Fort Niagara State Park is a nature
preserve and outdoor recreation destination in Youngstown, New York,
on the shores of Lake Ontario. The whole family can visit this park
to enjoy its gorgeous scenery-- endless mountains, roaring rivers,
and steel-gray lakes--and participate in a whole slew of outdoor
activities.
The park lets visitors approach the
shores of Lake Ontario, as well as the Lower Niagara River. Boating
is a popular activity at Niagara State Park. There are two places
from which to launch boats, provided by the park. Both the lake and
river are navigable by boat.
In the summer, visitors can swim in the
lake. For those who fear swimming in naturally-occurring bodies of
water, the park also provides outdoor swimming pools. These offer
their own advantages: the pools are perfect for swimming laps and
playing water polo, and there is even a waterslide.
In the winter, snow blankets the park,
and the lake acquires an additional level of remote, icy beauty.
There are plenty of winter activities. The park has many winding
hiking trails that, in the winter, become ideal for cross-country
skiing or snowshoeing. There are a few hills in the park as well,
which become fearsome grounds for sledding come wintertime.
The park also has facilities for
tennis, soccer, and all manner of outdoor field sports. The park has
a good mix of relatively developed areas--perfect for church picnics
or organized sports--as well as wilder places, hunting, fishing, and
meditative walks. The hunting is restricted to ducks and geese and
other waterfowl, when they are in season.
