Hike Date: October 3, 2010
Hike Difficulty: Easy
Hike Rating (Scenic views and/or interesting terrain/vegetation): A+
Hike Description: I did this hike with my parents while we were visiting Niagara Falls. It was an off-and-on rainy day. From the Trailhead Center at Niagara Falls State Park, we took the Great Gorge Railway Trail down the gorge up to the point where it passes below the Whirlpool Bridges, stopping at many scenic viewpoints with great views of the river, the gorge and even the falls, and then retraced our steps back up with some disappointment in light of the construction sign near the bridges as well as some visible signs of construction activity ahead when standing under the bridges (note: as per our trail map, in usual circumstances the Whirlpool Rapids trail should start around here, and there should also be a steep climbing segment connecting the Railway Trail to the Rim Trail near the Whirlpool Bridges). On returning to the top, we switched to the Niagara Gorge Rim Trail and followed it all the way up to the Whirlpool State Park parking lot, again encountering many scenic viewpoints along the way. We took a cab on the way back. The Great Gorge Railway trail descends gradually into the Niagara Gorge. It is not marked with blazes though the trailhead has a sign and the trail is rather obvious and impossible to deviate from. The Rim Trail parallels the Gorge rim on one side and Robert Moses Parkway on the other and signage en route is reasonably good. In addition to scenic vistas, there is much variety in wild flowers, wild fruit and birds that make for an interesting hike. Both trails are very easy to walk on, even though we did so in rather wet (and chilly) conditions.
Hike Difficulty: Easy
Hike Rating (Scenic views and/or interesting terrain/vegetation): A+
Hike Description: I did this hike with my parents while we were visiting Niagara Falls. It was an off-and-on rainy day. From the Trailhead Center at Niagara Falls State Park, we took the Great Gorge Railway Trail down the gorge up to the point where it passes below the Whirlpool Bridges, stopping at many scenic viewpoints with great views of the river, the gorge and even the falls, and then retraced our steps back up with some disappointment in light of the construction sign near the bridges as well as some visible signs of construction activity ahead when standing under the bridges (note: as per our trail map, in usual circumstances the Whirlpool Rapids trail should start around here, and there should also be a steep climbing segment connecting the Railway Trail to the Rim Trail near the Whirlpool Bridges). On returning to the top, we switched to the Niagara Gorge Rim Trail and followed it all the way up to the Whirlpool State Park parking lot, again encountering many scenic viewpoints along the way. We took a cab on the way back. The Great Gorge Railway trail descends gradually into the Niagara Gorge. It is not marked with blazes though the trailhead has a sign and the trail is rather obvious and impossible to deviate from. The Rim Trail parallels the Gorge rim on one side and Robert Moses Parkway on the other and signage en route is reasonably good. In addition to scenic vistas, there is much variety in wild flowers, wild fruit and birds that make for an interesting hike. Both trails are very easy to walk on, even though we did so in rather wet (and chilly) conditions.
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| Trailheads at Niagara Falls State Park |
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| Niagara Falls and river as well as Rainbow Bridge from a trail viewpoint |
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| View downstream with Whirlpool Bridges |
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| View of Railway Trail en route |
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| An upward look at the Gorge walls |
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| Whirlpool Rapids and Fall foliage from Niagara Gorge Rim Trail |
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| The Whirlpool |
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