Wolf Creek

Wolf Creek. . , In the ravine to your right, Wolf Creek drops 225 feet over four cascades to reach the Genesee River. Its name comes from pioneer times when the timber wolf dug its dens in the valley's gravel banks. Wolf Creek began eroding these falls more than 10,000 years ago, as the glaciers receded. The stream was left hanging above the river whose greater volume rapidly cut the larger canyon. , Tea Table Rock , This flat picnic area is known as Tea Table Rock. Before the park walls were built, the sandstone just beneath the ground used to jut out over the river canyon. This flat, bare rock provided spots on which to spread a blanket and picnic or have "a spot of tea." If you follow this layer upriver, you will see that it creates the flat area of the overlook in the distance. Farther upriver, it is the caprock of the Lower Falls in the Portage Canyon. , Eastern Timber Wolf , This area was home to the timber wolf in the early 1800s. , Wide Expanse , The top cascade is visible from the Wolf Creek picnic area and from the yellow-marked Gorge Trail that leads to the overlook across the ravine. It has been called the Wide Expanse and drops 65 feet. , Zig Zag , The hidden second cascade drops in two sections. The upper part has been called the Zig Zag and drops 38 feet. The lower part has been called the Power Chute and drops 35 feet. , Block and Waggle , The hidden third cascade has been called Block and Waggle; it drops 28 feet. , Shower Curtain , You can see the bottom cascade below. It drops 60 feet and has been called the Shower Curtain. It is also known as the Diagonal Shower Hole, and in low water, the Cascade of the Marching Bubble Beetles. , Glasswort , Although Wolf Creek is polluted from sources outside the park, it supports many aquatic plants and animals. In the 1920s, the creek was so polluted with salt from mining operations that salt-loving plants, such as glasswort, normally found in coastal salt marshes were seen growing along its shores between Castile and Silver Springs, New York. , Wolf Spider , This area is still home to the wolf spider, which stalks its prey without a snaring web.