Niagara Glen Nature Reserve

Everyone should hike the trails here at least once, even better in the fall. The lookout fog views in the morning at the upper part were spectacular. The scenery along the way descending to the river was beautiful. The river views were magnificent. The trails are rated moderately challenging, and they definitely are. The Whirlpool trail section was closed due to high water level.

We've done a medium amount of hiking over the years in NY state, and this might be my fave hike so far! The main loop took around 1.5 hours at a leisurely pace. Visitor center nice, too. Be sure to wear your hiking shoes as there's plenty of up and down and rocky terrain. We arrived around 11am on a holiday weekend and we almost didn't find parking. Thankfully there were just a couple of spots left. It's a metered lot in front.

Very nice scenic trail. To get to the bottom of it and up it’s difficult. I know lots people write easy hike but if you don’t hike on regular basis it’s tough. I saw all ages on the trail but again it depends on your athletic level. Trail is close to the edge of the cliff if you have little children remind to stay off the edge. There’s also long metal stairs that you have to take. But over all enjoyable experience and amazing views. I totally recommend it in the fall with the leaf changing colour. It’s amazing.

A local favourite. Parking and visitor centre are within easy reach of trails. There are multiple trails to explore. Nature Trail, River Trail, Whirlpool Trail, Boulder Trail, and others all offer a variety of distance, strength, and pacing. These trails are intended for those aware of risk or understand a variety of trail conditions. Rain, ice, snow, and melt all create hazardous conditions not suitable for young, independent explorers. From November to May the Whirlpool Trail is often closed because of high water conditions on the Niagara River. At no point should you explore or wade into the Niagara River. In fact, several lives have been lost because visitors did not appreciate or understand the risks. If heights scare you be mindful of staircases and ledges. The natural history and geology of the reserve offers climbers the chance to boulder. In the summer, cool caves and tree cover make a great place to hide from the heat. Get yourself an annual Niagara Parks Parking Pass $75 CAD and enjoy the convenient parking all year. This pass let’s you park in any of the Park’s parking lots for a full year from date of purchase. The Niagara Glen Nature reserve also is a great place to fish during migration periods spring & fall. This place is also home to some of the most ancient trees and woodlands in Canada. Please don’t pollute. Only take photos and leave only a sense of gratitude. This is a national treasure.

I would have never have suspected such a nice hiking trail given the well manicured park at the top of the escarpment. A very short trail but if you go during off hours, you forget you're in a super touristy area. Trails quite rocky/technical and really unique rock formations for Ontario.

1st time ever going on the trail Definitely was not prepared to be in there for hours therefore With a little bit of water. There are a lot of neat and interesting things to explore a lot of different trails.. We were crazy enough to go off trand better viewsVisited onWeekdayWait timeNo waitReservation recommendedNo

Absolutely gorgeous place!!! Beautiful nature, scenic views of the Niagara river! This place has many different amazing hiking trails. It’s quite busy on the weekends but on the weekdays you can enjoy this incredible place. If you like rock climbing, the Niagara Glen Nature Centre is perfect place for your training. So grab your lunch and proper hiking shoes and enjoy your day there. I always have a great time and many pictures

This is a VERY cool place. The trail head starts with a metal staircase 80 steps total that take you down to the main trail. To find the trail head, look for the visitor center. If you're facing the visitor center, look to your left for a large pavilion. Follow the sidewalk past the pavilion until you get to the cliffs edge This is where you'll find the metal staircase. We took the blue trail loop. That took us about an hour and 15 minutes, taking our time and stopping often for beautiful views of the river. There are some gigantic boulders along the way as well. If you don't want to do the entire outer loop the blue trail, there are 2-3 trails you can take to shorten the trail and cut back to the blue trail. Stop in at the visit center to pick up a very detailed map. NOTE: Be aware that they have two trails using blue markers. One blue market has what looks like a tree on the round marker, while the other has what looks like a stop watch. We got "lost" at one point because we didn't notice they used two different blue markers for the trails. The trails are well measured with colored, round "discs" about 6" across". It's really impossible to get lost on the trails.

Really great place for hiking and bouldering! If you plan on bouldering here, you need to get a pass they checked for ours. Note that the office to activate your pass doesn't open until 10am so if you get there for an early morning climb, you may be stopped and will have to wait for the office to open before going down.

Very nice scenic trail. Can get a little rocky so ankle length hiking shoes are recommended. There are iron steps to access the trail, which was difficult to walk on for our dog so we had to carry her, although a few dogs were okay climbing.Visited onWeekendWait timeNo wait