Whirlpool State Park is one of the top rated hiking trails in the Niagara Falls area, it's beauty matched only by its 340+ stairs...
Continuing our day at Niagara, we headed north to Whirlpool state park for one of the top rated hikes in the entire region. Devils hole state park is sperate but the trails connect, there is no advantage I can see hiking from that park as it simply makes the over all hike longer.
When you arrive, you will find an open air visitor center that leads down to the main overlook. It was packed with people when we arrived but abandoned when I returned so your views may vary. This is the best single view in the park and if you are averse to climbing hundreds of stairs then I suggest this be your only stop when visiting here!
Sadly the clouds covered my photo and I didn't realize it until I was home! To the left of the photo, and heading back towards Niagara falls, you'll see the rapids as they burst through a choke point. On the right is the whirlpool itself. The scale can't be properly comprehended from the photo alone. On the Canadian side is a vehicle that traverses over the whirlpool. This unique attraction does not make it to the American side so I'll look to visit it when I return via Canada.
As you begin your hike, both the canyon rim and gorge trail are both soft dirt. The bottom of the gorge has some interesting rocks to scramble over, especially at the end but otherwise the trail is very flat. You will descend 340 something, very uneven, stone stairs. Going down is easy but there were many groups resting on the way up. The only reason we breezed through it is because we had done close to 3,000 stairs this trip already.
Once you reach the bottom the gorge can only be described as picturesque. There were many people hiking but I never felt crowded. Only the occasional sound of the Niagara Rapids motor boat occasionally broke the serenity. Unfortunately it was also 93 degrees out. It is highly recommended to bring water. Our round trip took 45 minutes, but most people were taking double that.
Your reward is the beautiful whirlpool itself. You can hop between the shoreline rocks just like Jetty at a beach. If you continue up the trail you can hike next to the rapids and make it pretty far along to Niagara falls itself. We stopped here due to our available time and lack of water. The return trip up the stairs sucked but was fine after all the glens we hiked day one. This is yet again a must visit spot in western New York!
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