The Great Gorge Railway was completed in 1895 to serve visitors to the Falls. Today the former railway bed serves as the trail on which we will be walking from the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center to the Whirlpool Rapids. See Trail #4 on the map. The trail is 1.1 miles (2.2 miles round trip), is rated as ‘Easy’, and the slope is listed as gentle. Plan to walk about 1.5 to 2 hours.

Read about the history of the railway (including a few accidents).

Bonus Activity: After completing the hike, and pending availability of access, we can take the elevator near the Discovery Center for a quick visit to the site of the Schoellkopf hydro dam collapse in 1956, and the current winter storage area for the Maid of the Mist boats.

DAY/DATE/TIME: Saturday October 7, Meet by 9:30 am

GATHER/MEET at the Hiking Trails Information booth, the small building with the restrooms about 50 feet east from the entrance doors of Discovery Center.

PARK in parking lot for the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, which is accessible from the Niagara Scenic Parkway. Click to see map.

For event questions, please contact Robert Kosobucki at bobk2010@gmail.com.

For event registration questions, please contact Donna Carl at dc37@cornell.edu.