|
| | | |
| |
|
| Hiking | 3.20 Miles |
908 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.20 Miles | 2 Hrs 35 Mns | | 1.24 mph |
| 908 ft AEG | | | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | This year I was able to successfully complete the Impassable Zone traverse from the North to the South along the Whirlpool trail! In 2022, I attempted this but because of time and difficult route finding, I had to turn around. I believe last year I came within only 400 feet of completion. I updated the official route with the newer better route from today.
This route is difficult and should only be taken by very experienced hikers. Proceed with extreme caution!!
I wore jeans because I believe there might be poison ivy in this area. I didn't see any this time but last year I had poison ivy a few days after doing this hike. Still haven't figured out if I got it from this hike or another of the many places I was at. So, better to be on the safe side.
There are a few good starting points for this hike. This time, I started at the Whirlpool State park and walked North along the trail until I reached the stairs (after walking about 0.4 miles). Then, I went down the stairs and turned going South from there. Other good starting points are Devil's hole state park (North), and the Niagara Aquarium (South) taking the Great Gorge Railway trail down to the bottom of the gorge, or just South of the Whirlpool Bridge where there is a staircase going down, which happened to be my end-point this time.
Timeline (Mileages and description)
-----------
0.0 miles - Start at Whirlpool State Park
0.4 mi - top of stairs leading down
0.65 mi - bottom of stairs
1.18 mi - below Whirlpool state park, nice views of Whirlpool beach in Canada
1.27 mi - nice views of some huge waves and whirlpools. Here you may see a Whirlpool Jet boat. Right in this area is about where they turn around because the waves are too strong South and West of this point.
1.40 mi - nice lookout area on the rocks. Stay on the dry rocks only and use either of the 2 trails leading up and down.
2.10 mi - look down toward the water and you should see a 40 foot tall huge boulder. This is called Titan rock. There are a few good ways to get down to the rock but there's no official trail leading down there. You should see one trail branch leading down in that direction that will lead to some rocks. Climb down the rocks and stay in the dry area. Another option is to continue South and you will see a 3 or 4 foot gap where you can squeeze between 2 rocks. Once through you should see a clear dry route to Titan rock. You may need to do some basic rock climbing to get down to Titan rock. When you get close you will see a large hole and shaded area in the middle, and then about a 6.5 foot doorway facing the rapids. When I was there, the nearby rocks were dry and I was able to stand on the dry rocks to get some nice photos and videos. Whenever near the water, don't stand on any rocks that are wet or have algae. A slip into the water here would most likely be fatal!!
2.3 mi - right in this area the official trail ends. There is a sign saying the area beyond this sign is very dangerous and closed to the public. But nothing about no trespassing or fines, so I decided to proceed with caution! There was a faint trail past this point and then within a minute or two I saw a branch leading up a very steep scree slope. Take this branch UP and you will eventually see a fairly large downed tree with roots sticking up out of the ground. I used these roots for support and then climbed above them. After that I stayed at the same elevation for a while and continued across the unstable slope, taking one step at a time. I saw parts of what looked like old trail, or could tell where other people walked before. This was the safest place to be. There are some brushy areas. Just make sure you get firm foot holds along the way.
2.5 mi - in this area are the scree slopes. I found some footprints from previous hikers and followed those. The footprints when UP and then across. I believe it's safest to climb up as high as you can get to the gorge wall. It's a bit flatter on top. There was a depression really close to the gorge wall which look a bit like a small cave or gap, but nothing inside. Continue across the scree slope carefully here.
2.6 mi - You should see some foot prints leading down and out of the scree area. Follow these down and you'll see a faint trail continuing South. At this point you should be pretty close to the Whirlpool bridge.
2.65 mi - You should see a cable between 2 trees and a thin rope leading down to a nice lookout area on the rocks. I went down and got some nice photos and videos from this point.
2.8 mi - You should reach the official end of the Southern branch of the Whirlpool trail
3.03 mi - You should be at the bottom of the steps leading up.
3.2 mi - Top of steps. I got up these steps in 4 minutes which was a good pace for me.
All in all it was a great workout on this humid 90 degree day in Niagara Falls, New York. I was soaked by the time I finished, which was probably 50% sweat and 50% mist from the rapids.
My Strava moving time was 1 hr 12 mins
Elapsed time was 2 hrs 35 mins |
| _____________________
Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
 |
| | |
|
|
|
Route Editor
Route Scout
