This unique opportunity for a guided hike at low water level in the Niagara River gorge features Devils Hole State Park as the start point and heads down hill to the river and then up-river in the gorge before returning. { GPS Coordinates of Devil’s Hole State Park = 43.13346, -79.046684 }    The hike is listed as 5 1/2 hours but do not let that scare you, because with the distance to cover the hike must have a slow pace and substantial time for “look see”.   But, do consider this is a hike with elevation gain & loss & stairs!  This hike is offered on Saturday November 7th, 2015 & again on November 14th, 2015.

While this hike is a trek to drive from Springwater environs, it may be a rare opportunity (perhaps even a once in lifetime hike for you) for such a hike.  That’s why its posted on this website for hiker awareness and consideration.  Perhaps consider carpooling with some other interested S/T hikers.  (The Niagara Region of New York State Parks does schedule multiple guided hikes per year, within a number of Niagara Region NYS Parks, among one in the past has been Whirlpool State Park.  So, if you were to search in subsequent years at the right time, you’ll likely find some hike of interest.)  (note: currently, autumn 2015, Whirlpool State Park is undergoing construction along the top gorge edge where the trail along the gorge rim & viewing area of the Whirlpool in the river gorge is situate, so some access is partially limited.)

This hike is listed on the NYS Parks website as “registration required”.  Registration Phone # (716)-282-5154.

FYI – Devils Hole State Park has numerous steps / stone stairways from the top of the gorge to reach river gorge level (think gorge trail at Stony Brook State Park).  Albeit of note between the Rainbow bridge and Devils Hole SP there are numerous ways to reach the river gorge at river level from the top of the river gorge.  You may want to discern what route specifically will be used for this hike, by calling the registration phone number, if you are concerned about you ability on stairs.

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*** MORE INFO ***  some of it excellent hikers’ tips and little known info.

Between the Rainbow Bridge area of Niagara Falls State Park (just north of the falls, yep, ‘Niagara Falls’) and Devils Hole SP, there are at least four ways to get from the top of the gorge to the bottom of the gorge. But first know that for the entirety of the described length – Rainbow Bridge northward to Devils Hole SP – there is a rim trail along the upper gorge, and there also is a paved multi-use (bikeway & walking path) that was formerly half the laneage of the Robert Moses Parkway (roadway) in this section.  Several years ago half the laneage of this section of the Robert Moses Parkway (closest to the river gorge shoulder) was decommissioned and given over to a multi-use recreational trail, that’s why its wide and paved.  (Currently there are plan proposals to make further alterations along this corridor.)

Listed here are four specific ways into the river gorge: 1) Devils Hole State Park trails (substantial number of stairs) ;  2) there is a trail in Whirlpool State Park, figure on stairs here too (Whirlpool SP is contiguous to DeVeaux Woods State Park which is situate on the opposite {east} side of Robert Moses Parkway) ;  3) there is the “Great Gorge Railway Trail” (yep, there was a former tourist railway into the lower gorge, it closed down approx in the 1930s) that leaves the Gorge Rim Trail and heads northward sloping downward into the gorge (the Great Gorge Railway Trail trailhead is situate about 2/3 the distance south from the Whirlpool Bridge and 1/3 the distance north from the Rainbow Bridge) which in looking at a map has its trailhead ~ on an east-west plane of Cedar Avenue as a reference point  (also could be described as nearly adjacent the area where the downward traversing sewage treatment plant road crosses under Robert Moses Parkway)  ;  4) EASY PEASY there is a newly recommissioned elevator most folks do not yet know about free and open to the public.  The elevator building, a rectangular shaped brick building along the top edge of the gorge, can be found a short distance south of the  “Niagara Gorge Discovery Center” (another hyperlink) the funky shaped kinda roundish/satellite-ish looking building formerly known for years as the Schoellkopf Geological Museum.  (There is an outdoor man-made climbing wall there too, point of reference.)  The elevator building could also be described as being on the “campus area” of the “Niagara Gorge Discovery Center” area of Niagara Falls State Park.

[detail note: The “Niagara Gorge Discovery Center” situate to the west side of Robert Moses Parkway should not be confused with the nearby Aquarium of Niagara (also a round shaped building located at 701 Whirlpool St, east side of the street) which lies just east of the Robert Moses Parkway.  (Of note, these two edifices are pedestrian accessible to one another, via the “flyover pedestrian bridge” that crosses above the Robert Moses Parkway and serves as a tourist and hiker walkway connection.  The pedestrian bridge landing points are as follows,  west-landing: the grounds or campus of the “Niagara Gorge Discovery Center”, east-landing: the west side of Whirlpool St which is directly across the street {Whirlpool St} from of the Aquarium of Niagara).]

The elevator building is immediately adjacent the parking area for the “Niagara Gorge Discovery Center”.   The top lobby of the elevator “SL” street level and the much smaller bottom lobby have limited hours of operation (about 8 hours a day, or so, but hours vary by seasonal dictate).  Hours of operation are posted on the entry door of the elevator building.  Please note, elevator lobby hours are not the same as the nearby “Niagara Gorge Discovery Center” hours.

At URL immediately below is a photo of the elevator building and the “Niagara Gorge Discovery Center”.  https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-fSKbL86nUuU/VWJwgOSGjHI/AAAAAAAAH8A/W98ccpzeO84/s408-k-no/

The elevator at the bottom lets out to the newly built seasonal boat storage area for the American side “Maid of the Mist” boats.  There is a self guided tour pamphlet (available free in the upper lobby of the elevator building) depicting points of interest in this immediate area, and trails lead both north and south from this point near river level.  The elevator shaft itself, is the repurposed and reinforced shaft of the former Schoellkopf Power Plant. The ruins of the power plant and the power plant’s demise are pointed out via the self guided tour pamphlet.  So you’re definitely getting some history via the elevator ride and self guided tour pamphlet.

Still not sure where the “Niagara Gorge Discover Center” and the elevator to the river level are? (Both of which are within Niagara Fall State Park.)  Well, as a reference point, Howard Johnson’s Closest to the Falls and Casino Hotel, at 454 Main Street, Niagara Falls, NY (which in part has the iconic bright orange roof HoJos is known for) is within sight of this part of Niagara Falls State Park.  This HoJos is situate at the corner of Main Street and the Robert Moses Parkway, and is situate such that it is not crowded by other buildings, so is is easily discerned in line of sight.  Niagara Falls State Park itself runs from south and east of Goat Island to north of Niagara Gorge Discover Center” & beyond.

If you go to this Devils Hole SP hike, and have the time either before the hike or immediately after, well, … this elevator ride and self-guided tour is a “gotta do”, and its free.

If you go to this hike, and are looking for more hiker’s tips / options  and some info to use for after the hike, well …, exclusive info for S/T members may be something you wanna read.

And, perhaps too, if you go to this hike, you’ll come back from it having “Niagara Fever” with impetus & idea that this is an “away” hike worth planning for a future S/T Sunday hike.  Yep, even though it would be an exceptional distance to travel to a Sunday hike.

— Some hyperlinks on salient area history — 

lots more photos, mostly older historic of the Schoellkopf Power plant area

one website of many, that gives accounts of the Schoellkopf Power plants, and developments of the area

another history account

An on-line search of  – Schoellkopf Power Station – , and such similar terms will produce many results for reading.

*** Quiz questions.  What is America’s oldest State Park?  While on this related topic, what is the smallest NYS Park.  (hint, these are not one and the same.)

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… between the Quiz questions, and now the answers.

1. Now named Niagara Falls State Park and initially authorized by law in 1885 as Niagara Reservation, this is the oldest State Park in the USA.  The establishment to preserve the natural beauty of Niagara Falls, reclaiming the area from industry that had built up along the falls area did not come easy.
2. New York State’s smallest state park is The State Park at The Fair, on the NYS Fair Grounds near the Syracuse area.