Whirlpool stairs replacement work to begin

Beginning on Tuesday, March 29, the stairs into the Niagara Gorge at Whirlpool State Park will be closed as work to replace them begins. The stairs are expected to be closed through July.

Additionally, as the project advances, the trail below the stairs may be closed Tuesdays-Thursday for safety purposes.

The $385,000 project will provide greater access into the Niagara Gorge. It will involve the reconstruction of approximately 300 linear feet of the stairway at the top of the Whirlpool Trail in Whirlpool State Park. The existing stairs will be removed or re-purposed and approximately 125 new stairs and stone crib walls will be installed.

Access to the gorge will be available via the Great Gorge Railway Trail (begins at Niagara Gorge Discovery Center), the suspension bridge stairs (under the Whirlpool Bridge), Devil's Hole and the elevator at the Schoellkopf Power Plant ruins at Niagara Falls State Park. Fishing access is also available at Artpark and at the New York Power Authority south access road fishing platform (opens April 1).

For a copy of the Niagara Gorge Trail Map, visit http://www.nysparks.com/parks/attachments/WhirlpoolNiagaraGorgeTrailMap.pdf

For more information on this project, call 716-284-5778.