Niagara Falls State Park

Loved it here. Loved it. What's not to love?

Paid parking is plentiful. Not hard to find your way around. Postcard photos at every angle. Pay a buck and a quarter to get on the observation bridge. It's worth it. The buck and a quarter also gives you elevator access to the gorge at the bottom, where you can get real up and close to the falls. Watch out for the spray!

For the adventurous type, you can cross the bridge to see the Canada side of the falls (the fall on that side is much more scenic and larger). There's a couple of casinos at that side as well. Just don't forget to bring your passport and ID or you're stuck!

Really nice gift shop as well, so it's a good way to spend a day or half day relaxing near one of the natural wonders of the world.

The good:
Falls are beautiful. Yes, the Canadian side has a better view but the US side is still stunning.
The main lot is $5 and there's plenty of free street parking nearby. So this can be a cheap trip if you so chose.
Its clean
Lots of paths for walking and viewing the falls and rapids / river.

Bad:
You look across to the Canadian side and Clifton Hill looks like Vegas. You turn around on the American side and well, yikes.
No playgrounds. And very minimal activities for children if the usual attractions are closed.

Will I be back soon? Yes. Will I walk across the bridge to the Canadian side? Probably

There was a light snow falling when we left for Niagara Falls. The inclement weather kept the visitor level down to a very bare minimum.
It was spectacular sight to see the falls and feel its fury. The viewing area was closed and across the street was Ontario, Canada.
It would have been nice to visit the Observation deck. The deck was however closed at this time of year.
There is a small fee charged for parking. The kiosk only accepts credit cards for parking. Free WiFi.

American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls: the stars of the show here. Many many many different vista points for these falls and the falls are even worth viewing at night as they're lit up in rotating colors. The park as a whole is very clean and well-kept. The fresh air here also makes the park strolling quite satisfying.

There are a few main attractions at this park. The most popular one is the Maid of the Mist (operates both on the U.S. and Canada sides) where you ride a boat and go up real close to the falls. My favorite attraction is the Cave of the Winds; it's on the U.S. side and you pretty much get soaked as you walk some stairs to reach the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls experiencing the falls' exhilarating rainstorm-like wrath (gotta be crazy to do it haha). Both of these attractions have their own Yelp listing if you want to learn more about them.

So, I guess the real question is which side of the park do I prefer: U.S. or Canada? Hmm...overall I'd say Canada lol mainly because it has a frontal view of Horseshoe Falls (the largest falls out of the three). Just breathtaking. Not to say that the U.S. side has bad views of the falls. The U.S. side also has amazing close-up views of the rapids that lead to the falls.

Definitely a fantastic destination for a small relaxing getaway (I'd say 2-3 days is enough time to experience the majority of the park's offerings at a leisure pace.....could easily be a day trip for those who can drive here and plan to visit only one side of the park)!

Water has a long history of being attributed to many strong and positive effects - from being healing and transformative to abundance and prosperity as well as some negative and dark energies. Whatever you think about these beliefs, I know I came here for one purpose alone: to let the deafening roar of flowing water calm this deep anxiety in my heart. Water (oceans, rivers, or falls) has always done that for me and I came trusting that it would be the right amount of decibels to reshape my turmoiled heart and mind. It is, after all, the biggest waterfall by volume and width in the USA.

Here, I found my bearings again listening to the roar of water at the two falls as well as the calm moving water as I trekked down the gorge. It really was worth the visit. Just make sure to do it on a weekday as it was such a smooth and quiet experience here when visiting on a (non-holiday) Monday; far from all the horror stories I've heard from past visitors who visited on a weekend.

Was finally able to cross Niagara Falls off my buck list!

A Natural Wonder, Day and Night!
It was my dream to experience Niagara Falls in the daytime and evening. My first visit of Niagara Falls took place around 9pm, and it was an awe-inspiring experience. The illumination of the falls with colorful lights is a sight you won't forget. The combination of the illuminated falls and the starry sky creates a surreal atmosphere that's perfect for a romantic evening.

- Nightly fireworks begin at 10pm sharp.

During the day, the falls are a breathtaking sight to behold. The sheer power and beauty of the rushing water are truly mesmerizing.

The town around the falls offers plenty of dining and entertainment options - reminded me of a mini Vegas.

Niagara Falls is a must-visit destination for anyone seeking the marvels of nature. It's a place where you can connect with the power of the Earth's forces and appreciate the beauty that it can create. Truly thankful for such a beautiful experience!

After doing the Niagara City Cruises to view Niagara Falls from the Canadian side, my Zoom Tour group gave us another break to do our own thing and explore the area starting around 7pm on a Friday for a 2 hour break.

I ended up taking pictures of Niagara Falls and with Niagara Falls during that break, but my original plan was to get a few quick pictures and then head to Niagara Skywheel, Skylon Tower, and later planned to eat dinner at Fallsview Restaurant in that area. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to do my other activities, but I loved how many activities the have in this area at this Niagara Falls State Park and Clifton Hill is in this area too with lots of stores and restaurants!

The Niagara Skywheel is a huge Ferris wheel people can ride and it can be seen from far away. This area also has something called Skylon Tower which is an observation deck and that is cool if you want to view the Niagara Falls up high. They have lots of restaurants at this park too and the food was actually good!

I'd recommend visiting this park! Niagara Falls is beautiful and there's so many different activities to do there! It's also very lively if you go to the Clifton Hill area at this park.

I've always wanted to visit Niagara Falls so I'm happy to have finally visited.

I was in Canada on a holiday and only 2 hours from Niagara so this was a no-brainer...so I drove 2 hours to Niagara Falls (Canada side).

As we approached the area of the falls, there are signs for parking in a garage that went pretty seamless surprisingly. We found parking right away in the garage which is only a short walk to the falls.

I had this particular visual since I was a kid of what Niagara Falls would be like...this large intense and immense waterfall. My actual experience was quite different. As I walked up the street that lead to the Falls I thought "this is it?" Not to take anything away from this beautiful natural wonder but I was shocked to find a much smaller Niagara Falls then I ever imagined. I enjoyed myself and the beauty of the falls itself so it's still a win.

I'm glad I went and had this experience but it's not one of those experiences I'd feel the need to visit again.

The surrounding area is cool but very busy and didn't appeal to me enough to walk around.

It's one of the worlds natural wonders so it's great to check it out but it didn't give me the chills or excitement like I'd always thought it would.

Gorgeous little walk. Cave of the Winds was closed, so I was a bit off on my timing.
Also the gift shop closes quite early, so watch for that.
Got some lovely pictures to post on social.

Niagara Falls [U.S. side)

After staying on the Toronto side for 3 days the Falls definitely has better views on the Canada side but if not able to cross the border (passport required) this is the place to be to see amazing views of the Niagara Falls. The park is open year round and entrance is free. We paid $10 for parking.

Did you know that the Niagara Falls is actually made up of 3 Falls? Yes, you can view the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and the little falls in between the two is the Bridal Veil Falls. There are lots to do in the park, but most people do the Maid of the Mist boat tour which takes you up close and personal to view the three Falls. We did this on the Canada side with another boat tour... you will get wet but they provide complimentary ponchos (you'll still get wet, though, water shoes highly recommended).

The park has lots of hiking trails and picnic grounds (watch out for those Canadian geese, they are everywhere)... we didn't ride the Niagara Scenic Trolley but that's also an option to explore the park (purchase of ticket required). The Cave of the Winds is another big attraction. We took the Journey Behind the Falls on the Canada side which is similar except our tour was under the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Note that this is a timed ticketed attraction. The Cave of the Winds will view the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls which descends 175 feet into the Niagara Gorge. You will get wet but they provide ponchos.

There is a restaurant on site, also a gift shop and learn about the scientific contributions of Nikola Tesla at the Nikola Tesla Monument... there is a statue on the US side and also one on the Canada side (they are different from each other).

Add this to your bucket list! Soak in some memories and views!

Review #3019