The new Cataract Stairs and Overlook is now open at Niagara Falls. The new stairs and viewing platform gets visitors up close and personal with the falls’ powerful cascade bring visitors as close as 35 feet from the American Falls.
Expanding on the existing staircase, the completed Cataract Stairs has added 163 new steps what was formerly known as the Crows Nest, providing additional vantage points and improving circulation into and out of the Niagara Gorge.
The stairs and overlook are washed with the mist produced by the falls and connect to Prospect Point at Niagara Falls State Park.
The new stairway is expected to relieve pedestrian congestion in the lower gorge during the busy season, where the only means of egress had been the elevator inside of the observation tower.
The stairs will be operated as a one-way egress from the lower gorge during the busy season, and as a two-way access to the overlook during a portion of the off season.
The $12 million project (an increase of $3 million from the original estimate) was funded by State Parks capital funding, The Maid of the Mist Corporation, The Niagara River Greenway and the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Photo of the new Cataract Stairs and Overlook provided.
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