Of Nature and Men (Case Study: Eternal Flame Falls, Orchard Park, NY)

May 29, 2012  •  Leave a Comment

Eternal Flame Waterfall in Chestnut Ridge Park, Orchard Park, NY. Clash of elements, water and fire. A small wonder of nature by Buffalo, NY.Eternal Flame On Friday (May 25, 2012), I visited the Eternal Flame Falls again after about a year. It's a natural wonder right in the Chestnut Ridge Park in Orchard Park, NY. It's a relatively small waterfall (30 feet in two sections) on Shale Creek with a strong flow in Spring but a trickle in Summer. What makes it special and a wonder in my opinion is that a flame keeps burning in a small cave-like pocket right in it's middle. There's enough natural gas escaping the ground to keep it burning despite the rather wet environment. Yes, it can get extinguished but people are fast to re-light it when needed. And there are actually several secondary spots that one can get going here and there.

When I first visited the place about 10 years ago after being told about it by a friend, there was nobody else there, and I stayed for a while. It was not in any books as far as I knew, it was not even possible to find any information about it on the Internet. Yes, even Google came up short - wait a minute, was it Google back then? :-)

Then, over the years, the on-street parking was becoming busier and busier to a point that parking was occassionally difficult. On my last vist, I found a new parking lot built at an alternate trail head! (right off of 277 on the right before going down the hill and turning into Seufert Rd., coming from the north). Despite heading out in the morning, well, before noon, there were quite a few people on the trail. And by the waterfall itself, there must have been around 20 people there. Aside for couple family photos, this was the first time I left with no new additions to my Eternal Flame gallery! Seriously, it just was not worth it.

They tell you that tourism helps with protection, that it can provide funding, that if people can't see it than why have it? But I am not sure crowds are a good thing. The places are just not what the would be with just a few people around. And don't take me wrong, I am all for people living healthy and going hiking, but can you really call it a hike and a healthy style if you're carrying a half-gallon coffee cup from Tim Horton's? But then again, maybe why not, as long as that cup makes it back out instead of being dumped.

Have fun and good luck finding crowd-free wonders!

PS: Additional information on Eternal Flame Falls and many other waterfalls (great location information, trail guides, and some great photos as well!)


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