Exploring Erie, Pennsylvania

 When we experience adventure, we find ourselves in the present moment and savor all the beauty that life has to offer.

– Unknown

July 18, 2025

In July 2025, we spent three nights camping just outside of Erie, Pennsylvania, mainly to visit Presque Isle State Park. During our second full day in the Erie area we explored a few other sites.

Schaeffer's Auto Art

Schaeffer's Auto Art is a quirky roadside attraction tucked on a back road in the Erie suburbs. The owner of the property made sculptures from repurposed car parts and industrial scrap metal. There's no charge to wander the grounds, but it's important to keep in mind that parking is very limited and it is private property. So be respectful and stick to the area surrounding the sculptures. We enjoyed the larger-than-life sculptures such as the giant spider and giant bumblebee. It was a fun, quick stop on our way into Erie.

Erie Land Light

Next we drove to the east side of Erie to the Erie Land Lighthouse, built in 1818. It was the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes in the United States. The light was built on a cliff overlooking the entrance to Presque Isle Bay. The light in the tower was discontinued in 1899. The lighthouse has been restored and visitors can climb the tower when it's open. Unfortunately, it wasn't open during our visit, but we were able to walk the grounds and take some photos.

Erie Land Lighthouse

Avonia Beach Park

Avonia Beach Park is located on the shore of Lake Erie in the town of Fairview. Trout Run, a high-quality trout stream, empties into the lake at the park. As a result, it's popular with fishermen. But it's also known for having beautiful sunsets.

The park is small at only 3.6 acres, but very picturesque. There is a gazebo and a house on the property that can be rented for events. The beach isn't very wide and is quite rocky, but we enjoyed walking along it and were able to find some sea glass.

July 19, 2025

Erie Bluffs State Park

We had some time in the morning to do a little more exploring before heading off to our next camping destination, so we headed to Erie Bluffs State Park. This day-use park is small at only 587 acres, but a great place for hiking and soaking in nature. The park has one mile of shoreline on Lake Erie, and is perched on top of 90-foot bluffs, giving excellent views out over the water.

View out over Lake Erie	Kayakers on the lake below us
View of Lake Erie from the top of the bluffs

There are five miles of trails in Erie Bluffs State Park. We chose to follow the Transition Trail to the Bluffs Edge Trail to make a lollipop loop. Although we didn't see a lot of wildlife, we did see a lot of wildflowers and butterflies on our way out to the bluffs. The paths were easy to follow and mostly level. The walk through the woods to the edge of the bluffs was peaceful and we didn't run into a lot of other people. It was a great place for a relaxing walk. If we are ever in the area again, we would definitely set aside more time to explore some of the other trails in the park and walk on the beach below the bluffs. The wildflowers should really be nice in the spring!

Monarch Butterfly Wild Leek   Black-eyed Susan

Wild Potato Vine Monarch Butterfly on Knapweed   American Germander

Goldenrod

If you visit, be aware that there are not a lot of amenities in the park. There is only one non-flush toilet at the east end of the park where there is also a picnic pavilion. There are no amenities at the main park entrance.

If you'd like to join us virtually on our walk in Erie Bluffs State Park, click here for our YouTube Video.

That brings our visit to the Erie area to an end, but not our camping trip with our family. We were next headed about an hour's drive south to another campground and a few more parks to visit.

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