Submitted Photo Whether you are an experienced naturalist or an inquisitive beginner, if you love the outdoors and want to learn more about it, you will want to be at the 2023 Allegany Nature Pilgrimage, June 2 – 4. More than 100 naturalist-led nature walks, field trips and classes fill the weekend. Previous participants are shown making a discovery on a hike through a mature forest in Allegany State Park.

Registration for the 65th annual Allegany Nature Pilgrimage, to be held June 2-4, is open at AlleganyNaturePilgrimage.com.

Walk-in registrations can be made in person at Camp Allegany in the Red House Area.

The Allegany Nature Pilgrimage is an annual outdoor learning experience that combines fun with a variety of nature-oriented activities at Allegany State Park in Cattaraugus County. The park’s more than 60,000 acres abound with plants and animals. The pilgrimage includes 100 field trips, walks and classes over the three-day event.

“You can have an almost around-the-clock educational nature experience, starting with an early morning bird walk or bird banding demo and ending with late night astronomy or owl prowling,” said Ro Woodard, field trip chair. “This weekend is a treat for all nature lovers whether you come for the weekend or for the day.”

Programs vary in length and may be a walk or seated talk. Opportunities range from a bog slog and finding secret bear caves to iPhone nature photography and identifying wild mushrooms. The family and child-friendly field trips include a bird walk led by the nine-year-old founder of the Western New York Young Birders and her mother. June 2 features two Big Tent presentations: “Feathers and Scales” with Audubon Community Nature Center’s animal ambassadors, and “Fossils: Storybooks in Stone” with Dr. Phil Stokes, executive director of Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve. On June 3, the Big Tent presenter is Dee Calvasin on “The Mysterious and Majestic Seneca White Deer.”

As all the cabins in the park’s Red House area are already taken, the Pilgrimage has arranged for discounted hotel rooms at both the Seneca Casino and the White Pine Lodge. Campsites in the Red House Area and cabins in the Quaker Area remain available.

The Allegany Nature Pilgrimage is made available by the Allegany State Park and volunteers from Jamestown’s Audubon Community Nature Center, Buffalo Audubon Society, Rochester’s Burroughs Audubon Nature Club, and Erie’s Presque Isle Audubon Society.

May 1 is the deadline for ordering from the exclusive Allegany Nature Pilgrimage line of shirts and sweatshirts designed by award-winning Fredonia, N.Y., artist Erin Ruffino.

For details and to register for this outdoor adventure, visit AlleganyNaturePilgrimage.com.