Niagara Falls State Park: Great Gorge Railway Trail (Blog Hike #428)

Trail: Great Gorge Railway Trail

Hike Location: Niagara Falls State Park

Geographic Location: north of Niagara Falls, NY (43.09343, -79.06195)

Length: 2.5 miles

Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)

Date Hiked: July 2013

Overview: A gradual descent into the Niagara River gorge on an old railroad grade.

Park Information: http://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=725564
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Buffalo, take I-190 north to Robert Moses Parkway (exit 21).  Exit and enter north on Robert Moses Parkway.  Drive Robert Moses Parkway 4.4 miles, passing the main Niagara Falls area en route, to the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center on the left.  Park in the parking lot in front of the center.

The hike: To the ancient Iroquois, the thundering waters, translated from their word onguiaahra or the corrupted niagara, was the home of the spirit gods that lived behind the falls.  To early European explorers, the thundering waters were the single greatest obstacle to reaching the interior of their new-found continent.  To the French and English monarchs, they were the strategic key to North America, as anyone wishing to access the Great Lakes had to portage around the waterfall, hence becoming vulnerable to attack.  To the Industrialists, the thundering waters offered a seemingly inexhaustible way to generate electrical power.  To modern travelers, they comprise the most famous waterfall in eastern North America.

            To people of any time, Niagara Falls have been a source of awe and amazement.  Perhaps this is why the state of New York established the first state park in America here in 1885, thus making Niagara Falls the mother of all state parks.  Much has changed since then, but American Falls on the USA side and Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side draw thousands of visitors every day from around the globe.

            Unfortunately, the state park’s jam-packed falls area today more closely resembles a theme park than a state park.  The “rides” include the Maid of the Mist boat tours to the base of the falls, the Cave of the Winds boardwalk at the base of nearby Bridal Veil Falls, a large-screen IMAX theater, the second-rate Aquarium of Niagara, and an evening light show that screams tourist trap.  Thus, I suggest visiting the main falls area in the morning when crowds are at a minimum and heading someplace more remote in the afternoon.  I took this approach on my mid-July trip here and had a nice visit.

            One such “more remote” place is the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, located on the gorge rim less than 0.5 miles downstream from the falls.  The Discovery Center contains some exhibits and a film about the gorge’s geological history, and it represents the northern-most stop on the park’s trolley route.  The Great Gorge Railway Trail described here starts at the Discovery Center and provides the easiest route into the Niagara River gorge other than the elevators near the falls.  While the Discovery Center was moderately congested, I only encountered 3 other people on the Railway Trail during my visit on a hot mid-summer afternoon.

Trailhead: Great Gorge Railway Trail

            Start on the Rim Trail as it heads north from the Discovery Center and passes under the pedestrian bridge to the aquarium.  The firmly packed gravel trail threads a narrow strip of dirt between Robert Moses Parkway on your right and the sheer drop of the rim to your left.  At 0.15 miles, an overlook on the left provides your first view of the gorge.  The Robert Moses Recreation Trail, a closed section of the similarly named parkway, now parallels our route closely on the right.

            At 0.2 miles, you reach a trail fork where the Great Gorge Railway and Rim Trails part ways.  Angle slightly left to stay on the Great Gorge Railway Trail.  After descending some concrete steps, the trail passes 3 additional gorge overlooks before it begins its descent in earnest.  The river at this point is roughly 250 feet below you, and good views both upstream and downstream can be had.

Niagara River gorge, looking upstream toward the falls

            The wide gravel trail descends gradually with vertical cliffs now rising to the right and the gorge dropping vertically to the left.  Imagine riding a train bound for Lewiston in the early 1900’s down this route!  A few wet areas are easily negotiated due to the firmness of the treadway.

            At 0.7 miles, the American Falls Gorge Trail exits left and leads to the site of some old power station buildings.  Continue straight to maintain the slow, steady descent of the Great Gorge Railway Trail.  Soon you approach river level.  From this angle, the water appears wide, deep, swift, and foreboding.            

Niagara River in gorge

Stone staircase

            At 1.2 miles, you reach the base of a stone staircase that was named 2012 Project of the Year at the Professional Trailbuilders Association Annual Conference.  The official Great Gorge Railway Trail ends here.  The Whirlpool Rapids Trail continues straight and provides more river views under the Whirlpool Bridges (old and new automobile bridges linking USA and Canada), but it cannot be used to form a loop.  Similarly, the stone staircase goes back to the rim, but it does not connect with the Rim Trail and hence cannot be used to form a nice loop.  Thus, the best option is to turn around and retrace your steps 1.2 miles up the gradually ascending Great Gorge Railway Trail to return to the Discovery Center and complete this hike.