🌲 Trail
🥾 Moderate
⚠️ Steep stairs
🐕 Dogs allowed
Freedom Stairs & Great Gorge Railway Trail
Stairs down the gorge wall next to the Whirlpool Bridge to an easy riverside trail, right beside the rapids between the Whirlpool and Rainbow bridges.
Highlights
- Walk right at the water’s edge next to the lower Niagara rapids
- An easy, mostly flat trail once you’re down, on the old gorge railway bed
- A short, direct way into the gorge from the north end of the city
🥾 Trails
-
Freedom Stairs
The marked path and stairs down the cliff face into the gorge. Going down is easy; the climb back up takes time, but it’s manageable at your own pace.
-
Great Gorge Railway Trail
EasyStarts at the bottom of the Freedom Stairs and follows the lower gorge south along the river toward the Schoellkopf Power Station ruins.
Know before you go
- Where to start
- Freedom Plaza, next to the U.S. end of the Whirlpool Bridge. Park in the small free lot, and the Freedom Stairs start right there.
- ⚠️ Safety
- Wear sturdy shoes with good traction. Rocks and paths near the water are often slick.
Stay on the trail and never enter the water.
Leave time and energy for the climb back up, and finish in daylight.