Whirlpool State Park, Niagara Falls, NY

Visited April 8, 2021

Niagara Scenic Parkway, Niagara Falls, NY 14303

81 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny 

Bathrooms open to the public are locked for the winter.  The sign on the door indicating when the doors are locked was dated October 2020.

Dogs on leash are welcome.  Come prepared to pick up after your dog.

I would allow 2 hours or more to fully enjoy the trail and allow water/hydration breaks.  The 357 stone steps down to the trail were strenuous and the walk back up was arduous.  But so worth it.  The trails were dry today but I can imagine it would be treacherous if it was wet.  There were narrow sections of trail which edge right up to a dangerous drop into the river so passing others can be  tricky. There were major sections of trail that were single file.  There is no foliage encroaching on the trail so long pants are not as necessary as they are on the Chautauqua County Rails to Trails and Overland Trails.  We passed many people wearing shorts today.

It was still early enough in the year that mosquitos were not a problem for us today.

No cost for parking.

Plentiful parking in a paved lot that will host 50+ cars.

The Niagara River was stunning today, such a brilliant blue.  While in the park, Melissa and I saw a cormorant, white birds (not sure of my water birds) floating over the river, and butterflies.

Whirlpool State Park is part of the WNY Summer Hiking Challenge.  I joined the Summer 2021 challenge and this was the fifth trail I completed for the challenge.  https://outsidechronicles.com/challenge

For more information about the park and trails: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/whirlpool/maps.aspx

Nearby:

In Lewiston are a number of inviting eateries.  

We enjoyed the outdoor area at the Brickyard Pub and BBQ.  As a testament to their popularity, we had a twenty-minute wait for our table on a weekday around 3:00 PM!  Their Brickyard Brewing Company Lewiston Porter was fantastic, their Memphis Po' Boy (pulled pork topped with coleslaw on a baguette roll) was a delight, and their service was efficient and polite.  The fries on Melissa's plate looked amazing.

https://www.brickyardpub.com/