These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
As one of the most iconic natural wonders in the world, Niagara Falls is a place you must visit at least once in your life. There is something breathtaking about the crashing water over the falls, an awe-inspiring display of the power of Mother Nature. The thundering water is so powerful that it creates a perpetual mist around the falls, enough so that we can see it from miles away. On sunny days, beautiful rainbows rise out of the mist. It was quite an enchanting experience.
For over 200 years, Niagara Falls has been a popular tourist destination. Even after all these years, it is still one of the most impressive places on Earth to visit. After spending a lot of time and researching, we put together a complete guide, which has everything you need to know about Niagara Falls. With this, you can maximize your visit to this iconic place.
If this is your first time visiting Niagara Falls, you’ll need to know that Niagara Falls is located along the Niagara River, bordering Ontario, Canada, and New York, United States. Niagara Falls comprises 3 main waterfalls, American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls. American and Bridal Veil Falls are on the American side, with the biggest waterfalls. Horseshoe Falls is located on the Canadian side.
The closest city to Niagara Falls on the American side is Buffalo, NY, about 20 miles away. In Canada, the closest cities are Hamilton and Mississauga, with Toronto being the biggest city.
Yes! If you are an American citizen, you are required to show your passport at the border crossing if you want to cross over the Canadian side of the Niagara River. The closest bridge crossing is the Rainbow International Bridge.
Since Niagara Falls straddles both Canada and America, the biggest question for first-time visitors is which side of Niagara Falls is better.
If you’re interested in sightseeing and attractions, the Canadian side of Niagara Falls is your better choice. On this side of the falls, there are many unique tourist attractions as well as hotels and casinos nearby. You’ll also get a better view of all the waterfalls and the Niagara River. The Canadian side of Niagara Falls resembles an amusement park, with a mix of entertainment venues and leisurely outdoor spaces.
If you want more outdoor recreation and nature activities, the American side of Niagara Falls offers more to choose from. While you won’t have a comprehensive view of the waterfalls as you would get from the Canadian side, you’ll have a more intimate experience here. Only from the American side, can you get up close and personal with the crashing water, either from multiple viewpoints or from the Cave of the Winds attraction.
While we recommend visiting both sides of Niagara Falls, there are plenty of things to do on either side if you can only visit one side of the falls. Each side has its own charm so you’ll have a blast regardless.
Niagara Falls is one of the places that is worth the visit year-round. However, depending on what you want to do, one season might be better than the other.
In the Spring, it is less crowded. Hotels are also cheaper. However, some of the attractions might still be closed, including the Maid of the Mist and the Niagara City Cruises. The weather is also unpredictable.
During the summer, all of the attractions are open and stay open later in the day. Don’t forget the nightly illumination and the seasonal fireworks. However, Summer is a busy tourist season so expect longer lines and expensive accommodations. It can also get very hot.
Fall is our favorite season to visit Niagara Falls. Not only it is less crowded, but most of the attractions are still open. And the fall colors here are gorgeous. We would come back for the fall foliage alone.
Wintertime in Niagara Falls is a magical place, even when many of the attractions are closed. There is something unique about the way the falls freeze over. It is an enchanting sight.
The easiest way to get in and around Niagara Falls is by car. With a car, you can visit both sides of the Niagara Falls. Keep in mind, that parking isn’t free on either side of Niagara Falls. For parking info on the American side, click here. For parking info on the Canadian side, click here.
If you don’t feel like driving and looking for parking, there are a few public transportation options. In Canada, WEGO offers a comprehensive shuttle service that covers all the key attractions in Niagara Falls. You can purchase a 24-hour or 48-hour WEGO pass for reasonable prices. On the American side, there is the free Discover Niagara Shuttle. The shuttle only opens from Memorial Day to mid-October. If you’re planning to take the shuttle, make sure to budget your waiting time.
We recommend spending at least 2 days in Niagara Falls, 1 day on the American side and 1 day on the Canadian side. There is a lot to see and do around here so with 2 full days, you’ll get a full experience of what Niagara Falls is about.
This attraction gets you directly behind the Horseshoe Falls, the largest falls out of the 3 waterfalls in Niagara Falls. It is an unforgettable way to experience Niagara Falls up close and to appreciate its incredible force and beauty.
One of the best ways to experience Niagara Falls is by taking a boat. From the Canadian side, you can take the Niagara City Cruises while the Maid of the Mist services the American side. This is one of our favorite activities to do here in Niagara Falls. The boat takes you up close to the Horseshoe Falls. It was an awesome, one-of-a-kind experience to be in the middle of these powerful waterfalls.
For adrenaline lovers, we recommend doing the zipline to the falls. It is located within the Grandview Market Place the bottom of Clifton Hill. This is a super fun way to see the beautiful Niagara River and the waterfalls. The view is exceptional in the fall by the way.
This is a historic cable car that crosses over the beautiful teal waters of the Niagara River. You’ll be looking down at the spectacular views of the swirling Niagara Whirlpool from 3,500 ft across the Niagara Gorge.
Known as the “Street of Fun,” Clifton Hill is such a quirky little area. This whole street is full of bizarre attractions and themed restaurants. It caught us off guard as we wandered off the post-card-worthy scenery along the Niagara River. If you have kids, they’ll love this place. Even without children, we had a blast just looking at all the unique buildings and decorations. This is also home to the SkyWheel, a 165ft tall Ferris wheel. This is a cool spot to see Niagara Falls and its surroundings at night.
Niagara Falls at night is a whole different vibe. Every night of the year, Niagara Falls lights up with colorful lights. The waterfalls make such a wonderful canvas to showcase the rotating lights. It is such an awesome sight to see.
From mid-May to mid-October, there are also fireworks displayed at 10:00 pm, directly in front of the American Falls, over the Niagara River. The best place to view the Fireworks over the Falls is from Queen Victoria Park in Canada, or Prospect Point Park in the USA.
This is a short stop if you’re traveling through Niagara Falls. It is located along the scenic Niagara Parkway, toward Niagara on the lake. The face of this Floral Clock is about 40ft in diameter and is changed twice a year. It is really beautiful. We recommend making this quick stop.
As the newest attraction in the area, the historic Niagara Parks Power Station has many interactive exhibits that kids really enjoy. The highlight of this attraction is the glass-paneled elevator, descending 180ft and the 2,200ft long tunnel, leading to an observation deck at the river’s edge. This observation deck has an amazing view of the Falls. If you visit at night, you can also experience the Currents Sound and Light Show. The Falls are lit up in the evening. It was spectacular.
This White Water walk stretches along the magnificent Niagara River. Although the walk is not very long, it is packed with gorgeous views of the rapids. The sound of the rushing water is quite peaceful as you strolled along the well-maintained boardwalk. This is one of the few places that you can get a close up views of the raw power of the Niagara River’s Class 6 whitewater rapids.
Just a short drive north of the Falls on the Niagara Parkway, the Whirlpool Adventure Course is a fun and thrilling experience of suspended obstacles and zip lines in the midst of nature. There are 3 self-paced courses that you can choose from. They also have a kids course and an extreme course, so there is something for all skill and adventure levels.
The equivalent of the Niagara City Cruises from the Canadian side, the Maid of the Mist departs from the American side of Niagara Falls. It has the same route as the Niagara City Cruises, stopping at the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls before heading toward the middle of the Horseshoe Falls. If you want to compare the differences between the two cruise companies, you can check out our blog here.
This observation tower is located right next to the Maid of the Mist. If you have a ticket for Maid of the Mist, the Observation Tower is included. It is a cool viewpoint where you’ll get a unique, birds-eye view of the waterfalls and Niagara River below.
Cave of the Winds is our favorite thing to do in Niagara Falls. It is because we love how close and personal we can get to the crashing water of Niagara Falls. The Hurricane Deck is one heck of an experience. There is nothing really to prepare you for that staggering power of waterfalls, thundering down below.
Luna Island is a small island situated between the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. This spot offers a unique vantage point of the falls. To get here, you can take a short walk from Goat Island. Luna Island has several viewing platforms that allow visitors to get very close to the cascading waterfalls.
This is another one of our favorite viewpoints in Niagara Falls. This is the best place to see Horseshoe Falls on the American side. It was pretty crazy to stand right next to the rushing water as it crashed over the edge of one of the largest waterfalls in the world.
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These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
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Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of Live That Adventure. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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