Niagara Falls at one end of NY and Long Beach National Natural Landmark at the other. Went from Niagara to Montauk during the past few days.
I brought my kids to Niagara Falls many years ago, and it remains as I remembered. The falls themselves are spectacular, and the park has walkways and pedestrian bridges which lead to outstanding views. Just try not to notice the tacky-looking touristy shops immediately outside the park boundary. I did not ride on the boat that takes you close to the falls since I did that with my daughters back in the day. It was enough this time around to just observe the water. (Aug 24, 2026).
Drove back to Long Island to finish what I left behind in late June. Today (Aug 26), I visited Orient Beach State Park at the northeastern-most tip of Long Island to see Long Beach NNL. Long Beach is, according to the NPS, a “sand spit beach demonstrating plant succession from salt marsh to maritime red cedar forest.” Parts of the beach were closed due to nesting.
Always fun going from relaxed rural traffic to NYC madness. NYC’s drivers are more aggressive than Boston’s.