Zoar Valley is an area of deep

gorge A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

s along the Main and South branches of

Cattaraugus Creek Cattaraugus Creek is a stream, approximately long, in western New York in the United States.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 * '' ...

, United States. The valley is located along the border of Erie County and Cattaraugus County, roughly between the villages of Gowanda to the west and Springville to the east. The core area surrounding the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

of the Cattaraugus Creek's Main and South branches is protected as the Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area, a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

located within the towns of

Collins Collins may refer to: People Surname Given name * Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat * Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration * Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...

Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...

, and

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. The protected area is managed by the

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (informally referred to as NYSDEC, DEC, EnCon or NYSENCON) is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protection ...

, and is open to the public for fishing, hunting, hiking, white-water rafting, and wildlife and scenic viewing. Canyon depths within the Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area are the greatest within the entire Cattaraugus Creek corridor, ranging up to along the South Branch and along the Main Branch. Several nearly vertical rock faces approach in height. The property also contains large stands of

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

with trees of unusual size and height, which are further protected as part of the state-designated Zoar Valley Unique Area.

Geography and geology

Zoar Valley is located along the border of Erie County and Cattaraugus County in

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 * '' ...

, roughly between the villages of Gowanda to the west and Springville to the east.

Cattaraugus Creek Cattaraugus Creek is a stream, approximately long, in western New York in the United States.Cattaraugus. The cliffs along Zoar Valley's gorges are composed of

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...

silt stones and

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...

, and are part of the Canadaway Formation. The valley's gorges expose

stratification Stratification may refer to: Mathematics * Stratification (mathematics), any consistent assignment of numbers to predicate symbols * Data stratification in statistics Earth sciences * Stable and unstable stratification * Stratification, or st ...

s of the

Onondaga Escarpment The Onondaga Limestone is a group of hard limestones and dolomites of Devonian age that form an important geographic feature in some areas in which it outcrops; in others, especially its Southern Ontario portion, the formation can be less promine ...

. Cliffs near the

of Cattaraugus Creek's South and Main branches reach heights of up to when measured to the tops of nearby hills.

History

Zoar Valley was named by Ahaz Allen, an early 19th-century settler of the region. The name is of biblical origin, referring to the city of Zoar from the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek ; Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, ( "In the beginning") ...

. The extent of Zoar Valley's use by Native Americans is unclear due to subsequent disturbance by farming and settlement activities; however, findings from nearby archaeological sites suggest that indigenous peoples likely made use of the area. Evidence of early use by settlers includes records of farming as early as 1842, in addition to evidence of

mining and the establishment of two

lime kiln A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone (calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime (material), lime called quicklime (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this chemical reaction, reaction is :Calcium carbonate, Ca ...

s during the early 1800s. Sawmills, gas wells, and a cheese factory were also established in the valley during the 19th century. A

Boy Scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...

camp was formerly located near the confluence, and a cable car was used to cross Cattaraugus Creek. Foundations of several camp buildings remain visible. The Niagara, Lockport and Ontario Power Company purchased property near the confluence in 1926, with the intention of building a

hydroelectric dam Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

in the valley. However, the brittleness of the valley's shale cliffs was found to be unsuitable for construction of the dam, and the project was abandoned. State ownership within the valley began in 1961 with the gift of by Herbert F. Darling Sr., who had purchased land from the

Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation was a New York State utility company, which was acquired in 2000 by National Grid plc. The Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation designation was retired, using variations of NationalGridUS (such as National Grid Buffa ...

in 1952 with the intention of preserving the property. Additional lands were later added under the 1960 Multiple Use Bond Act. For a time in the 1960s, a

hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

commune was located within the valley. By 1971, overnight use of the property was prohibited due to "irresponsible behavior on the part of some campers".

Land management

The state-managed Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area encompasses a area along an section of the

Cattaraugus Creek Cattaraugus Creek is a stream, approximately long, in western New York in the United States.New York State Department of Environmental Conservation The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (informally referred to as NYSDEC, DEC, EnCon or NYSENCON) is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protection ...

. In 2007, the state established the Zoar Valley Unique Area, a area which further protects and preserves the entire state-owned length of the gorge's cliffs and bottomlands, in addition to a buffer area along the gorge's upper rim and along several larger side creeks, where sufficient state-owned land is available. The Unique Area contains the majority of the currently known or suspected

, all of the riverside floodplain and terrace woodlands, as well as all of the slope, cliff and talus plant communities. Within the Unique Area, activities such as logging and gas drilling are prohibited. Prior to being designated as a Unique Area, the old-growth forest within the state-owned portion of Zoar Valley was at danger of being logged; the additional protection was the result of lobbying by activists and local residents. Traditional natural resource management activities, including logging, are permitted to take place outside of the Unique Area. Approximately of

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

forests were established within the Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area during the 1960s and 1970s. Most are composed of non-native

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

s, although several native

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

plantations are present as well. Modern timber harvests by the state are intended to encourage native species growth and improve wildlife habitat. An

American chestnut The American chestnut (''Castanea dentata'') is a large, fast-growing deciduous tree of the beech family native to eastern North America. As is true of all species in genus Castanea, the American chestnut produces burred fruit with edible nuts. ...

plantation is also maintained as a joint venture with the American Chestnut Foundation, with the goal of developing

chestnut blight The pathogenic fungus ''Cryphonectria parasitica'' (formerly ''Endothia parasitica'') is a member of the Ascomycota (sac fungi). This necrotrophic fungus is native to East Asia and South East Asia and was introduced into Europe and North America ...

-resistant trees. Additional protected lands within Zoar Valley include

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

's Deer Lick Nature Sanctuary, which preserves of old-growth forest and was designated as a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

in 1967. The sanctuary is located along the Cattaraugus Creek's South Branch, adjacent to the Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area. Two other privately owned conservation areas, the William P. Alexander Preserve and the Rodger Sweetland Memorial Preserve, are owned by the Nature Sanctuary Society of Western New York. Outside of these protected areas, old-growth forests in the valley are unprotected, and some have been

clearcut Clearcutting, clearfelling or clearcut logging is a forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, it is used by foresters to create certain types of forest ...

in recent years.

Ecology

Old-growth forests

Forests within Zoar Valley include some of the finest old-growth stands in the eastern United States. Throughout Zoar Valley, a total of of old-growth forest has been recorded; of this, nearly are found within the Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area, with an additional located in the adjacent Deer Lick Nature Sanctuary. Most of the old growth is found within the Main Branch canyon, with only a few narrow corridors along steep ravines of several larger side streams. Some upland forests within the state lands are very mature in character, but these experienced timber harvesting in the 19th century and light management cutting by the state in the 1970s and 1980s. Zoar Valley's old growth is primarily

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

, and varies in character and

species composition Species richness is the number of different species represented in an community (ecology), ecological community, landscape or region. Species richness is simply a count of species, and it does not take into account the Abundance (ecology), abunda ...

depending upon location and landform characteristics.

Northern hardwood The northern hardwood forest is a general type of North American forest ecosystem found over much of southeastern and south-central Canada, Ontario, and Quebec, extending south into the United States in northern New England, New York, and Pennsy ...

stands, including

eastern hemlock ''Tsuga canadensis'', also known as eastern hemlock, eastern hemlock-spruce, or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as ''pruche du Canada'', is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It is the state tree of ...

sugar maple ''Acer saccharum'', the sugar maple, is a species of flowering plant in the soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is native to the hardwood forests of eastern Canada and eastern United States. Sugar maple is best known for being the prima ...

, American beech,

yellow birch ''Betula alleghaniensis'', the yellow birch, golden birch, or swamp birch, is a large tree and an important lumber species of birch native to northeastern North America. Its vernacular names refer to the golden color of the tree's bark. In the pa ...

northern red oak ''Quercus rubra'', the northern red oak, is an oak tree in the red oak group (''Quercus'' section ''Lobatae''). It is a native of North America, in the eastern and central United States and southeast and south-central Canada. It has been intro ...

, and

tulip tree ''Liriodendron'' () is a genus of two species of characteristically large trees, deciduous over most of their populations, in the magnolia family (Magnoliaceae). These trees are widely known by the common name tulip tree or tuliptree for their ...

, are widespread, especially on mesic north-facing slopes and on the lower reaches of south-facing slopes. Similar stands are found on the raised terraces within the canyon, where old-growth trees have been noted to achieve great size, both in terms of height and diameter (typically expressed as

diameter at breast height Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is a standard method of expressing the diameter of the trunk or bole of a standing tree. DBH is one of the most common dendrometric measurements. Tree trunks are measured at the height of an adult's breast, ...

BH a standard measurement taken above the tree's base). On drier, south-facing slopes, old-growth trees such as

chestnut oak ''Quercus montana'', the chestnut oak, is a species of oak in the white oak group, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus''. It is native to the eastern United States, where it is one of the most important ridgetop trees from southern Maine southwest ...

display stunted growth despite their age.

Bottomland forests

Zoar Valley's most renowned forest stands may be those found on raised terraces along Cattaraugus Creek, which includes an area of large-tree old-growth known colloquially as "The Gallery of the Giants". The river within the Main Branch canyon is bordered by a

riparian zone A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ar ...

that is sufficiently large to include landforms ranging from young

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

s recently colonized by woody

pioneer species Pioneer species are hardy species that are the first to colonize barren environments or previously biodiverse steady-state ecosystems that have been disrupted, such as by wildfire. Pioneer flora Some lichens grow on rocks without soil, so m ...

to centuries-old upper terraces containing continuous stands of large old-growth trees. Hemlock/northern hardwood stands are present and joined by additional

mesophytic Mesophytes are terrestrial plants which are neither adapted to particularly dry nor particularly wet environments. An example of a mesophytic habitat would be a rural temperate meadow, which might contain Solidago, goldenrod, Trifolium, clover, Leuc ...

plant communities such as beech-maple and maple-basswood forests. There are also several bottomland groves of large and aging

eastern cottonwood ''Populus deltoides'', the eastern cottonwood or necklace poplar, is a cottonwood poplar native to North America, growing throughout the eastern, central, and southwestern United States as well as the southern Canadian prairies, the southernm ...

American sycamore ''Platanus occidentalis'', also known as American sycamore, American planetree, western plane, occidental plane, buttonwood, and water beech, is a species of ''Platanus'' native to the eastern and central United States, the mountains of northeas ...

, and

American elm ''Ulmus americana'', generally known as the American elm or, less commonly, as the white elm or water elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America, naturally occurring from Nova Scotia west to Alberta and Montana, and south to Flor ...

which are likely remnants of earlier floodplain stands. An isolated sycamore, now embedded within later successional beech-maple woodlands, has been core dated to 359 years. Species diversity along the canyon bottom is among the highest in the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

, with more than 20 species occurring in upper-terrace old growth and approximately 10 more largely restricted to younger floodplains and/or lower terraces. Tree diameters and, especially, heights are superlative. Numerous species exceed DBH, and a dozen or more represent the tallest of their kind in New York State or in the entire Northeast. Most of the gorge's canopy species reach , however several species and individual trees attain greater heights: *Tulip tree reaches nearly , and sycamores reach . *Several white ash, bitternut hickory, and

exceed and a half-dozen more top . * Hop hornbeam and shadblow (under- to mid-story trees) reach - a common canopy height for much of the East's second growth. *A specimen of

American basswood ''Tilia americana'' is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Oklahoma, southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to ...

, a species whose range does not extend to the southern

Appalachians The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

where most of the East's tallest trees reside, may be the tallest of the species. *A by DBH American elm, apparently unaffected by

Dutch elm disease Dutch elm disease (DED) is caused by a member of the sac fungi (Ascomycota) affecting elm trees, and is spread by elm bark beetles. Although believed to be originally native to Asia, the disease was accidentally introduced into Americas, America ...

, may be the largest forest-grown elm in the Northeast.

Slope forests

Chestnut Oak Zoar Valley Knife Edge Ridge

Trees growing on the slopes are generally moderate in size; most are less than DBH, although scattered trees can be much larger. Despite their moderate size, many trees are exceptionally old. An eastern hemlock of only DBH has been core dated to 410 years at breast height and may be 450 to 500 years at ground level. These slope woodlands present an impressive and ancient aesthetic, but few stands can be visited directly as most slopes are too dangerous to traverse. An interesting and likewise very old forest is found on the exposed and sun-baked upper reaches of south-facing slopes, which are quite

xeric Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xērós, “dry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this h ...

despite the humid regional climate. Here are found diminutive and gnarled

, northern red oak, and

red pine ''Pinus resinosa'', known as red pine (also Norway pine in Minnesota), is a pine native to North America. Description Red pine is a coniferous evergreen tree characterized by tall, straight growth. It usually ranges from in height and in trun ...

that are typically less than tall and in diameter. Despite their small size these trees can exceed 165 years at breast height.

Rivers and streams

Cattaraugus Creek is a fifth to sixth-order stream (depending upon the exact delineation of headwater tributaries), and is the largest tributary to eastern

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...

. Flow is highly variable, and can range from typical summer lows of less than to floods exceeding . The river is safe to cross at low flows but rapidly becomes treacherous as water rises. Ecological integrity and environmental health of the Cattaraugus are generally good. The river edge and immediate riparian zone are largely intact for most of the river's length. There is only one dam on the main stream, located within Scoby Dam Park about upstream from the Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area. Although a barrier to fish, it does not regulate flow. Sediment load and

siltation Siltation, is water pollution caused by particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the increased accumulation (temporary or ...

are Cattaraugus Creek's main environmental issues, and the stream regularly experiences elevated

turbidity Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality. Fluids can ...

due to suspended sediments. Some of this sediment load is derived from silt/clay

till image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...

s common along the river, but some likely stems from agricultural activities. As is the case with many streams draining agricultural lands,

fecal coliform A fecal coliform (British: faecal coliform) is a facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped, gram-negative, non-sporulating bacterium. Coliform bacteria generally originate in the intestines of warm-blooded animals. Fecal coliforms are capable of growth ...

levels can be elevated at high flows. During summer storm events, especially after a prolonged dry period, bacterial levels can exceed 10,000

colony forming units In microbiology, colony-forming unit (CFU, cfu or Cfu) is a unit which estimates the number of microbial cells (bacteria, fungi, viruses etc.) in a sample that are viable, able to multiply via binary fission under the controlled conditions. Count ...

(cfu); bacterial levels are low most other times. Zoar Valley cascade

Numerous small waterfalls cascade into the Zoar Valley canyon. Most are cascades, but there are a few straight drops of greater than . Above the falls are dozens of small headwater streams that drain the surrounding uplands. These streams and the Cattaraugus Creek were extensively disturbed by an intense

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

in August 2009.

Recreation

Zoar Valley is a popular regional destination for outdoor recreation. The Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area is open to the public for activities including fishing, hunting, hiking, white-water rafting, and nature study. The area is closed between sunset and sunrise, and camping is not permitted on the property. As the area is not officially a park, there are few safety barriers in place to prevent falls into the gorge. The area is known for occasional deaths, injuries and rescues, often for visitors unfamiliar with the dangers of the rugged landscape. Many injuries occur on private lands adjacent to the state-owned area; as such, neighboring landowners have become increasingly intolerant of trespassers, while the state has increased patrols and arrests for trespassing and other prohibited behavior. Only one hiking trail is officially maintained within the Multiple Use Area. The Holcomb Pond Trail links two separate parking areas on Vail Road, and traverses through forest and along the gorge edge in the northern section of the property. Unofficial and unmarked trails can be found throughout the property, including a trail to access the gorge's bottom that begins at the parking area on Valentine Flats Road. Additional parking areas are located on Button Road and Forty Road.

Sportfishing

Cattaraugus Creek is a noted

steelhead trout Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and N ...

stream, ranked ninth-best east of the Rocky Mountains by '' American Angler'' magazine in 2006. Native

brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae. It is native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada, but has been introduced elsewhere ...

are also regularly caught. Both fish successfully spawn in the river and/or its tributaries. In 2015, Cattaraugus Creek was stocked with 30,000 steelhead and 7,840

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

; an additional 1,030 brown trout were stocked in the creek's South Branch that year as well. Additional fishing opportunities within the Multiple Use Area are available at Holcomb Pond and Ross Pond. Anglers primarily target steelhead between September and May, and brown trout between September and December, at which time these fish enter the stream to complete their annual spawning runs.

Chinook salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon in North America, as well as the largest in the genus ''Oncorhynchus''. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other ve ...

coho salmon The coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch;'' Karuk: achvuun) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family and one of the five Pacific salmon species. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". The scientific species name i ...

, and

pink salmon Pink salmon or humpback salmon (''Oncorhynchus gorbuscha'') is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. It is the smallest and most abundant of the Pacific salmon. The scientific species name is based on the Russian common name for ...

may be caught during the fall as well, however these fish have not been stocked for many years and their small populations are the result of limited natural reproduction.

Whitewater rafting

The valley also supports

whitewater rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

when water levels are sufficient. The Main Branch offers

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

II and III rapids, while the South Branch includes class II, III and IV rapids, depending on water level. A designated put-in for the Main Branch is maintained at a state fishing access site on North Otto Road; access to the South Branch requires permission from private landowners. The take out is located downstream of the Aldrich Street bridge in Gowanda.

References

External links

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation: Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area

All About Zoar Valley - A Western New York Gem
{{Protected areas of Erie County, New York Protected areas of Cattaraugus County, New York Protected areas of Erie County, New York New York state multiple use areas New York (state) unique areas

Geography and geology

History

Land management

Ecology

Old-growth forests

Bottomland forests

Slope forests

Rivers and streams

Recreation

Sportfishing

Whitewater rafting

See also

References

External links