Indoor Rock Climbing

ASCEND Erie opened its doors in late 2023, bringing 25,000 square feet of rock climbing to Downtown Erie. If you’re new to the sport, the trained ASCEND staff is ready to guide you through the learning process. The climbing experience is designed to be approachable and accessible, catering to everyone from beginners and climbing enthusiasts to those with adaptive needs, groups, youth, and families. The new facility features 50-foot lead climbing, top-roping, auto-belay walls, and ample bouldering terrain. Additionally, ASCEND hosts regular yoga and fitness classes. With options like an annual membership, a two-week trial offer, a day pass, or punch passes available, you can choose the plan that best suits your preference. The punch pass, a bundle of day passes that never expire and can be shared with a guest, includes unlimited climbing, access to fitness equipment, and one yoga or fitness class.

Hiking and Biking

Located approximately 12 miles west of Erie in Lake City, PA, Erie Bluffs State Park is a 587-acre park with 5.16 miles of hiking and mountain bike trails with breathtaking views of Lake Erie from its 90-foot bluff overlook. During the winter, Erie Bluffs becomes a peaceful, snow-covered landscape of forested wetlands and diverse plant species and trees with stunning views of an icy Lake Erie. The trail leading directly to the bluffs is Transition Trail (1.1 miles) which runs from the parking lot to the bluff overlook. Smaller trails branch off of this trail with varying degrees of difficulty from the easy Lookout Trail (0.22 miles) and Bluffs Edge Trail (0.39 miles), to the challenging West Overlook Trail (0.57 miles) and Wildflower Way (0.19 miles). Directional signage is posted throughout the park to help guide you. A park map is located in the parking lot, or you can access one here. Erie Bluffs is open year-round from sunrise to sunset. (Pictured below)

With more than 234 acres and five miles of trails, exploring nature’s beauty at Asbury Woods is an immersive and rejuvenating experience. The Eagle Trail is where you will find the Tour of Trees, a self-guided tour with trees marked with QR codes to teach you about that type of tree. Sixteen QR codes tell the story of a variety of maple, pine, and oak trees along the trail. The trail is .30 miles and takes about twenty minutes to walk. Winter trail hours are November 1 through March 31, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. For a complete map of Asbury Woods’ trail system, click here.

Ice Skating

Erie’s indoor ice rinks provide a comfortable, climate-controlled environment, where you can embrace the joys of ice skating, regardless of external weather conditions. The Flo Fabrizio Ice Center offers public skates through February 11, 2024, on Fridays and Saturdays from 8 to 10 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to 2 p.m. The doors open 30 minutes before sessions. Skate rentals are available, or you can bring your own. Public skating is also offered at LECOM Sports Park throughout the winter months. To find public skate times, guests can either phone the sports park at 814-823-6706 or check the online events schedule. When available, LECOM public skate times are traditionally from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Duckpin Bowling

Inside the Quaker Steak & Lube on Upper Peach Street, guests can enjoy a round of duckpin bowling: a unique and entertaining variation of traditional bowling, using smaller pins and lightweight balls. The compact size of the pins and the challenging nature of the game adds an extra layer of excitement, making duckpin bowling a fun and easy pastime for all ages. The restaurant features eight duckpin bowling lanes plus full food and beverage service so you can enjoy a game and a great meal! Duckpin bowling lanes are open Sunday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Downhill Skiing, Tubing, and Snow Boarding

Whether you’re skiing, snowboarding, or tubing, Peek’n Peak Ski Resort and Mount Pleasant of Edinboro are snow sports playgrounds. Located in nearby Clymer, NY, Peek’n Peak’s impressive snow-making abilities allow for snow-covered slopes and trails, regardless of Mother Nature. The Peek offers 26 trails and slopes of varying difficulty, three progressive terrain parks, and a Lunar Lights tubing experience. The terrain parks are transitional, allowing you to try simpler obstacles, before moving on to the more complex turns, berms, bumps, and jumps. When the sun goes down, the Peek’s seven-lane snow tube arena becomes “Lunar Lights”, a spectacular light display produced by thousands of LED lights. Peek’n Peak’s winter season typically runs from December to March. For up-to-date information on snow conditions and open trails, click here.

Nestled among the rolling hills of Edinboro, PA, Mount Pleasant of Edinboro is an intimately-sized ski resort packed with exhilarating skiing, snowboarding, and tubing adventures. The resort’s mix of groomed and natural trails ranges from challenging to more straightforward and if you want to try tubing, this is the perfect place to give it a go. Mount Pleasant features an eight-lane, 600-foot tubing hill with a gradual slope versus a steep descent. Tubes are provided so all you have to do is choose a lane and launch yourself downhill. Mount Pleasant’s winter season runs from January to March, weather-dependent.