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    Eternal Flame Falls

    4.7 (65 reviews)

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    Eternal Flame
    Paula C.

    Eternal Flame Falls Trail Chestnut Ridge Park Throughout our trip, I was wanting to find unusual or quirky things. After a long day of driving, I thought this was perfect hike at 1.2 miles. It is an out-and-back trail near Chestnut Ridge Park, New York. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 29 min to complete. This is a very popular area for hiking, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. Be prepared as you will likely end up with muddy or wet shoes. At the end of the hike, you will find the Eternal Flame which is shelter in a tiny cave under a beautiful waterfall. It is beautiful and worth the effort. Dogs are welcome but must be on a leash. * Wear appropriate shoes as it can be slippery! * There are 97 steps each way - my hubby counted.

    Darlene B.

    It's been well over 10 years, since coming here, and on a nice warmer pre spring day, decided to check it out for updates that were made on the hiking trail. Even though this isn't a long hike, highly recommended if you plan to get a close view of eternal flame wear hiking boots, and anticipate walking through a bit of water, as you get closer to the flame. They did a great job, with trail markings and forming new path to get to the Eternal Flame. Just be cautious with footing on the steps along the trail, and most of all enjoy nature at its best.

    Linda M.

    What a beautiful walk! I've heard about the eternal flame forever ago but somehow never visited until now. They just added steps this year in sections that I guess were pretty steep before. The walk is so nice and fairly easy until you hit the creek bed. Today was pretty dry, but you still needed to watch you step walking on the rocks in the water & at points over big logs. The trail, even without the eternal flame at the end, is beautiful. There's nothing as peaceful as walking through the woods. Obviously, the eternal flame would have been better with more water coming over the falls but was still amazing to see. Just thinking about the fact that the flame burns all the time behind a waterfall is crazy. Almost magical. Seeing more water just gives me reason to come back again sometime. 2023-88

    Cheryl Emily B.

    We started our drive here from Niagara Falls on the morning of our New Year. It was about an hour away with very minimal traffic once in the town, the scenic drive in the winter felt so calming and therapeutic, so needed. We arrived there around 12pm, the icic scenery was pure gorgeous. I have to say again so beautiful on the eyes nothing like Ive ever experienced. My young ones were so grateful as it was a first for them seeing that much snow, they really appreciated and took it all in. My 8 yr son described the trail as really fun parkour, he was all laughs, I couldn't keep up with him neat-less to say and I will say I almost slipped crossing the river as well as one or two times going down the steps - so beware, the ice is extra slippery. Once you get to the final waterfall where the eternal flame it is another beautiful wonder. While the flame wasn't lit and I didn't bring a lighter (tip - you can lit it yourself if it's not on) I still so much enjoyed the adventure, and highly recommend it!

    Maria B.

    This is a lovely hike. It's an out and back. You will walk along the creek bed for a while. It's got some up and down, and it's very slippery if it's been raining. Wear the right shoes. Tons of very easy parking in a few different places to get to this trail. 3/20

    Eternal flame falls, taken from the right hand side at the bottom of the falls.
    Susan A.

    This is a great natural wonder near Buffalo, NY. Saw it on FB, and decided I had to see it. It was most definitely worth the trip, but I am glad I checked Yelp before going. It is a hike - about 1.2 miles in total, but it is not really difficult IF you wear the right clothing and shoes. You need to wear shoes that can go in the water, as it is much easier in some places to walk in the creek bed instead of on the trail. There are a lot of stairs - you are going downhill into the gorge on the trip in, and climbing out of the gorge on the trip out. There are stairs with railings, but they can be muddy and wet, so be prepared. I saw people in heels and flip flops, and cringed. It is a beautiful and amazing site. When I was there on a Thursday, it was fairly crowded, but not excessively. Definitely worth the visit!

    Jessica R.

    Me and my husband try to hike here at least once a year because it really is such a natural wonder that we are so lucky to have so close to home. The county really does put a lot of time and effort into maintaining these trials which is much appreciated. They most recently installed a lot of stairs instead of using tree roots to get down to the eternal flame. This makes it a lot safer for hikers to get there. The trails inside of the gorge are pretty difficult to navigate right now with everything being very wet and slippery from the mud. It is a bit unsafe down there so I do wish the trails were a little wider but there's not much that could be done to improve them. It is such a gorgeous park and a great workout getting back up those stairs! There is plenty of parking available at the trailhead. Make sure to wear bug spray because it gets pretty bad near the water. Make sure to wear grippy shoes as well.

    See the flame?!
    Celine L.

    Went on this hike at around 4/5 pm which is usually too late for me to hike. I just don't like being in the woods when it's dark! The hike is not long but it has been raining all week and it was muddy and slippery which made it more difficult. The google maps link to this hike I believe is more accurate but there is a sign that says eternal flame falls and there's a parking lot, so start there. They have little flame signs along the entire way so you know where you are going which we were grateful for. My Hunter rain boots aren't great for hiking but some parts of the trail are so thin you're kind of forced to get your feet wet so rainboots let me hike more comfortably without worrying about wet socks. This waterfall is flowing over rock that emits gas from it. You can actually smell the sulfurish/propane like smell and that's where the eternal flame is lit!! Soo cool and we loved that you could walk right up to it! The flame could be out out and relit whenever as it's a constant flow of gas. It was lit when we went but if it isn't maybe you should bring your own lighter?

    The waterfall where the flame is
    Monica K.

    Two friends and I recently visited and had a great time! The trail is beautiful and the path was clearly marked. There are a bit of roots in the trails, but as long as you're paying attention they're no big deal. To reach the flame, you have to walk down the creek... Not super far off the end of the trail. The flame behind the waterfall is VERY cool! Though the flame is not huge, you could feel the heat from it when you get up close. Though the flame and waterfall are the stars of the show, there a few offshoot trails the were pleasurable to traverse.

    Amanda W.

    This place is a pretty easy hike, with a little hop & skip over some water here and there. I would expect your shoes to get damp to wet, depending on how good you are at skipping/jumping over said water. It takes maybe 10-15 minutes for an average person (yes, I am calling myself average). I just barely got to see the flame as a group of girls who was there before me decided to blow it out as one of them had a lighter and read that you could relight the flame. She couldn't get it to light, however, so I didn't get the whole experience unfortunately. The few seconds I did see was really cool, as the flame is behind the waterfall. The wildest part to me was the actual smell of gas that you could easily smell (I promise, you cannot miss it) coming from this natural phenomenon. It is definitely worth the easy hike. Plenty of parking and other hikes to take in this section of the park as well. It's a smallish waterfall, but very pretty and serene feeling, with all the greenery and trees around it. I also went in July.

    Map at the entrance
    Charlynn R.

    This trail is described as a moderate hike and I would agree with that. Although it's not necessarily difficult it is a lot of uneven terrain, tricky footing, walking through water, and stairs. Today was a chilly day so there was also a few icy patches. Overall this was a really great hike! We went in a Monday in December so there was no one else around which I prefer. I'm so glad I wore boots today - highly recommend shoes you can step in shallow water in.

    The flame!
    Cory W.

    A barely marked trail at the end of a long gravel parking lot, my wife and I were lucky we went when it was kind of deserted and we had the place all to ourselves. I liked how well marked the upper half of the hike was before you start to descend into the gorge below, at any given time you could see 2-3 trail markers ahead. Once you get to the bottom however it becomes a little dicey as the signs dry up quick and you're left to kind of figure out the path in your own (follow the creek). If you're going to go, bring your boots because we ended up walking across and through the creek more than a little bit. Also be warned that it's at least a little bit slippery in the winter months. Overall this was a nice trip and a short fun hike we were able to knock out in under an hour on a Monday afternoon.

    Hannah K.

    Got very lucky when we visited the eternal flame falls today - we didn't think there had been much precipitation lately other than a bit of snow flurries a few days ago. We were wrong clearly because there was so much water flowing over the falls, truly was so beautiful!!! The flame is definitely a must see if you're near orchard park. Tip: definitely wear waterproof shoes / rain shoes or boots because there are times when you will actually have to cross through water on the way to the falls and these came in very handy!!!

    Dried up creek

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    4 years ago

    Pretty cool and a good pay off. A short hike for a pretty weird phenomenon. The hike there is also nice, within the trees.

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    Ask the Community - Eternal Flame Falls

    I see it's slippery during wet weather. Coming in March, it should be wet during that time. Would we be able to do this? I'm fit and a moderate hiker but coming with 2 people in their 60s who are healthy but not super fit?

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    Review Highlights - Eternal Flame Falls

    Just outside of Buffalo in Chestnut Ridge Park, it's a quick trip and easy parking to get to the trailhead.

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    Erie County Forest - Follow the path.

    Erie County Forest

    5.0(1 review)
    14.1 mi

    In honor of hiking on The Weekly Yelp Buffalo, here's another one for all of your beautiful hearts…read more The Erie County Forestry Bureau cannot be put into words how stunningly gorgeous it really is. It's off of the 219 in East Concord, take the Genesee Road exit and the park is literally right on that same road about ten miles down. You will pass the Sugar Mill on your left and the specific trail that I took was on the right hand side. At sunrise, there was no one there and when we left around 10:30, there still was no one there. Except people mowing the grass... Anywhooo. The trail starts in a small hut, you cross a bridge, and then you're off. The first thing you should note is the looming trees and vast foliage. The trail is small but the trees loom tall over you. It really puts things in perspective for the hiker... you're small in comparison to the nature around you. Also, fun bonus, squirrels and wildlife were eating the acorns from the trees and dropping them near us (maybe throwing them at us? Only *they* know). The trail is several miles so you really need to dedicate a full morning to this trail. Especially since the main problem here is that the trail ends up being unmarked for small portions so you're likely to get lost, just a heads up. Don't let that deter you though because some of the best parts of the hike were the unmarked spots. Unmarked location one) We ended up near a flowing creek where you could hear nothing but the waters, your own wavering breath, and the birds overhead. There's nothing more I love than those combination of sounds to form tranquility. Breathe in, exhale, release. Unmarked location two) At sunrise we were already deep into the forest and stumbled upon an open field. Now here's the cool part about the open field: looking straight into the field gives you a simple perspective. Open field, light, awesome. But when you turn your head slightly to catch the light from a different angle, there were HUNDREDS of spider webs formed on different leaves with spiders inching up the webs. You're probably thinking "Oh my god, spiders..." but it was such an incredible thing to witness. And you could only see them if you changed your perspective slightly... I can't wait to come back here! This was only one trail, but there were some on the other side of the road as well (near the Sugar Mill). The Forestry Bureau seems like a huge expanse of land, made up of intertwining trails that lead you everywhere and nowhere. If you're looking for a bit of a break from the chaos in life, a prescription of a hike might be in order! Try this trail and experience the beauty of nature for yourself.

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    Erie County Forest
    Erie County Forest
    Erie County Forest

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    Eternal Flame Falls - hiking - Updated May 2026

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