Allegany State Park - Thunder Rocks

This weekend was gorgeous. There was lots of sunshine with blue skies and warm temperatures. Here in Northwestern Pennsylvania, I believe we might just be experiencing Indian Summer. The weatherman is forecasting similar weather the rest of this week. Get out and enjoy it, as you are able! That's exactly what Bob and I did today. We got out and enjoyed the warm, sunny day at a state park not far from our home.

Today's destination was Allegany State Park near Salamanca, New York. Allegany State Park is New York's largest state park and is known for its natural beauty. The park is divided into two sections: the Red House area and the Quaker Run area. The Red House Area is the northern half of Allegany State Park. Its attractions include Stone Tower, the Summit Fire Tower, Red House Lake, the Thomas L. Kelly Covered Bridge, and the Tudor-style Administration Building. The Quaker Run area is the southern half of the park. Its attractions include Quaker Lake, Science Lake, the Mount Tuscarora Fire Tower, the Quaker Amphitheater, Bear Caves and Thunder Rocks.

Allegany State Park is a frequent destination for Bob and me, as the park is only an hour's drive from our house. With the exception of one weekend camping trip several years ago, our visits to the park last only a few hours. We visit various attractions, which I photograph, and eat lunch at the Red House Restaurant located in the Administration Building. I would like very much to spend a weekend, once again, at Allegany State Park. Perhaps next summer or fall...

In each of my blog posts this week I will share with you photographs of Allegany State Park, both from today's visit as well as from past visits. Thunder Rocks is the subject of today's blog post. We discovered Thunder Rocks in October 2008. We visited Thunder Rocks for the second time today.

Thunder Rocks is a massive rock outcropping (Oct 2008).

The flat rock at the top right-hand side of this photograph reminds me of a diving board (Nov 2009).

Bob at Thunder Rocks (Nov 2009)

The favorite pastime at Thunder Rocks is rock climbing, which Bob did last year. This year, though, Bob stayed off the rocks as he didn't wear footwear suitable for climbing.

Bob, rock climbing at Thunder Rocks (Oct 2008)