There are places on our planet where the constant interplay between water and earth create landscapes of incredible beauty and indescribable wonder. Niagara Falls and its gorge are one of those places.
One of those places I was fortunate enough to grow up nearby.
One of those places that I was able to return to later on and ride along side what is still considered by many as one of the natural world’s greatest wonders.
There is a trail that begins at the falls, winds along the escarpment and ends near the Robert Moses Power Plant. It is a combined mixture of dedicated walking/bicycling trails and decommissioned highway with overlooks strategically placed to offer the best views.
My ride began early one summer morning at the falls themselves. Following the walkways & trails it is possible to not only get closeup views (feel the spray on your face close) of the American Falls but also the Canadian Falls by crossing over the bridge to Goat Island from the American side. Both falls are massive mesmerizing displays of falling water and heavenly mist.
While the route itself is not marked by any real signage, it is easy to follow by just keeping that big ditch on your left hand side as you roll north along the trail. The entire route along the palisade affords some of the best & easiest views of the river without having to climb down to the river and back up to see them.
Exiting Lake Erie, the Niagara River flow averages between 85,000 cubic feet per second and 204,000 cfs over the falls and through the gorge depending on how much water is being diverted to generate electrical power for western New York & southern Canada. All this water makes for larger than life hydraulic features along the river that are easily seen from the rim. These are massive formations of pulsating, surging, rolling back upon itself water features that tend to have a hypnotic effect on those whose gaze lingers just a little bit too long.
Back in the 1980’s ABCs Wide World of sports enlisted several world class kayakers to run the lower gorge on camera which has always led me to the false assumption that I too could run that part of the river. Once I hiked down to the rivers edge to get an up close and personal view of the hydraulics which brought me to the conclusion that I’d die long before I ever got close to finishing the run. Reversals (water falling back upon itself) as big as metro buses would be the end of me. Then there is the whirlpool below the largest converging diagonal waves I have ever seen.
Yeah, guess I’ll put that little death wish to sleep…
for a while.
Part of me will always want to believe that if I only ran left, I might could make that line…
in my dreams.
As to the trail itself, the City of Niagara Falls has done a spectacular job of not only piecing together and developing this awesome trail but purging the area next to the falls of trashy tourist attractions. This ride has made itself one of the go to rides whenever I visit western New York because it combines two of my favorite activities, bicycling & running rivers even if it’s only in my dreams.
https://www.traillink.com/trail/niagara-scenic-parkway-trail/