Niagara Falls

View of Horseshoe Falls from the Canadian side of the falls.

Like with most American's summer vacations typically include some kind of water-based activity.  While you might think that would have you jumping off a dock into a crystal clear lake or digging your toes into a sandy beach along the ocean, we opted for a different water attraction and shuffled off to Buffalo to visit the awe-inspiring Niagara Falls.

Maid of the Mist Approaching Horseshoe Falls

You hear time and time again that you should see the falls from the Canadian side and I often wondered why people always said that.  Now I know.  From the Canadian side of the falls, you get a head-on view of both Horseshoe Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.  If you're on the U.S. side you are basically standing above the falls and can't quite get a sense of how large the falls are.

Maid of the Mist Beneath Bridal Veil Falls

We departed our hotel in Buffalo, passports in hand, around 8:30 a.m. heading north to the border.  We crossed the Peace Bridge and waited in line to clear Canadian Customs.  We arrived about ten of nine and there were only 2 or 3 lanes open.  Based upon the traffic, we figured we'd be in line about 15-20 minutes.  But promptly at 9 a.m. the other lanes opened one right after another, and in a matter of seconds there were about 10 lanes open with cars maneuvering for position as if someone just waved the green flag at a NASCAR race.  We were through in about 10 minutes.  I guess that's a tip for the future.  If you wait until 9 a.m. the bottleneck opens up and you can clear customs more quickly.

If you haven't been to Niagara Falls, Canada, you may not realize how "touristy" it is - with a zillion hotels, casinos, and "tourist trap" attractions like Ripley's Believe it of Not, Guinness Book of World Records, House of Frankenstein, Criminal's Hall of Fame, the Upside Down House and a plethora of places - too lengthy to list here.  There was even the Louis Tussaud's Waxworks that made me wonder if the good Madame in London had a rogue nephew who made his way to Niagara Falls to get his share of the wax museum market.

Bridal Veil Falls From Maid of the Mist

Horseshoe Falls from Maid of the Mist

We found a parking place right on Niagara Parkway, the road that overlooks the falls, paying $15 for 3 hours.  We figured it was worth paying extra to be across the street from the falls.  After walking along Niagara Parkway with 5,000 of our closest friends, from all over the world, we decided to take the Maid of the Mist tour to get up close and personal with the falls.  The trips run from both the Canadian and U.S. sides.  Since we just a stone's throw away on the Canadian side, we just walked to the other end of Niagara Parkway and boarded there. 

The line for Maid of the Mist looked long from afar, but the boat must have a large carrying capacity, so we didn't have to wait for more than 10 minutes.  We paid about $19.75 (CDN) for each adult and $12.65 (CDN) for Ashton.  This gets you each a blue Maid of the Mist poncho, made from materials that resembled the plastic that goes over your dry cleaning, with a hood and arm holes. 

We immediately went to the upper deck of the boat so we could get the best view and get the full effect of the mighty falls.  First, the boat goes by Bridal Veil Falls and that's pretty neat, but as we get closer to Horseshoe Falls, it feels like you've just entered a downpour as the mist and water from the falls rain down on you.  This was well worth the price, just to feel the power of the falls and see it from the perspective of the river's surface.

After braving the Maid of the Mist, we headed back to the car and were on our way back to the U.S. side for a different perspective.

Ashton & Bethany at Cave of the Winds

We crossed the Rainbow Bridge, right next to Bridal Veil Falls, and were welcomed by U.S. Customs.  The officer who checked us out was very pleasant and we got into a discussion about Maine.  He said his girlfriend has been trying to get him to go and he asked me a bunch of questions about the state, periodically glancing at his computer screen, presumably while he was making sure we weren't on some terrorist watch list.

In my opinion, your best bet in the U.S. is to skip the parking area right next to the bridge and cross over to Goat Island, about a half mile up the road.  We paid $10 for all-day parking in Niagara Falls State Park.  We ate a picnic lunch surrounded by seagulls in the picnic area next to the parking lot, then bought our ticket to Cave of the Winds - which as we were told, isn't a cave at all.  What it is, is a series of walkways that go right up to the edge of Bridal Veil Falls.

Looking up at Bridal Veil Falls and the Hurricane Deck

One thing is for sure.  If you decide to do Cave of the Winds, be prepared to get wet.  We went prepared, with Keen's, shorts, t-shirts and raincoat that we wore under the yellow plastic poncho they provide.  Even with that, the bottom of my shorts go soaked and water was running down my arm to my torso because I had to hold the poncho hood in place on my head, so water was getting in around my sleeves.  Fortunately, we had a change of clothes in the car.  On the plus side, they issue you a pair of Cave of the Winds sandals as a souvenir. They also give you a plastic bag to put your own footwear in so it doesn't get soaked.  The price was $11 for adults and $8 for kids 6-12.


After changing into dry clothes, we took the trolley ride around the park.  Frankly it was not all that interesting.  Before we left we went to the viewing area above Horseshoe Falls.  While you couldn't see the falls head-on, it was an interesting prespective.

Horseshoe Falls from the U.S. side

Maid of the Mist approaching Horseshoe Falls on U.S. Side

Although it was a long ride to the far side of New York State, it was a fun trip.  I would definitely recommend that anyone visit the falls, being sure to view them from both countries.  I'll be following up this post shortly with a couple other adventures during our road trip to Niagara, so stay tuned.
 
A couple of critical notes.  The Americans didn't seem to be quite as customer-friendly as the Canadians.  The Canadians who worked at these attractions seemed upbeat, friendly and chatty.  On the American side, the employees seemed a bit begrudged, like they couldn't wait to get the day over with so they could stop dealing with tourists. Also, the pathway from the bottom of the elevator to the Cave of the Winds is a bit malodorous and dotted with seagull droppings because it appears the seagulls live in the rocks above the walkway between the falls.