Niagara Falls 
The nature around the Niagara Falls region is inspirational. Heavily trafficked throughout the year, people flock to the area for its beautiful and unique nature experiences in the summer, fall, winter, and spring months. Here, you’ll find parks, gardens, trails, conservation areas, to marvel at nature in and explore the nooks and crannies of Mother Nature. There is so much more to the Niagara Falls region than the Falls!
Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens
A place established in the 1930s, the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens has provided the public with a beautiful 99 acres of manicured gardens, including a famous rose garden known worldwide. While here, do not forget to explore the Butterfly Conservatory.
Address: 2565 Niagara Pkwy, Niagara Falls
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Heartland Forest Nature Experience
Heartland Forest is a nature preserve and privately-owned park that provides a classic park experience with accessible trails, playgrounds, a butterfly garden, and other attractions for recreational activity.
Address: 8215 Heartland Forest Rd, Niagara Falls
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Niagara Glen Nature Centre
Located by the Niagara River, the Niagara Glen Nature Centre is a picturesque nature destination for hiking and bouldering. 4-kilometres of rugged paths run through Carolinian Forest and the Niagara River Whirlpool.
Address: 3050 Niagara Pkwy, Niagara Falls
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Queen Victoria Park
Credit: Niagara Parks
Surrounded by the Niagara River Great Gorge and the Fallsview moraine, this blooming park is the perfect place to relax, take a gander at the florals, trees, and gardens, and check out the American and Canadian Horseshoe Falls.
Address: 6345 Niagara Pkwy, Niagara Falls
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Kingsbridge Park
Kingsbridge Park is a stunning family-friendly park with picnic pavilions, walking trails, and a playground. This hidden gem is a lush area for recreational activity and bonding with family and friends in a great natural setting.
Address: 7870 Niagara Pkwy, Niagara Falls
Firemen’s Park
Firemen’s Park is a 135-acre park on the Niagara Escarpment that hosts concerts in its amphitheatre, provides fishing and hiking opportunities, and great opportunities for sport.
Address: 2275 Dorchester Rd, Niagara Falls
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Dufferin Islands Nature Area
The host of the Winter Festival of Lights in November and December, the Dufferin Islands are dotted with wooden footbridges, and are 10 acres of escape into true natural beauty.
Address: 6345 Dufferin Isle Rd, Allanburg
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White Water Walk
Walk along side class VI rapids, made by Niagara river, and the great gorge. A calming, relaxing walking experience by the side of whirling, rapids.
Address: 4330 River Rd, Niagara Falls
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Queenston Heights Park
Queenston Heights Park combines nature, relaxation, and significant history. With the Laura Secord and Brock monuments, tennis courts, picnic pavilions, and children’s splash pad, there is a draw for all.
Address: 14184 Niagara Pkwy, Niagara-on-the-Lake
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Rosberg Family Park / Olympic Torch Trail
The Rosberg Family Park is known for its Olympic Torch Trail, a place where the Olympic torch made its way to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010. It is popular with walkers, cyclists, and joggers.
Address: 3G2, 4278 Queen St, Niagara Falls
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Floral Showhouse
Credit: Niagara Parks
South of the Niagara Falls is the Floral Showhouse, a place with collections of succulents, tropical plant species, and more, along with floral shows that display the wonders of the florals housed there.
Address: 7145 Niagara Pkwy, Niagara Falls
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Oakes Garden Theatre
The Oakes Garden Theatre is an escape in the heart of Niagara Falls. A stunning place that merges greenery with architecture, where ornamental iron gates and limestone interact with lily ponds and well-groomed gardens.
Address: 5825 River Rd, Niagara Falls
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Horseshoe Falls
The Horseshoe Falls is one of the waterfalls included in the Niagara Falls trio. The Horseshoe has the highest flow rate of the three and is regarded as the most beautiful, making it a sure wonder to want to visit on a trip to the Niagara region.
Woodend Conservation Area
The Woodend Conservation Area has a military past. It acted as an observation point during the War of 1812, because of its panoramic views of the escarpment slopes and Lake Ontario. Currently, it is frequently visited for its hiking trails that run through the escarpment forest and hardwood and Carolinian forest.
Address: 1 Taylor Rd, Niagara-on-the-Lake
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Queen’s Royal Park
The highlight of the Queen’s Royal Park is its gazebo, constructed for the movie “The Dead Zone” in the 1980s. It provides sweeping views of Lake Ontario and sometimes the Toronto Skyline, adding to its reputation for being visually beautiful and a place to relax.
Address: 16 Front St, Niagara-on-the-Lake
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Decew Falls
Credit: City of St. Catharines
Decew Falls is one of the Niagara Escarpment waterfalls, one that is noted for its old mill that is still in operation today. There are hiking opportunities surrounding the falls, and ways to walk behind it.
Address: 2714 Decew Rd, St. Catharines
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Centennial Lilac Garden
The Centennial Lilac Garden is an early summer treat, where the months of May and June are the perfect time to view over 1200 plants of over 200 varieties. This burst of natural colour and wonderful scents and manicured nature trails nearby are more than enough to draw in visitors year after year.
Address: 14004 Niagara Pkwy, Niagara Falls
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Ryerson Park
This beautiful park boasts many features, such as its cove, views of the Toronto skyline, magnificent sunsets, and spots to relax and recharge.
Address: Niagara Blvd, Niagara-on-the-Lake
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Simcoe Park
In vintage town Niagara-on-the-Lake,this green refuge in the heart of the town offers mature trees, green grass, picnic tables, and more. It is also the host of many concerts for its location and bandshell, and its pleasant environment.
Address: Picton St, Niagara-on-the-Lake
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Short Hills Provincial Park
Short Hills Provincial Park is known for its white-tailed deer, coyote, and sweet chestnut trees – a great amalgamation of flora and fauna that complement the hiking, fishing, mountain biking, and horseback riding opportunities in the area.
Address: Pelham Rd, Thorold
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Glenridge Quarry Naturalization Site
The Glenridge Quarry Naturalization Site is a family-friendly nature space for hiking, walking, bird watching. There is a children’s science and nature zone, pond boardwalk, and many public trails and paths to enjoy.
Address: 1860 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharine’s
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Saint Johns Conservation Area
St. Johns is a fulfilling conservation area for bird watching, observing wildlife, nature education, and fishing. Four trails bring visitors through a large forest, past sensitive ecosystems and wonderful examples of nature in Southern Ontario.
Address: 3101 Barron Rd, Fonthill
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Burgoyne Woods
Burgoyne Woods is a place for exploration, with tons of open green space, trails, picnic areas, tennis courts, and a leash-free dog park. The loop trail located here feature amazing wildflowers and is appropriate for all skill levels.
Address: 70 Edgedale Rd, St. Catharines
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Louth Conservation Area
Louth Conservation Area shows off the Sixteen Mile Creek valley, the Niagara Escarpment, and historic rock formations. Hiking is popular here, as visitors pass stunning scenery, towering waterfalls, and unique forest songbirds.
Address: 3193 Staff Ave, Jordan Station
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Mountain Locks Park
Mountain Locks Park is a mysterious park with unidentified stone structure, channels, and berms that visitors often spend hours looking at. There are many areas to hike around, and two canals are located here that have a detailed historical past.
Address: 107 Merritt St, St. Catharines
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Rockway Conservation Area
Rockway Conservation Area is part of the Niagara Escarpment, a true vision of beauty and carrier of history that has prime examples of Sycamore, mature Basswood, and Black Walnut Trees. You’ll also find two majestic waterfalls and a salt spring that dates back to 1792.
Address: Lincoln, ON
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Ball’s Falls
Credit: Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
Ball’s Falls is a haven for nature lovers and photographers alike. Set within the breathtaking Twenty Valley, Ball’s Falls Conservation Area is known for its spectacular scenery, fantastic waterfalls and unique 19th century hamlet atmosphere that has been maintained to this day.
Address: 3292 Sixth Avenue, Lincoln
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Binbrook
Home to the Lake Niapenco reservoir, the largest inland lake in the Niagara Watershed, Binbrook Conservation Area is a fisherman’s dream. Binbrook offers annual fishing derbies, a swimming beach, children’s splash pad, picnic facilities, nature trails, observation platforms and a play area. This coupled with the area’s unique aquatic views make a trip to Binbrook memorable.
Address: 5050 Harrison Road Binbrook
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Chippawa Creek
Credit: Chippawa Creek Conservation Area
Chippawa Creek offers an unique wildlife habitat that provides rare public access to the Welland River. The opportunities and activities that are available here are unseen in southern Ontario, these include non-motorized boating, swimming, fishing, wheelchair accessible trails and 156 campsites.
Address: 84646 Regional Rd 45, Wellandport
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Long Beach
Long Beach Conservation Area is one of Niagara’s most premier and beloved campsites. Located on Lake Erie, Long Beach is a unique place to camp, swim, sunbathe, fish, sailboard or jet-ski.
Address: 12965 Lakeshore Rd, Wainfleet
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Beamer Memorial Conservation Area
Credit: Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
Beamer Memorial is the best vantage point in the Niagara Peninsula to observe the annual spring hawk migration. The memorial offers spectacular views of the hawks, the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario.
Address: 28 Quarry Rd, Grimsby
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Comfort Maple
Credit: Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
The Comfort Maple Conservation Area protects the oldest sugar maple tree in Canada. Designated a heritage tree in June 2000 under the Ontario Heritage Act, the Ontario Forestry Association estimated the tree to be 400-500 years old in 1975. The Comfort Maple towers at about 24.4 metres at its crown with a trunk circumference of 6 meters.
Address: 640 Metler Rd, Fenwick
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Jordan Harbour
The Jordan Harbour waterway is one of the few large uninterrupted natural corridors left in Niagara between the escarpment and the lake. Jordan Harbour is protected as an Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest and contains a variety of unique wildlife and tree species that are rarely seen elsewhere in the peninsula. The area also offers a leisurely 2-hour canoe ride along the picturesque shoreline and reed islands.
Address: 4579 Twenty-First St, Vineland Station, ON L0R 2E0
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Mud Lake
Mud Lake conservation area encompassing over 60 hectares of wetland and 54 hectares of field and woodland and offers scenic nature trails, superb bird watching, fishing and fall waterfowl hunting.
Address: 3031 Elm St, Port Colborne
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Wainfleet Wetlands
Wainfleet Wetlands Conservation Area was once the site of a clay and limestone quarry until the 1960s and the effects of the quarry have resulted in the fossils of plants and animals that lived in the Paleozoic sea can be seen in the limestone of the Onondaga Formation, in the quarry walls and on rock tableland. Wainfleet is also a fantastic place for wildlife as fish, turtles, snakes and a wide variety of birdlife all call the place home.
Address: 10638 Quarry Road, Wainfleet
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