’s not a perfect trail, but it’ll certainly give some peace of mind to the solitude-​seeker.
That’s exactly what it did for me. I’ve been feeling a little out of perspective with everything recently, and I’m flagging one of the reasons as I haven’t been hiking in two weeks. Needless to say, I had a free day yesterday and decided to go again to Reinstein in Depew.
The first time I went here I was with Alex L, several years ago, wandering through the forest when the snow was still trying to melt in the woods. I was super impressed at the time, because you can wind in and out of trails for hours and get lost (physically and in conversation). If I remember correctly, there was no trail that was closed off and only a couple of people out on the trail at all.
Yesterday I was disappointed on two realms: 1) First, and most importantly, they had sections of different trails blocked off. I appreciate that they are caring for the woods and trying to make it better, but according to a hiker that I was talking to along the trail, he said that some of the trails had been blocked off for weeks. 2) The trail is so popular that it was so busy yesterday. With nice weather, I don’t blame people for being out, but it’s harder to appreciate the (much needed) peace and quiet when you run into someone every few minutes.
Reinstein is a good stay-​on-​the-​path trail where you can appreciate different things along the way. For example, the Preserve has fun little fact boards, providing information about the state flower and state mammal to the little kiddos (definitely take the kids if you have them). There is also the «History Trail» which will lead you around the lake but provide different facts about the history of the Preserve. It’s quite interesting being launched back to the 1940’s.
I would say come out here within the next couple of weeks, most definitely during a weekday if you can swing it. The leaves are really starting to change in different shades of color. There were a couple of times yesterday where I’d reach a clearing and see the light catch a tree in a certain way and be overwhelmed with a gradient of red, depending on how the light hit the tree.
It’s the little things that you can take with you on a trail, and one of the reasons why the changing seasons are so important. Buffalo is quite fortunate to have a Fall :)

Very easy trail and a perfect spot to bring little ones. I like to bring my son here in the fall, winter, spring to fight cabin fever. Lots of wildlife are seen particularly beavers. Often they have guided nature walks you can sign up for.

Made the mistake of coming here as the sun was setting in the distance, and while the trails are open from dusk until dawn, it really isn’t a good idea to start wading through the woods as it’s starting to get dark. You’ll end up power-​walking on a trail that’s hard to see with a cell phone light as your only guide, begging to see the street lamps once again.
Despite the bad idea escapade, I really think that this place is incredibly cool. I noticed that there were a couple of different trails that you can follow, and I was told that each of them eventually loop back around and dump you back into the parking lot (which is incredibly handy, especially if you end up getting lost. In the dark.).
I heard that this place was known for its wildlife, and sure enough we saw a couple of deer along the way, along with squirrels, chipmunks, and even frogs. There are also a few ponds to bask at along the trails. The benches and chairs that sat near the woods are clearly inviting me to bring lunch there sometime.
Sadly, no dogs allowed — I spotted signs that warned of lyme disease from the ticks. Leave your pups at home, but bring the kids! There’s a small kid-​friendly area just down the first trail nearest the entrance, but I’d also wager that the trails are easy enough for a young person to go through without getting too exhausted. Extremely friendly atmosphere as well; everyone made sure to say hello as they passed by.
Quite the hidden gem! I’ll be riding my bike here for another visit very soon.

I am so happy that I learn of this place. Thank you Unilocal!
There are a lot of well maintained trails, for easy hikes and bird watching. The ponds are fill of water lilies and frogs. The last time I visited there was a baby deer, or Bambie as I like to call them, that was jumping all over the trail. This is a beautiful relaxing get away in the middle of town.

Beautiful place to see loads of pink lily pads in the ponds, marshes, mature woods, including NY’s oldest beech tree, deer, and other critters. Walk for an hour or three. So much to see and learn.

I discovered this place because of the CM of Buffalo, who is actually from Hawaii. In Hawaii, they don’t have nature reserves (or anything natural at all, for that matter… all p*nises are implants, and all boobies are too). So I don’t know how he knows about it, but he does.
He took me here nature walking once, when he was trying to convince me to quit Unilocal and stop annoying everyone with my bad jokes. Unfortunately, the nature reserve was so lovely, that I decided to Unilocal it… and about 1,900 other things, too. I’m sorry Alex. My bad.
If you’ve never been to Tifft then head out to Depew and walk around in nature. It’s great for hikes and trails, families and couples, and even single creepy men. Such as me and the Hawaiian. Oh wait, he’s not single anymore. Damn. And I thought I had a chance with him. :(

Brought my 4 and 2 year old here for a «nature walk» as my son called it. Kind of a hidden gem for nature enthusiasts. We didn’t get to do the whole walk but it is a great place to take kids. Very scenic, saw some deer, chipmunks, geese and turtles. My son also swear he saw a platypus in the water but I have my doubts: p. Seemed to be guided tours for kids to learn more about the vegetation. There is some places to sit and eat or drink if needed.

Awesome park but there is an alarming amount of ticks carrying Lyme Disease. It’s said that up to 66.6% of the ticks tested were confirmed to be carrying it. Just a serious heads up.

I’ve been meaning to go visit Reinstein ever since I got my hands on a super special book that’s no longer in circulation.
It was called «Secret Places of Western NY» and detailed secret hikes around the area.
Reinstein was listed near the beginning of the book as an easy starter hike. I once had the goal of exploring every one of the places in the book, but since it took me 5+ years to just make it here, I may have a life long goal ahead of me.
Either way, if you haven’t explored Reinstein yet… I urge you to do this in the Fall! It’s mesmerizing that there is such a tranquil forest right in the middle of Depew, who woulda thought? I always associated Depew with a a loud airport, but here I was… in a tranquil forest that inspired introspection.
The pond loop is a worthwhile trail and there are benches scattered throughout the preserve where you can find yourself with a pen and notebook and be reflective. There’s a number of trails, but truth be told you can probably set aside 1 – 3 hours and finish them all. It’s not a huge place, but this has its benefits.
There’s also a «nature play area» for the kids, which is a cool playground they made out of the wooded areas. See the picture that I uploaded.
This is a magical place, especially for the autumn. If you want a perfect WNY Fall Day: do this:
1) come here around 3pm on a sunny day, hike for a few hours.
2) drive 10 minutes to Mayer Bros Cider Mill (
), pick up some goodies (apples, peach pie, cheese curds, cider slushie, etc.)
3) drive 15 minutes for dinner in East Aurora and head up to the Elm Street Bakery. (
).
It will be perfect; I promise. Have fun!

Went here over the weekend for a fall festival they had and have to say it was a great time. The place itself is a wooded nature preserve with plenty of walking trails, a lily pad pound with a nice boardwalk overlook area, and clean modern visitors center.
The fall festival was great as most of the exhibitors were other local area places promoting things with a link to nature instead of just selling you stuff, and they had many cool activities for the kids to try.
Outside of the fall festival, which I will definitely be back for, I will also keep this place in mind when wanting to just get back in touch with nature and leave some of the stress of the city.

Beautiful place with nature trails and educational programs. You may encounter deer, frogs, snakes, fox, birds, geese and other wildlife. Great for a peaceful nature walk any time of the year

this place is great! i went with my two early 60s parents and rented snowshoes. we’re all moderately athletic and enjoyed the trails and the informatiin center very much! we’ll be back to rent cross country skis next week:)