Niagara Falls - One of Canada’s Most Accessible Natural Wonders

How I spent 3 days at Niagara Falls and failed to get bored looking at the same waterfall

Fresh from my trip to Iceland, last Autumn, I set off to Canada to experience yet another waterfall. Unlike some of the waterfalls I saw in the geothermal wonder of a country that is Iceland, Niagara Falls is far more well known. Located on the border between Canada and the United States, the falls is considered one of the world’s natural wonders, is incredibly commercialized with its highly developed infrastructure and is ready to accommodate visitors all year round.

Flying internationally to Canada, we landed in Toronto. We initially spent a few days exploring the city, sampling the nightlife, cuisine and culture before catching a two-hour train south to the Canadian border.

I’ve already referenced the fall’s vast infrastructure to accommodate the copious amount of visitors it receives all year around. Whilst I stand by this statement, the train station you arrive in gives off the complete opposite impression. As you pull into Niagara Falls you are greeted by a single tracked station with only one platform. The tracks themselves are partially covered by overgrown, unmaintained patches of grass and the station itself appeared to be closed indefinitely with no shop in sight.

Despite initially being taken aback by the underwhelming arrival at Niagara Falls, we plowed on and booked a taxi to our hotel. With the station situated almost on top of the bridge connecting the two countries, the taxi spent no time reaching the riverfront.

From here, the taxi continued approximately ten minutes down the road running parallel with the river. A quick glance over the ledge revealed that the water was running against us which could mean only one thing, we were heading towards the falls!

Our accommodation was situated downriver from the falls which meant that when we checked in, we had still yet to see the famous waterfall. After settling in we decided to venture out, with google maps letting us know that the falls were no more than two kilometers away.

Similar to my experience visiting Dettifoss in Iceland (Europe’s most powerful waterfall), as we made our way to the falls, you could hear the cascading water before actually seeing it. After roughly ten minutes of walking, we made our way up a slight incline and there it was. Despite being over a mile away, the falls stood there in all its glory, enormous and magnificent.

As this was the first time we caught a glimpse of the falls, naturally, we spent close to thirty minutes just looking and taking photos. This first stop saw us positioned in line with the American Waterfall and Bridal Veil Waterfall, two of the three falls at Niagara.

If you’re like me, I did not appreciate that Niagara had more than one waterfall, it was only the famous Horseshoe Falls that I was aware of. What was great about this initial stopping point was the fact that we had front-row seats to view the tourists onboard the famous Maid of the Mist boat tour. As this tour was something we had planned to do later in our trip, seeing these tourists get off the boat prepared us for what was to come.

After snapping more than enough photos, we continued to make our way down the trail to the Horseshoe Falls. As we followed the path we made sure not to walk into any oncoming tourists as we looked above to see tourist after tourist zipline over our heads and towards the falls.

In all the two-kilometer walk took close to ninety minutes to complete. Why so long you might ask? One reason, photos. Every few hundred meters we would walk, we’d get a new angle of the Falls. If it wasn’t myself stopping to snap a photo it would be another member of the group. On several occasions we’d walk ahead as a group, only to find we were missing a member or two who were sporadically located along the riverside with their cameras out.

When we finally made it to the Horseshoe Falls, we were not disappointed. Similar to Dettifoss, I was completely taken aback by the sheer volume of water that was being thrown over the cliff edge. You didn’t need to see it, you could tell from the sound just how powerful and grand the falls were.

Well that’s it right? We’ve done everything we can do in Niagara Falls. It’s time to head back to that small rundown station and make our way back home.

Luckily for us, those at Niagara Falls have us covered. Unlike the more natural waterfalls I’ve seen around the world, Niagara Falls has been designed for tourists. You’ll do well to get bored or find nothing to do.

So, over the next two days, that’s exactly what we did. Feel free to tell me that I’ve fallen into the tourist traps, I don’t care. Over the next two days, we experienced the falls from the water, from behind and from the air.

Niagara From the Water

Made popular by the hit US Office, just like Pam and Jim, we put on the ridiculous ponchos and made our way upstream on the Maid of the Mist. The relatively short journey saw us travel upstream no more than a kilometer, parking at the base of the horseshoe before coming back. If you’re brave enough to get your camera out, you’ll bag some truly special photos. The whole experience of being surrounded by such high and powerful falls was truly unique. In truth we spent the entire time laughing, I think we were struggling to verbalize just how surreal the experience was.

Niagara From Behind

Having seen the falls from the water, it was now time to witness the falls from behind, this time in a new bright yellow poncho. From the Niagara Falls visitor center we booked our tickets and enjoyed the quick elevator down to river level. Once here, we proceeded to walk down a series of small tunnels. The tunnels were clearly left over from the construction on the hydropower plant as the tunnels couldn't have been much higher than six feet, something I struggled with, standing at six feet and nine inches.

The small walk through these tunnels was worth it however, as not only did they open up to behind the falls but they also led to a small observation deck. Whilst standing behind the falls you could barely hold a conversation. Being so close to the water meant you could barely hear anything, it almost wasn’t worth shouting.

What was also nice about the observation deck was the fact that it provided a similar experience to that of the Maid of the Mist. Unlike the boat tour, at the observation deck, you were kept far more dry and could actually take in the falls.

Whilst the The Maid of the Mist was an excellent experience, you were not at the base of the falls for a great period of time. Also coupled with the fact that the whole experience was rather chaotic, battling both the noise and water, it was difficult to appreciate the falls in its entirety.

The observation deck was a stark contrast to this. In total, we spent over thirty minutes at the base of the falls. We were far enough away from the falls that holding a conversation was more than doable but close enough to appreciate the magnificence of this wonder.

Niagara from the Sky

On our final day we opted for a slightly different activity. We had spent the previous two days observing countless adrenaline seekers take off from the zipwire platform. And so, in the hope to get one more unique view of the falls, we too decided to give it a go. Flying down a zipline is not something I’ve done before but I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed the 670m trip. I’ll do well to top such a scenic ride in my life.

Conclusion

In this article I’ve written a very brief overview of what I got up to in Niagara Falls. I’ve not mentioned anything about Niagara on the Lake, the restaurants, the museums and of course the fun fair — maybe something for a future article.

What I want you to take away from this article is just how easy it is to spend a weekend at Niagara Falls. Despite seeing the falls on day one of our visit, we kept going back, exploring it from all angles. If you’re in the area or are thinking of going, like I tell you in all my articles, go! You won’t regret it.

For a slightly different perspective on the area, please check out Julia A. Keirns who’s written about how the area has changed over the last few decades. Unlike me, she’s written about her visit from the American side of the border.

Anupa Jayakody also writes about her experience exploring the falls just before the winter — an absolute must-read to gain a slightly different perspective.

Niagara Falls is an absolute must for anyone who hasn’t been. There’s plenty to do and is the perfect weekend away. I’d love to hear about your similar experiences, whether that’s of the falls or further afield.