Three Sisters Islands - Beside the Upper Rapids

Photo: Billy Hathorn (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)

A stop on Niagara Falls State Park Walk, a free self-guided tour.

Small footbridges hop from Goat Island out across three little islands, putting you right beside the upper rapids, where the river churns and picks up speed on its way to the Horseshoe Falls. This is as close as you can safely get to Niagara's wild water before it goes over the edge.

The islands are named for Asenath, Angelina and Celinda Whitney, daughters of General Parkhurst Whitney, an early settler who founded the Cataract House hotel.

Between Goat Island and the first sister runs a small channel called Hermit's Cascade. It is named for Francis Abbott, a young Englishman who turned up at the falls in 1829 and lived alone on and near Goat Island for about two years. Stories say he bathed in the river every day, and he drowned in 1831, though accounts disagree on exactly where. Treat the details as local legend.

Stay on the paths and behind the railings, and watch the gulls ride the wind above the rapids.

Getting here: From Terrapin Point, follow the shore path south and east around Goat Island to the bridge out to the Three Sisters.

Did you know?: The Cataract House, the hotel founded by the sisters' father, became known as a stop on the Underground Railroad, where its Black waiters helped freedom seekers cross into Canada.

Photo op: From the outermost island, crouch low and shoot upstream so the rapids fill the foreground and the spray catches the light.

Nearby: There are no facilities on the islands; the nearest food and restrooms are at the Top of the Falls restaurant near Terrapin Point.

More on Wikipedia: Three Sisters Islands · Goat Island · Niagara River

Three Sisters Islands - Beside the Upper Rapids

Stops on this tour