Boulders and big rocks at Niagara Glen

My Spanish teacher is quite interested in Canadian nature. I have been showing him photos, like our cottage scenery or the Niagara escarpment, to discuss in class. It’s helpful to learn vocabulary about nature. It seems there are a variety of coastal related words in Spanish, like la cala (cove), la orila (shore), el litoral and la costa (both meaning coast), cabo (cape) but not so many for rock formations.

As I was trying to describe the landscape of Niagara Glen I learned there is no Spanish equivalent for boulder. The best translation for a boulder is una roca grande. A big rock.

There are certainly a lot of big rocks in this small nature park. Last week I visited Niagara Glen for the first time with my husband and daughter. The park is right beside the Niagara parkway yet the big rocks are hidden from view until you descend the metal staircase. A staircase attached to a cliff. It’s a dramatic entrance into dramatic scenery. At the bottom of the metal staircase we continued our descent on a series of staircases made of rocks. Along the way we came across huge boulders, sometimes moving through, under and over them. You need to watch your footing. Then we arrived in the forest below. Lush and verdant. Giant boulders, several feet high, rise up all around.

It’s quite impressive. Impressive enough to warrant praise from my teenage daughter. She liked the rugged trail made of rocks, adding interest and challenge to our hike. We also had fun speculating how these mighty boulders came to rest in this small area between the cliff and the river.

You can hear the rushing water of the Niagara River before you see the pop of turquoise through the trees.

My Spanish teacher was curious if you could go in the water. The water may look alluring (especially in a photo) but this is no Mediterranean. There are no sheltered coves. El agua fluye muy rapido. The water flows very fast. Signs all along warn of the dangers of these fast flowing waters. In the distance you can see the cable car that crosses the gorge for aerial views of the swirling waters of the Whirlpool.

We were downstream from Niagara Falls. The serene nature park however feels a world apart from the busy and touristy horseshoe falls. We were happy walking the main loop (2.1 km) which hits the highlights. There are other colour-coded trails that criss-cross the park but we were ready for lunch. So we completed the loop through the giant rocks and climbed the staircase back into the known world.

We headed to Ravine Vineyard in nearby St David’s. They have a lovely patio overlooking vineyards and serve Neapolitan style pizzas. The pizzas were very good but it’s the charred cabbage Caesar salad my daughter is still raving about. It’s a toss up for her to choose a favourite of the day – hiking on rocks or the salad.

I’d say it’s a successful outing if you can’t decide on one highlight. There were multiple on our excursion to the big rocks at Niagara Glen.