Beaver Island State Park is a

New York state park This is a list of state parks in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Also listed are state golf courses, seasonal hunting areas, and ''former'' state parks. In New York, state parks are managed by the New York State Office of Parks, Re ...

located on Grand Island in northwestern Erie County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in the United States. It is situated at the southern end of the island on the bank of the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

and served by the Beaver Island Parkway, a highway linking the park to Interstate 190 (I-190). Included within the park is the Beaver Island State Park Golf Course, a

USGA The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...

-recognized championship 18-hole, par-72 public golf course. The park is 1 of 80 New York State Parks that are in the path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse, with 3 minutes and 43 seconds of totality.

History

The present-day Beaver Island State Park opened in 1935 and consists of several historic Grand Island estates of Buffalo's elite that were donated to New York State for all Western New Yorkers to enjoy. These grand estates included: *The Falconwood Club - resort started by Lewis Allen and later owned by

George E. Matthews George E. Matthews (1855–1911) was president of the "J. N. Matthews Co.," which published the ''Buffalo Courier-Express''. At the time of his death, Matthews owned the Falconwood Club in Grand Island, New York. Early life Matthews was born ...

*River Lawn - summer home and estate of

Elbridge G. Spaulding Elbridge Gerry Spaulding (February 24, 1809 – May 5, 1897) was an American lawyer, banker, and Republican Party politician. He opposed slavery and supported the idea for the first U.S. currency not backed by gold or silver, thus helping to keep ...

Franklin Sidway Franklin Sidway (July 7, 1834 – March 20, 1920) was an American businessman and banker from Buffalo, New York, known for building the Sidway Building in Buffalo, the Spaulding-Sidway house in Grand Island, and commissioning the 1865 painting, ...

, and later Frank St. John Sidway *River Lea - summer home of

Lewis F. Allen Lewis Falley Allen (January 1, 1800 – May 2, 1890) was an American farmer, businessman, politician and prominent Buffalonian. Allen was the uncle-in-law of President Grover Cleveland and is credited with introducing Cleveland to the practice of ...

, the uncle of US President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

, is located within the park. In 2015, it was announced that a new $2 million pro shop with a bar and restaurant and a large, outdoor seating area was coming to Beaver Island Golf Course. It will replace the one destroyed by fire in 2012.

Recreation

The park offers a beach, picnic tables with pavilions, recreation programs, a nature trail, birdwatching (including

swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...

s, and

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

s), seasonal waterfowl hunting, fishing and ice-fishing, sledding, cross-country skiing, cross country running, snowshoeing, sledding and snowmobiling, a boat launch with marina and dockage, and a food concession. The park's nature center is open from noon to 4 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Attendance at Beaver Island rose to about 279,000 in 2014, up from 269,000 in 2013. Beaver Island State Park is home to the Blue Heron

Disc golf Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...

course, an 18-hole, disc course completed in 1999.

Golf course

The Beaver Island State Park Golf Course is a par 72, yard

-recognized championship course with a slope of 108 and a rating of 70.2. Additionally the forward course is a par 74, yard course with a slope of 110 and a rating of 70.1. The latter course is open from April 20 through November 8, weather permitting. The course was designed by William Harries and Russ Tryon and opened in 1963.

Beaver Island Parkway

The Beaver Island Parkway, also known as South Parkway, is a parkway connecting its namesake park to

I-190 Interstate 190 may refer to the following Interstate Highways in the United States related to Interstate 90: * Interstate 190 (Illinois), a spur into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport *Interstate 190 (Massachusetts), a spur from Worcester to L ...

(the

Niagara Section Interstate 190 (I-190, locally known as One-Ninety) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway that connects I-90 in Buffalo, New York, with the Canada–US border near Niagara Falls. The freeway bisects downtown Buffalo before cros ...

of the

New York State Thruway {{Infobox road , state = NY , type = NYST , alternate_name = Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway , maint = NYSTA , map = {{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, type=line, stroke-width=2, type2=line, from2=New Yor ...

) and

New York State Route 324 New York State Route 324 (NY 324) is an east–west state highway located in the western portion of New York in the United States. Officially, NY 324 begins at NY 384 in Niagara Falls and overlaps Interstate 190 (I-190 ...

(NY 324) near the

South Grand Island Bridge The South Grand Island Bridge is a pair of twin two-lane truss arch bridges spanning the Niagara River between Tonawanda and Grand Island in New York, United States. Each bridge carries one direction of Interstate 190 (I-190) and New Yor ...

. This roadway is a four-lane divided expressway, and there are no driveways leading to and from the roadway. However, there are at-grade intersections along the route. The parkway is within the jurisdiction of the

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) is a state agency within the New York State Executive Department Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law § 3.03. "The office of parks, recreation a ...

but is maintained and inventoried by the

New York State Department of Transportation The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is the department of the New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in ...

(NYSDOT) as NY 957B, an unsigned reference route. All junctions on the route, excluding those with West River Parkway and I-190, are at-grade intersections. At the northern end of the parkway near East River Road, an additional ramp connects to I-190 northbound via NY 324 westbound and Staley Road. ;Route description Beaver Island Parkway begins at a

traffic circle A roundabout is a type of circular intersection (road), intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The N ...

with West River Parkway and Park Road at the entrance to Beaver Island State Park. It heads north as a four-lane

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

, initially passing through wooded areas on the northern edge of the park. As it leaves the vicinity of the park, the woods around the highway gradually give way to residential neighborhoods. The parkway intersects a few local roads as it turns northeast and comes to its terminus at an interchange with

and NY 324. ;Major intersections

References

External links