Panama Rocks
A Top Rated Adventure In Western NY.
Panama Rocks is perfect for families, couples, or individuals looking to spend time in nature. Whether you take a casual hike or climb through the countless passageways, caves, and crevices, how much you do is up to you! Visitors spend anywhere from one hour to the entire day having fun and exploring the park.
The formations at Panama Rocks are surrounded by a one mile long hiking trail, but most guests enjoy going off of the main trail to explore! Our hiking trail is relatively easy to hike (Class 1) and guests of all ages enjoy it, but there are roots, rocks, and uneven ground; it is still a hiking trail! Strollers and wheelchairs are not recommended on the trail. Picnic tables are available, so bring a lunch and enjoy your day with us! Check out their website for more information.
Since 1885
Panama Rocks was established as a privately operated park in 1885, the same year that the oldest State park in the United States was founded (Niagara Falls State Park). The formations at Panama Rocks are believed to have been sacred land to the Erielhonan (Eriez) people and, while the area was used by robbers and counterfeiters in the mid-1800’s, Panama Rocks quickly became a popular tourist attraction when the park was established. The hotel at Panama Rocks, which operated until about World War II, hosted celebrity guests such as James Ward Packard (of Packard Automobiles) and Mrs. Mina Miller Edison, Thomas Edison’s second wife. Panama Rocks Scenic Park currently welcomes nearly 25,000 guests each year, and is home to Roger Tory Peterson’s Wild America Nature Festival.
Is There Treasure In These Hills??
From real-life counterfeiters using caves at Panama Rocks to print money (that’s how Counterfeiter’s Den was given its name!) to bank robbers using the rocks to hide stolen gold and ghost stories, Panama Rocks has a rich local history!
The Village of Panama was built on an old portage trail than ran from Barcelona Harbor on Lake Erie through the neighboring Village of Clymer and beyond. In the mid-1800’s a bank carriage carrying gold was robbed as it passed through Panama on its way to a bank in Clymer. It is believed that the robbers hid the stolen gold in a crevice at Panama Rocks, which they planned to return and take later. Local officials conducted a thorough search of the rocks, but the gold was never found…
Panama Rocks Scenic Park
11 Rock Hill Rd, Panama, NY 14767
HOURS
Panama Rocks is open daily from 10:00am to 5:00pm from early May through the last weekend of October last admission to the scenic area is at 4:00pm
CASH ADMISSION RATES (At the Time Of This Post)
- Season Pass: $15
- Youth Season Pass: $10
- Discount Season Pass: $12
- General Admission: $7.50
- Child (6-12): $5
- Ages 5 & Under: Free!
Please email park manager, Jonathan Weston, at [email protected] for more information.
Other Adventures Near By
There are several cool little places in the area to eat and explore. Check out some of my blog stories and other pages for more ideas.
Fred J. Cusimano Westside Overland Trail
Biking and Hiking
Pine Junction
Food
Chautauqua Institution
Art and Entertainment
Get In Touch
(888) 123-4562
Location
2345 Divi St
San Francisco, CA 94222
Open Hours
Mon:10am – 5pm
Tue: 10am – 5pm
Wed: Closed
Thur: 10am – 5pm
Fri: 10am – 3pm
Sat: 10am – 3pm
Sun: Closed