Sprague Brook Park

Sprague Brook Park is a 974-acre (3.94 km2)[1] county park in the hamlet of Glenwood in Erie County, New York. It is operated by the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, and it is the only park managed by Erie County that offers overnight camping facilities.[1] Access to the park is free and it is open year-round.[3]

Sprague Brook Park
View of a picnic area along Sprague Brook
Location of Sprague Brook Park within the state of New York
TypeRegional park
Location9674 Foote Road
Glenwood, New York
Nearest cityBuffalo
Coordinates42°35′30″N 78°37′53″W
Area974 acres (3.94 km2)[1]
Created1963 (1963)
Operated byErie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry
OpenAll year
Camp sites30 hookup, 123 total[2]
WebsiteSprague Brook Park

History

Much of the land that currently comprises Sprague Brook Park was obtained by Erie County in 1963 as part of a larger acquisition of 2,200 acres (8.9 km2) that also included parkland near Eighteen Mile Creek, Beeman Creek (near Clarence Center), and Larkin Woods (now Franklin Gulf Park[4]). An additional 86 acres (0.35 km2) of land was purchased by the county to expand Sprague Brook Park in 1964.[1]

Facilities
Trail through an eastern hemlock forest at Sprague Brook Park.

Sprague Brook Park has dedicated facilities for camping, baseball, softball and tennis. Several ponds offer opportunities for fishing, and a sledding hill is available for use during the winter. Trails for hiking and snowmobiling are found throughout the property.[3] A three-mile (4.8 km) groomed cross-country skiing loop and an associated warming shelter are maintained during the winter.[5] Several shelters are located within the park and may be reserved for events and gatherings.[3]

The park's mountain biking trail system was expanded after proposed improvements were submitted by the Western New York Mountain Bicycling Association. These proposals were incorporated into the county's master plan for the park (released in 2003), and enacted in the following years.[6][1]

Some potential future improvements outlined in the county parks' 2003 master plan include installation of scenic overlooks, development of a 'natural' hillside amphitheater, and ceasing to mow underutilized fields to allow them to undergo re-naturalization.[1]

References
  1. Erie County (N.Y.) Department of Parks, Recreation, & Forestry; Erie County (N.Y.) Department of Environment & Planning; Parsons; Envision: The Hough Group; Paradigm Consulting; Wendel-Duchscherer Architects & Engineers (2003). Erie County Parks System Master Plan, Volume 2, Section 4 (PDF). Erie County. pp. 16–19. Retrieved January 23, 2015.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Keene, Ben (May 7, 2013). Camping New York: A Comprehensive Guide to Public Tent and RV Campgrounds. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 123. ISBN 978-1493002139. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  3. "Sprague Brook". Erie.gov. Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  4. "Take a Hike in Franklin Gulf Park". WNYtrails.com. September 4, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  5. Freeman, Rich; Freeman, Sue (2001). Winter trails: Cross-country ski and snowshoe in Central and Western New York. Fishers, NY: Footprint Press. p. 39. ISBN 0965697452. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  6. "Sprague Brook". WNYMBA.org. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
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