Water & all of its splendor are all around us – whether it’s a river, a creek, a lake and beyond. Sometimes we can take our region’s waterways for granted, especially when the Great Lakes are so near. Explore some of the different waterways in Buffalo Niagara.

by Max Fisher

Buffalo Niagara was born on the shores of Lake Erie

High-Quality H20

Water! It makes up 71% of the earth. It played a key role in the 1995 box office bomb, Water World, starring Kevin Costner (three hours I will never get back. I watched the director’s cut, so I have a certain level of shame; I’m afraid I’ll never get rid of). Water and all of its splendor are all around us, and there are quite a few ways for water to present itself. Whether in a river, a creek, a lake or beyond, water has many ways (wink, wink) in which we can explore and enjoy what it has to offer. So today, let’s explore some of the different waterways in Buffalo Niagara worth exploring.

Hoyt Lake at Delaware Park

There’s something magical about water. The way it always calmly ebbs and flows even when it’s a raging stream or a big wave, it still manages to keep its elegance. And that same elegance can be seen in a much smaller place like Hoyt Lake. It is an incredible serene tourist attraction in Buffalo because of its vast body of water that always moves slowly and peacefully. Not to mention that there’s a great selection of rowboats, and even pink flamingo paddleboats to take on the water and traverse to your heart’s content. Enjoy the rhythmic flow as your paddles glide across the water, propelling you forward with each motion. Take in the sky and the birds either by seeing bits of their reflections in the water or looking up to the sky occasionally to marvel at the sky’s simple but awe-inspiring power. (It’s also a good idea to check up there once in a while to make sure a sea gull isn’t overhead. They are known to drop some unwanted gifts every now and again).

Hoyt Lake at Delaware Park

Hoyt Lake is a great place to just unwind and absorb the simple pleasures of the water. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing workout with a rowboat (I know it doesn’t look like much, but rowing is an absolutely killer core exercise that’ll destroy you if your not ready, so consider yourself warned), or if you’re just looking to take in your surroundings in cruise control, give Hoyt Lake a try.

Explore the Glen

Niagara Falls gets all the credit for being the premier water mass that’s constantly falling, but you know what? Even though The Falls are admittedly awe-inspiring, they hog all the limelight from some other excellent falls, such as Glen Falls in Williamsville. Glen Falls is a lot smaller than Niagara Falls, but it’s got a few positives going for it to make up for its lack in size. First, its part of Glen Park, which by default makes it part of something much more since it includes walking and biking pathways. Secondly, and this may be the most important part of Glen Falls, is its small in size. It’s more intimate than Niagara Falls would ever be. There’s no insane line of tourists. You don’t have to get on a massive damp boat and wear raincoats just to get soaked and say, “Hey, I got soaked at Niagara Falls yeaaaa”.

At Glen Falls, you just sit down where you like and admire the cascading water hitting bottom. Then you get up and ride your bike or walk your dog. It’s a supremely integrated place that mange’s to maintain the natural/tranquil accessibility of the falls and still has things available for people to do. If you’re looking for a tiny alternative to Niagara Falls, then check out Glenn Falls. It’s not as big, but for my money, it’s quite nice.

Summer is when the waterways of Buffalo Niagara really shine

If you look up the definition for river, you wouldn’t think Buffalo had its own. And I’ll admit maybe this is just my own woeful ignorance emerging once again (it emerges quite often, so I’m pretty used to it at this point), but Buffalo does indeed have its own river. It’s called the Buffalo River. Established in 1972, the Buffalo National River flows freely for 135 miles and is one of the few remaining undammed rivers in the lower 48 states. As you can see, the Buffalo River is much more expansive than one may think (and yes, that one, in this case, is me). And it puts into perspective how waterways are never in a bubble, even the smallest pond or lake had its origins in something bigger, and the Buffalo River is just one case of that bigger mass of water in which small streams, as well as bigger ones, flow into it.

More Than Meets the Eye

Waterways are interesting because, at first glance, they may seem very boring. “It’s just water-going places. What’s the big deal?” Some may say waterways show us how connected every body of water is. As previously mentioned, no body of water is totally isolated. They all flow into one another in one way or another, whether it’s a vast lake with calm water and peddling flamingo boats helping people to relax and shred their core, or finding out that the city of Buffalo has its own river (Look, I’m sure some of you already knew that, and I’m not too proud of a man to admit you’re smarter than me). It all reinforces the fact that waterways are always more than what they seem. You may not know all the places the water will go in a particular stream, but you can be sure that it’ll connect with another place, which gives people, if they so choose, the opportunity to explore all the different paths any given waterway may have or just sit back and appreciate it.

Buffalo Niagara

Niagara Falls

Niagara River

Buffalo Niagara

Scajaquada Creek

Erie County

Smoke Creek

Erie County

Tonawanda Creek

Tonawanda

Willowbrook Lake

Lockport

What do you think of our guide to waterways in Buffalo Niagara? Know a great place that we missed? Have a favorite? Let us know.

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