12% of Niagara Falls’ land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 16 miles of mapped trail cross Niagara Falls, 1.1 per square mile of land. 12% of Niagara Falls’ land is conserved, about 1,051 acres.
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns · #95 of 758 in New York. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
1,051 acres · of 14.1 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,056 ac
22 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
17 mi
3.8 mi lanes · 12 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
1 beach · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Niagara Falls?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Niagara Falls is ahead of 93% of U.S. towns, #95 of 758 in New York. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; the share of residents near a park ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Niagara Falls’ overall grade.
Water is 16% of Niagara Falls’ area (3 of 17 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 10%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
12% of Niagara Falls’ land. Water is left out: Niagara Falls has 14.1 square miles of land and 2.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Niagara Falls’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city836 ac
State parks420 ac
Regional Water Districts22 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits21 ac
County3 ac
Regional agency2 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government1 ac
Local Park · 760 acState Park · 500 acLocal Other or Unknown · 24 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 21 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 5 of 36 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
Parcel (PAD-US)
Managed by
Acres
Public access
Hyde Park
Local Park
Town or city
481
Open
City Of Niagara Falls NY Land
Local Park
Town or city
259
Unknown
Niagara Falls State Park at Niagara Reservation
State Park
State parks
208
Open
Whirlpool State Park
State Park
State parks
164
Open
DeVeaux Woods State Park
State Park
State parks
48
Open
Niagara Falls Water Board Land
Local Other or Unknown
Regional Water Districts
22
Unknown
Jayne Park
State Park
Town or city
21
Open
D Amelio Park
Local Park
Town or city
15
Open
Cayuga Youth Athletic Association Lands
Private Other or Unknown
Land trusts & nonprofits
12
Closed
Griffon Park
State Park
Town or city
10
Open
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
53 places to go in Niagara Falls
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Niagara Falls
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Niagara Falls
12 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.8 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
12 mi
off-road bike paths
1.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
32Baseball
17Tennis
8Basketball
6Pickleball
4Football
4Soccer
1Skate park
1Cricket
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
39 places on the National Register, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 35 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
The best walking months in Niagara Falls: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Daylight (h)
9.3
10.5
11.8
13.3
14.6
15.4
15.1
13.9
12.4
10.9
9.6
9.0
High (°F)
32
33
42
55
68
77
81
80
73
60
48
37
Rain (in)
2.6
2.1
2.5
3.3
3.3
3.3
3.5
3.0
3.6
3.5
2.9
2.8
February is the driest month (2.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 3.6 inches fall in September, the wettest month. The climate in Niagara Falls →
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Niagara Falls
Where can I hike in Niagara Falls?
The longest trail networks: Whirlpool State Park, 4.2 miles; Niagara Falls State Park, 3.8 miles; Hyde Park, 1.5 miles; De Veaux Woods State Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Niagara Falls is conserved land?
12% of its land, against a typical 5% for a New York town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Niagara Falls’ trails?
Whirlpool State Park and Niagara Falls State Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Niagara Falls?
17 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.8 of painted or protected lanes, 12 of off-road paths and 1.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Niagara Falls?
10,413 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Niagara Falls or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,056 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Niagara Falls have?
Ahead of 93% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #95 of 758 in New York. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Niagara Falls neighbors.
Photo: Nandaro · CC BY-SA 3.0