We went for a quick fishing visit this summer and this park was fabulous for a bunch of shoreline…read moreanglers like us. The park has a nice paved trail for a walk/run and lots of picnic tables along the shoreline where you can cast off and set up a picnic with your family. While my family settled down to fish, I went for a quick run on their fantastic trail and we all enjoyed our afternoon there thoroughly. The only downside was that there was no public washroom that was open at the time of our visit. There was a facility being used by the YMCA and while there were still some counselors around after the camps let out, they refused to let us in to use the washrooms which I thought was very odd. All in all, the visit to this quiet park was enjoyable and fun for all of us. I look forward to our next fishing outing soon!

What makes this a hidden gem is the fact that it's truly hidden. It's beautiful and picturesque…read more The main entrance leads down to the waterfront which has a rock break wall and a big shelter with picnic tables. The main building has clean washrooms. If you follow the waterline to the left you will find a decent sized sandy beach. It has scattered picnic tables throughout the park, it also a few different parking areas. The main parking lot is huge. Cheers

Adorable little park. Nice stairway down the hill to the water. Benches along the lake and under…read morethe trees. Lovely breeze. Passing through for photos. Nice picnic area. Lost a star cause the ladies room wasn't clean.

A great place to go and rock climb while enjoying what nature has to offer. Over the years, there…read morehas been significantly more foot traffic, and as a result, more noise pollution and waste items have been popping up. I think that with more focus on an "all things in, all things out" approach, this area would be better for both bouldering enthusiast in addition nature fanatics alike!

Another vacation win- they have something here I have never seen- a nature trading post! You can…read moretrade rocks, crystals, fossils and such for their inventory or participate in a point based scavenger hunt, taking photos throughout the park, and redeem points for something in their inventory. I ma a huge rock hound, crystal nut- not just because my name is Crystal, I've loved picking up shiny rocks since I was a small child. Quartz and mica are two I remember finding often as a child. Here- they had a huge inventory of various raw and polished stones, fossils, animal bones and such. And that was just in the Nature Exchange! The park is wonderful too, plenty of trails to lead you down by the river, wonderful trees, great overlook viewpoints throughout. As part of the Niagra Parks system, they have bike trails too. We stopped here twice, once to explore and once for me to pop back in with my photos and pick out a raw piece of turquoise! A birthday win for me! Shout out to the young lady who talked to me in the morning, she wasn't there when I returned- and I am pretty sure the 2 young men thought I was crazy (I am), but they were all very helpful for this big kid out playing in nature!

Niagara Parks' Botanical Gardens is a place to experience nature's beauty and horticultural…read moreexcellence. The gardens span 99 acres with meticulously designed landscapes, and showcases award-winning gardens that burst with vibrant seasonal blooms and lush, overflowing greenery. During my visit, I walked along peaceful trails, where seasonal display beds had a fresh palette of stunning flowers and foliage. I explored the parterre, rose, vegetable and herb gardens, and let the serene beauty of Niagara's most beautiful natural surroundings These gardens were some of my favorite: *Herb Garden - meticulously curated garden showcases culinary herbs from around the world, medicinal plants and herbs used in commercial applications. With fragrant perfume plants, vibrant dye plants, as well as herbs for brewing beverages and homeopathic remedies. At the heart of the Herb Garden, there is a charming knot garden and a classic sundial, elegantly positioned along the central axis, adding a touch of timeless beauty to this botanical sanctuary. *Rose Garden - Covering more than two acres and a cherished part of the Botanical Gardens since the 1940s, the Rose Garden is a stunning showcase of over 2,400 roses. With 54 meticulously maintained rose beds and 31 vibrant annual display beds, this garden offers an exquisite sensory feast powered by nature. Explore a diverse collection of roses, including fragrant hybrid teas, colourful floribunda, elegant grandiflora and enchanting climbing rose varieties. This is a must visit attraction during your visit to Niagara Falls.

Absolutely beautiful grounds. Beautiful and peaceful way to spend the day…read more Best of all, it's free entrance unless you want to visit the Butterfly Conservatory (and you should)! Bring a book to read at one of the many benches throughout , spend a whole day, take your time wandering, savoring the beautiful grounds then grab lunch or a coffee or drink at the cafe!

It was a nice walk from the craziness of Niagara Falls. It was nice to be surrounded by nature and…read morebe able to look all around at the different birds. I highly recommend coming here to get away from everyone else.

I've been going here for years and always admire how well this park is maintained. It's the best in…read morethe Fall when the leaves change colors, and during the winter holidays when they have the Festival of Lights going on. Parking is free, and there are lots of spots. It's great to just walk around this place to discover all it has to offer.

This might have been the most mosquito infested park I've ever went to. Sadly , I would have…read moreenjoyed exploring the grounds and wildlife more , if it wasn't for the damn bugs ! Boards across the trails prevent muddy shoes, which is nice . Signs of potential wildlife are found throughout . But did I mention the mosquitos ?!?!

Definitely a hidden gem on Grand Island! Tucked in the far back corner of a cemetery, most people…read morehave no idea it's even back there. I do feel a bit odd, driving into a cemetery just to go for a hike, but it's totally worth it. The raised wooden walkways make for a very unique experience and it's a long, meandering, awesome park through the woods. It's VERY WET - so definitely be sure to load up on bugspray b/c even if it's not "bug season" you WILL GET DESTROYED by mosquitos!

I really enjoy hiking at Hobuck Flats. It's a really beautiful property and is pretty well…read moremaintained. It can definitely get busy during fishing season so be aware of that before you go.

Unless you're looking for it, you'll miss the entrance to Hobuck Flats. It's a winding dead end…read moreroad that weaves down to the stream below. When you get there and find a parking spot, you're greeted with a rustic, barely beaten hiking trail path, a miniature trestle bridge, and a fairly spectacular waterfall! As stated, the path is rustic... as in take your hiking shoes and watch your step! The path is just a trodden walkway through the foliage; you're surrounded by green! The stream is of a decent size and makes an enjoyable view as you walk the path. It's a fisherman friendly stream as well. The fishermen there were hoping to catch trout or bass and camped out along the banks near the bridge. If you have a rod and reel handy, you can try your luck out too! You might even get a chance like we did to see a bald eagle fly overhead! Just stay close to the path though. We spotted clumps of poison ivy edging towards the trail in more than one location.

Beautiful park, really well looked after. Lots of things to do for the kids, the splash/spray pads…read moreare great. There's also a little frog pond area for small babies/toddlers. As well as a large play area with swings slides etc. Definitely recommend

The flowers are blooming, the chill and snows are gone, and the beautiful flowers are blooming!!…read moreGet out to see what New York State Parks have to offer, as there are a lot of state parks in the Niagara Falls area!!!

We hiked this park on a whim- I couldn't find much about it online but it turned out to be my…read morefavorite activity out of everything we did on the US side of Niagra Falls. And as a bonus it was free, and better than all the tourist attractions we paid for. We came on a weekday morning and from the parking lot we took the Niagra Gorge Rim trail down to the Whirlpool trail. The view from the rim is gorgeous. The hike down is challenging, lots of stairs but very scenic and worth it. There's lots of greenery, views of the water and some shade. At the base there are rock benches where you can rest. We were pleasantly surprised to find the trail took us directly down to the water. We took a break on a large rock and even dipped our feet in the water. You can't swim here- there's fast moving water, but it's a peaceful place to relax. We had the place to ourselves and relaxed for about 30 minutes. We watched as the Aero Car went back and forth above on the Canada side and eventually a Jet boat came through and disturbed our serenity, splashing waves against the rocks. We retraced our steps back up the steep stairway trail. We only passed about 3 people during our entire hike. This is a hidden gem. There's a not very clean porta potty in the parking lot and the trail is dog-friendly. Lots of parking is available.