Buffalo/Niagara Region
Hikes and Bikes
Niagara Gorge Trail - Niagara Falls
This is a fantastic hike for all levels of ability. If you want a simple walk along the top of the gorge, the 6.2 mile trail will give you a beautiful views down into the 200 foot gorge with flat terrain the entire way. The real fun starts if you descend the 500 steps into the gorge trails which get you up close and personal with the Niagara River that speeds by you at 22 mph! There are about 5 miles of trails in the gorge that are just yards away from Devil’s Hole and the Whirlpool Rapids. This is a great hike to see the power and speed of the river that carved the 7 mile canyon. Just remember, once you go down those 500 steps, gravity is not your friend on the way back up!
The Eternal Flame - Orchard Park
The seemingly benign 1200 acre Chestnut Ridge State Park has miles of moderate terrain hikes that are great for all levels of hikers. But the real attraction here is caused by a small fissure in the bedrock that allows natural gas to constantly leak into the air underneath a waterfall of all places. That provides hikers who brave the 150 foot steep descent down to the river bed to see the star attraction of the park - The Eternal Flame! It is only about 18 inches high, but seeing a continuously burning flame behind a 50 foot waterfall is freakin’ cool and well worth the trek.
Bike the Canal Path Lockport to Buffalo
The 30 mile ride on the Canal Path from Lockport to Buffalo only has about 4 miles in which you are not riding on the “Bikes Only” path. If you start at the locks in Lockport you can have breakfast or lunch at one of the many great restaurants near the path before you shuffle off to Buffalo. It will take you 3 to 4 hours depending on your speed, but you get to ride through scenic parks in Amherst and Tonawanda, then take the 90 degree turn shown in the picture as you head south to Buffalo along the Niagara River. The trek ends at Canalside in Buffalo with a beautiful view of all the sights to see there. There are plenty of places to stay and things to do near Canalside so you could spend the night and ride back in the morning.
Iroquois Wildlife Refuge - Basom
This 15 square mile park is pretty flat, but the variety of animals and scenery that you can take in here makes for a good hike. Bald Eagles perching in a tree overhead, herons fishing in the pond next to the trail, or some wild berries right next to you on the walking path. During the bird migration season, it is crazy to look out at a swamp in front of you and see thousands of birds swimming in the marshes to get the food that they will need to make the long trek to their other seasonal residence.
Lockport Nature Trail - Lockport
This 2 mile loop trail has some medium grade inclines, but all in all is very manageable for hikers of all levels. The 250 year old and 180 year old oak trees along the path are good photo opps, along with the 10 foot high waterfall that is pictured on the left. About 1/3 of the trail follows the stream that the waterfall is on, so the scenery is good. There is also a lot of exposed bedrock and large flat stones throughout the park from the days when the town had planned to use the area as a quarry before finding out that the rock was too soft.
Lakeside Beach State Park - Waterport
Hiking next to a 30 foot cliff on the shore of one of the 15 biggest lakes in the world is pretty cool. Walking through someone’s frisbee golf game in the summer is fun to watch. And feeling a constant breeze off the lake every day of the year is nice and relaxing. It is a pretty flat hike through the park, but walking the 5 miles of trails throughout the park is a great way to spend an afternoon.
18 Mile Creek - Hamburg
With 5 miles of trails and a 60 foot waterfall, this is a pretty cool place to hike. The creek gets its name from the distance that the water flows from the beginning to the creek until it flows into Lake Erie. Seeing the falls is a great Kodak moment, but the trail itself is pretty fun as well.
West Shore Biking Trail - Grand Island
This 9 mile trail is a relaxing bike/walking only trail with beautiful views of the Niagara River. The trail takes you from Beaver Island State Park to Buckhorn State Park which are both summertime destinations on their own. With picnicking, protected wildlife preserves, and beaches after your ride.
Beaver Meadow Nature Center - North Java
This 350 acre nature preserve with 36 well marked trails is a year round hiker’s delight. With its location in the Lake Erie snowbelt, you see a lot of snowshoers in the winter and nature lovers in the summer surveying the myriad of wildlife and birds. There is also a dark sky astrological observatory with a 20 inch telescope that allows guests can see remote parts of our universe. There are cabins for rent if you want to extend your stay here for more than a few hours of hiking. This is one of our favorite hiking and snowshoeing places in all of New York.
Art Park Gorge Trail - Lewiston
The other beautiful hike on the Niagara Gorge takes you from Artpark in Lewiston to the U.S. hydro plant. Along the way you pass numerous cliffs, beautiful lookout vistas, and see the U.S. and Canadian power plants that supply electricity to over 4 million people. You also walk under one of the 3 bridges from the U.S. to Canada. It does have some up and downhill treks that require spikes in the winter, but it is easy enough terrain that the average hiker will have no problem with it.
Carlton Hill - Dale (15 minutes from Batavia)
This is a fun hiking with a beautiful view for miles at the top of the last hill, but the first hill - that is a doozy! We’ve climbed small mountains before and this was comparable. It was 450 feet of fairly steep incline to start the hike, but if you are in good shape, it isn’t much of a problem. And after that, the rest of the trail is pretty moderate. But it is all worth it the see miles and miles in every direction when you get to the top. It is a loop trail, so you don’t have to go back down the initial steep incline, but we highly recommend doing this hike.