🥾 ActiveWeekend · from Buffalo, NY
Ellicottville — Summer in the Enchanted Mountains
An hour south of Buffalo, the ski village of Ellicottville trades its winter identity for a green, bike-and-hike playground the moment the snow melts. Ringed by the highest hills of the Enchanted Mountains, it is western New York's four-season resort town — and in summer the chairlifts keep turning, carrying hikers and mountain bikers up to ridgelines that in December would be black-diamond runs. Day one rides Holiday Valley's scenic chairlift to the summit and turns loose on the lift-served bike park and the treetop aerial adventure course. Day two explores the trails around HoliMont and McCarty Hill, then settles into the walkable village of breweries, boutiques, and long lunches before the drive home. The overnight in Ellicottville lets you savor the mountain-town evening — a rare thing this close to the city. Bring layers; the summits run cool and the weather turns fast.
Day 1 — Holiday Valley summer chairlift, bike park & aerial adventureDay 2 — HoliMont & McCarty Hill trails and the village of Ellicottville
Day 1 — Ellicottville, NY
Day 1 — Ellicottville, NY
🚗 1 hr 5 min driving📍 5 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Buffalo, NY → Ellicottville, NY
1 hr 5 min
📍
Holiday Valley Scenic Chairlift & Summit
★ Reviews →Ride the Holiday Valley scenic chairlift up the flank of the resort's main mountain for the day's first sweeping view across the green Enchanted Mountains. In summer the lift runs for sightseers, hikers, and bikers, gliding over ski runs that have grown wild with wildflowers and grasses. From the summit the ridgelines of Cattaraugus County roll away in every direction, and a network of hiking paths lets you wander the top before riding back down or walking the trails to the base. It is the perfect low-effort, high-reward introduction to the terrain you will spend two days exploring.
~2.5 hrs📍 See location
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Lunch
🍽️ Lunch~45 min
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Ellicottville Brewing Company
In the heart of the village, EBC is Ellicottville's flagship brewpub and the obvious midday anchor — a lively, welcoming spot with a beer garden, house-brewed ales, and a menu of elevated pub fare from pretzels and burgers to hearty salads and shareable plates. It draws a happy mix of bikers, hikers, and weekenders, and the patio is the place to be on a warm afternoon. Refuel here between the chairlift and the aerial park; the flights and the food are equally the point.
2 options · tap to switch
☀️
Afternoon
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Continue at Holiday Valley Bike Park
★ Reviews →Use the afternoon to explore a different side of Holiday Valley Scenic Chairlift & Summit — there's more to discover beyond the morning highlights.
~1.5 hrs📍 See location
📍
Sky High Aerial Adventure Park
★ Reviews →At the base of Holiday Valley, Sky High is a sprawling treetop ropes course of ziplines, rope bridges, cargo nets, and suspended obstacles strung between platforms in the forest canopy. Harnessed in and clipped to a continuous safety line, you pick your own route through courses graded from gentle family loops to genuinely nerve-testing high sections. It is a full-body, adrenaline-tinged counterpoint to the day's riding, and one of the region's best organized adventure attractions. Closed-toe shoes required; allow a couple of hours to get your money's worth.
~1 hr📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🛏️
The Inn at Holiday Valley
The Inn at Holiday Valley sits right at the resort base, putting the chairlifts, bike park, and pools within a short walk and making it the most convenient overnight for a two-day mountain outing. Rooms are comfortable and lodge-styled, with outdoor pools and hot tubs that feel especially good after a day of riding. If the inn is full or you prefer village character, Ellicottville's Main Street has boutique inns and rental cottages within easy walking distance of the restaurants and breweries.
Day 2 — Ellicottville, NY
Day 2 — Ellicottville, NY
🚗 1 hr 15 min driving📍 4 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Holiday Valley, NY → McCarty Hill / HoliMont Trailhead
10 min
📍
McCarty Hill State Forest Trails
★ Reviews →Rising just east of the village, McCarty Hill State Forest holds some of the highest terrain in western New York and a fine network of hiking and multi-use trails, including a stretch of the long-distance Finger Lakes Trail. Morning is the time to climb through the hardwood forest to the fire-tower area and the open ridgelines, where the Enchanted Mountains stack away to the horizon. The trails are quieter and wilder than the resort slopes, offering a real backcountry feel a short drive from town. Routes range from easy loops to longer ridge walks; check the posted maps and pick a distance to match the group's legs.
~1.5 hrs📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
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HoliMont Trails & Base Area
★ Reviews →Across the valley from Holiday Valley, HoliMont is North America's largest private ski club, and in the green season its slopes and access roads become quiet trails for walking and riding beneath the chairlifts. Wandering the grassy runs and forest edges here offers wide views back across Ellicottville and a peaceful, uncrowded contrast to the busy resort side. It is an easy midday ramble that rounds out the picture of the town's two great mountains before heading back down into the village for lunch.
~1.5 hrs📍 See location
🍽️ Lunch~1 hr
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Villaggio Restaurant
For a warmer, sit-down lunch in the village, Villaggio serves polished Italian-American cooking — wood-fired pizzas, house pastas, and seasonal plates — in a comfortable Main Street setting with a good local following. It is a notch more refined than the brewery scene and a pleasant place to linger over a plate after a morning on the trails. Well-priced for the quality, and central to the village's browsable shops and galleries.
2 options · tap to switch
☀️
Afternoon
📍
Village of Ellicottville Main Street
★ Reviews →Ellicottville's compact, walkable Main Street is one of the most charming village cores in western New York — a strip of independent boutiques, outdoor outfitters, art galleries, chocolate shops, and taprooms housed in tidy nineteenth-century storefronts. Spend the afternoon browsing, sampling, and soaking up the resort-town atmosphere, perhaps ducking into a second brewery or an ice-cream shop as the day winds down. It is the relaxed, low-key finale the weekend deserves before the drive back to Buffalo, and a reminder of why the town draws crowds in every season.
~1 hr📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🚗
Drive
Ellicottville, NY → Buffalo, NY
1 hr 5 min
← All Buffalo trips
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