Lock 8 Gateway Park

Lock 8 Gateway Park sits where the Welland Canal meets Lake Erie, wrapped around the final lock of the waterway that lets vessels bypass Niagara Falls. Because Lock 8 mainly steadies water levels rather than lifting ships a great height, passing freighters ride close to the viewing platform, giving an unusually up-close look at Great Lakes shipping. Beyond ship-watching, the park offers flower gardens, fountains, a picnic pavilion, a playground and a skate and BMX facility, and it connects to the multi-use Friendship Trail, making it a relaxed spot for a walk, a picnic or an afternoon spent by the canal.