Goat Island (New York)

Goat Island is a small uninhabited island in western New York in the United States. It is located in the middle of Niagara Falls on the Niagara River, between Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls. The island offers some of the most spectacular views of the falls available from the U.S. side. It is accessible by foot and automobile traffic by several bridges from Niagara Falls, New York. The island is largely wooded and is interlaced with foot trails. It is a popular destination for tourists visiting the falls on the U.S. side. An elevator on the island provides access down to the foot of the falls and to the Cave of the Winds. In 1885 it was included in the Niagara Reservation State Park which is the oldest state park in the U.S.

The island was formed geologically during the recent retreat of the falls as it cuts inward (upstream) through the Niagara Escarpment. The channel of the Niagara River splits in two above the falls, creating two sets of falls, one on either side of the island. In 1959-60, the eastern side of the island was extended about 8.5 acres (34,000 m²) for additional parking and a helicopter pad. Fill was provided from excavation for the construction of the Robert Moses Parkway . The island is slowly being eroded by the falls and will eventually disappear as the falls erode further upstream.

The preservation of the island as parkland is due to the early efforts of Augustus Porter , who in the middle 19th century recognized the long-term value of falls as a tourist attraction. Porter purchased the island and later allowed a group of Tuscarora Native Americans to live on the island and sell their crafts to the tourists who came to the falls by stagecoach and early railroads. The name refers to the fact that at time it was given over to goats, who roamed freely on the island.