A down day?!?

Four Mile Creek State Park
Youngstown, NY

For three days, we had done the touristy things and had encountered crowds galore.  We wanted a somewhat down day and decided to take advantage of the numerous gorge trails nearby.   Dan, Brandon, Amanda and I packed a lunch and headed to Devil’s Hole State Park.  There were several trails to hike along the Niagara River.  We chose to hike  the Devil’s Hole Gorge trail.   The trail’s description notes it as a moderate trail with numerous boulder stairs, inclines, rock falls and narrow passages.    We were up for the challenge.  I chose not to take my camera as I really just wanted to enjoy the scenery.   We saw the Devil’s Hole which had a cave-like entrance.  Brandon and Dan explored it; Amanda and I chose to stand guard on the trail!  We also saw Giant Rock.  It is a two story rock that fell from the Canadian side and landed on the US side; right along the river.  It sure was a sight to see!  We saw several whirlpool rapids and watched the whirpool boats zoom back and forth.  After our hike, we enjoyed our picnic lunch and then headed to Whirpool State Park.  We walked along the rim trail enjoying the whirpools in the Niagara River.  It was pretty neat to see the many whirpools and watch the water flow in multiple directions.  There was a small education center and we looked at the displays and read the information plaques.  It was a nice down day and  was a much needed break from the chaotic crowds!

Life is good (albiet a bit tired at this point!)