Note that the trip cost includes food, lodging (for one night), toll, gas, tickets at the state park (parking and other activities) for one person.
Niagara Falls is a natural wonder that each of us should visit. Situated on northern side of New York, it falls on the border of US and Canada and in between, two of the Great lakes of the US - Lake Ontario & Lake Erie.
For most of the states on the east coast of US, the drive to Niagara Falls is within 8 hours and a well-planned weekend trip can comfortably cover it. So, in April of 2024, while my parents were in the States, we decided to take a weekend trip to the grand Niagara Falls.
We started our day early on a Saturday, since the drive from New Jersey to Niagara takes about 6 to 6.5 hours. The drive is exceptionally beautiful, especially in the early spring months with the brilliant blue sky and the greens along the sides of the highway.
It takes about 4 to 5 hours at minimum to completely explore Niagara. So, there are two ways to go about it -
Option 1
Do, one of the activities like 'Maid of the Mist' or 'Cave of Winds' on the day of your arrival and the leave the rest, for the next day
Option 2
This might be a stretch for some, but this is what we did. We explored the state park completely on Saturday and had a booking in a nearby hotel for the night, so we did not have to rush through out check-out the next day while also driving back to NJ
So, we made a coffee stop right before reaching the Niagara state park, just to stretch our legs a bit before we officially started on with the trip and overshot our step goals for the day :P
Upon arrival, the first thing to do is to look for a parking slot. It is usually extremely busy on weekends and holiday season. So you may have hard time finding a free parking slot, although there are loads available on the paid parking. The paid parking charges anywhere between $10 - $30 for 24hours, depending on the parking slot.
The first thing we did, was to go for 'Maid of the Mist' boat ride. This boat ride, departing every 30minutes, is an absolute must because you get to see a close-up of all the three waterfalls. The ticket prices are $28 per adult and its is so well managed, that you hardly have to wait for your turn on the boat. They also provide you with a blue raincoat on the US side (and pink on the Canadian side), which I think does the best to avoid you from getting fully drenched.
Once, on the boat, all you have to do, is to grab a spot closer to the rim, get a good hold of your phone (because mind you, it gets super windy and foggy closer to the falls) and awe in the grandeur of the Niagara Falls.
The ride first takes you along the smaller 'American Falls' and 'Bridal Veil Falls', both of which seem humongous until you reach the 'Horseshoe Falls'. The boats get as close as possible to the 'Horseshoe falls' where you can actually feel the powerful mist sprays from the falls, with almost 90% of the Niagara river making it's way down through this fall.
After the exhilarating experience, you can walk around a bit in the park. Here are some amazing spots to picnic, have lunch, while enjoying the view of the falls -
Closer to the Horseshoe falls, this vantage point gets you closer to the thunderous roar and misty spray of Niagara's most majestic waterfall
This point is famous for offering the stunning panoramic views of Niagara Falls
Located on the US side, both of these islands provide some of the most sought after viewpoints of the falls.
Next, we made our way to the other side of the state park, over to the 'Cave of the Winds'. Its one thing to see the waterfalls from up close, but its overwhelming to actually feel the powerful falls. That's what you experience in 'Cave of Winds'. The tickets can be purchased on the spot and cost about $21 per adult. A batch of people go in every 30-40mins and there is no limitation on, till when you can stay.
Upon entering, you spent the initial 10mins to explore the history of Niagara Falls via a short film. It's encouraging to see how people from early 1900s were so environmentally aware that they found a movement to preserve the natural beauty of the falls. You also get yellow raincoats to cover yourself, which does very little to help because you will be literally standing at the foot of the falls.
I read in some blogs that you will also be provided with water slippers but that wasn't the case for us. So, I would suggest to carry an extra pair of slippers if you plan to do 'Cave of the Winds', else you will end up spending your rest of the day drying your walking shoes like we did :D
Once in, you can stay as long as you can (until they close up) and enjoy getting drenched in the waterfall directly. There are wooden barracks all over, so you won't have problem navigating around the upper and lower decks. There is water everywhere, so be very careful while taking your phones out for pictures.
By the time you are out, you will be very tired, so I would suggest to take it slow. Soak in all the beauty of these massive falls in the time that you have. You could also stay post the dusk when there is a light show on the falls. We were all exhausted from the water activities by this point, hence we decided to call it a day and skip the light show.
That summed up our amazing experience of the Niagara Falls. Do share your story and experience in the comments.
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