Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!

Western NY Parks➤

In September, I set out with a road trip buddy to visit some park units in upstate New York. For me, the highlight of this trip was visiting my 100th National Park Service unit. That puts me at Bronze status in the National Parks Traveler’s Club. After Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site we headed to Niagara Falls. After our trip on the Maid of the Mist, we headed into the park and boarded the Niagara Falls Trolley.

Niagara Falls➤

Niagara Falls consists of three waterfalls which span the Niagara Gorge along the United States and Canadian border. Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the three, straddles the border and is also called the Canadian Falls. The smaller American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls lie on the New York State side of the border.

Goat Island in New York separates the Canadian Falls from the other two falls. The Niagara River forms all of the falls as it runs through the gorge. These are the most powerful waterfalls in North America. Nearly 6 million cubic feet flow over the falls every minute.

In 1883, then governor Grover Cleveland authorized land acquisition to create a state park to preserve the area around the Falls. Canada followed suit and created the Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park on the Canadian side.

Niagara Trolley➤

This guided Niagara Falls Trolley gives passengers an overview of the park. You can hop off at any given stop to explore and then get on the next trolley. It makes a continuous loop around the park.

When we visited, the trolley was making a shorter loop on Goat Island only. We took it to the Three Sisters Islands stop. Pedestrians can walk across bridges connecting the three small islands and view the Niagara River rapids.

We then traveled the entire loop to hear the driver’s anecdotes and disembarked by the Terrapin area to view the Canadian Falls again.

Western NY Road Trip➤

• Fillmore Glen State Park
• Harriet Tubman National Historical Park
• Seward House
• Women’s Rights National Historical Park
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton Home
• Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site
• Niagara Falls: Terrapin
• Niagara Falls: Maid of the Mist
• Niagara Falls: Observation Tower
• Niagara Falls: Luna
• Niagara Falls: Trolley
• Niagara Falls: Gorge
• Corning Museum of Glass

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Location: 332 Prospect St, Niagara Falls, NY
Designation: State Park
Date designated/established: 1885
Date of my visit: September 26, 2022