Whirlpool State Park - Geology in Action

On Saturday, August 13 we headed down the Niagara River which travels north, so, in a way, we were going down and up at the same time. Get it?

After the Niagara River goes over the falls the water is still rushing at great speeds through a narrow gorge. There is white water everywhere.

Lucy and Sophie are ready to explore Whirlpool State Park. The views from the top of the gorge are amazing.

The water is a brilliant light green because of the millions of mineral particles that are worn loose from the rock by the rushing water before, during and after the falls.

The water is coming down so rapidly that it can not go straight through the bends in the gorge, so it has to double back on itself creating a whirlpool.


Here you can see the water moving in both directions. The lighter water in the foreground has just come through the rapids. The darker water in the background is forced to go upstream and gets pulled under the faster water.

There are two whirlpools but the second one is bigger than a couple football fields. You could not pay Lucy, Sophie or I enough money to ride on this attraction over that whirlpool!

This open air ride travels from the Canadian side of the gorge directly over the whirlpool, up to the observation platform on the American side and then back again.

No way! We're too afraid of heights! It's back to the car for us! You can find more information about Whirlpool State Park at http://www.nysparks.com/parks/info.asp?parkID=29