Two Lost Boys Blog

Niagara Falls, July 2015 - A Photo Trip Report

Hello everyone,

This past weekend (18-19th July, 2015) Jon and I went to Niagara Falls, and so I wanted to share with you all of our experiences from there.

Having lived just north of Toronto a number of years ago, I had actually been to Niagara Falls numerous times (at least four times that I can recall). It was the first place that Jon and I went together when we first met, too. With our anniversary coming up, we thought it would be nice to go back to Niagara Falls as a sort-of "trip down memory lane".

Despite Google and Apple maps' best estimates of it being a six hour drive from us, with two rest stops for food and bathroom breaks, it ended up being more-or-less dead on eight hours, in both directions, from where we live. We left very early Saturday morning, to make it to Niagara Falls, Ontario, shortly after lunchtime, and departed Niagara Falls, New York, around 6pm on Sunday evening, which basically gave us two whole days in the area.

We had booked to stay at the Marriott Gateway on the Falls, which is just outside the main downtown core of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and so drive up into Canada via the Peace Bridge at Buffalo, NY. There is a toll to use the bridge - $3 in either currency, or if you have an EZ Pass (US residents), there is a lane for that, too. After entering Canada, our hotel was just a few minutes drive up the QEW (a highway that starts at the border and goes all the way to Toronto).

Once we got into a more populated area, further up the QEW, one of the first things I saw was a McDonald's, which for some reason I thought was amusing and so had to take a photo on my phone!


We arrived at our hotel before the regular check-in time, but our room was available, so we were able to drop all of our stuff right away, instead of leaving it all in the car. Although we hadn't paid extra for the falls view room, our room had a pretty good view nonetheless, and the hallway directly outside our room had an awesome view over the Horseshoe Falls, which was pretty spectacular. Overall the hotel was really nice. If you have the money to stay there, I'd recommend it. We don't usually pay as much as we did for a hotel, but like I said, this was a mini-anniversary trip, so it was a little more special. You definitely cannot beat the location of this hotel or the views from the restaurants, hallways, and about half the rooms if you stay on the falls side (which as I said, we didn't).








Whilst looking out of our hotel room window, I noticed something happening below. There was a gathering of some sort, and upon further scrutiny (and zooming of cameras), realised it was some sort of Canadian lumberjack tournament! This was pretty funny to us for a number of reasons. I used to live in Canada, and in all my time there, never once saw a lumberjack. Then last year Walt Disney World put in a new lumberjack show at the Canada pavilion, at Epcot, and it became one of those things that is almost like a myth. "Sure, Canada really holds these lumberjack shows with guys chopping large logs. Uh huh." It's something that my friends and I have joked about every time we have been to Epcot in the past year, and what was the first thing to happen upon arriving in Niagara Falls? There was a lumberjack show taking place outside our hotel. The irony was second to none.



After running downstairs to take a closer picture of the lumberjacks, we walked into town to take a trip on the Hornblower Niagara Cruise. This is the Canadian's version of the Maid of the Mist (the actual Maid of the Mist is located on the NY side); the little boats that take you into the Horseshoe Falls for an up close encounter with the Niagara River as it plummets down into the depths below (apparently the area below the falls is as deep as the falls are high! Scary huh?).










You get given a free poncho for the trip (which you can keep after, or recycle in the bins provided), but honestly, don't expect them to do much good! You will get soaked. I highly recommend you leave all valuables back at your hotel, or, as we did, bring air-tight zip lock bags to put your wallet and phone/cameras in, and keep them safely in your pockets. Make sure also to have spare clothes you can change into, and waterproof shoes (or wear Crocs/sandals). The pictures I took (above) were taken on my phone through the zip-lock bag! The force and power of the water (and wind) is so intense though, that I don't recommend anyone try to take photos, as you may lose your camera/phone, or get it wet beyond repair. The experience was really awesome though, and I think it's something you have to do at least once. For $20 each (Canadian, plus tax), it was definitely worth it. As a point of reference, both the Canadian Hornblower Cruises and the US Maid of the Mist go to exactly the same place and last more-or-less the exact same amount of time - they just board from opposite sides of the river.

After getting drenched down in the falls, we went back to our hotel to change clothes (we had also had the foresight to bring extra clothes for this very reason. Along with the zip-lock bags, we were super prepared this trip!) After we had changed, we grabbed our cameras and went back out and walked along the Niagara Parks area next to the river, taking lots of photos along the way.









From the riverside, we walked into the main downtown core of Niagara Falls and looked around some of the stores. Overall I have to say that while it's a nice place, it can be a little tacky - a definite tourist trap. There's a Hard Rock Cafe, a Rainforest Cafe, a Coca-Cola store, a Hershey store, a wax museum, the Skylon Tower (a large observation tower), Planet Hollywood - the list of touristy outlets goes on.









A word of warning to those who want to drive around Niagara Falls, parking can be a nightmare, and when you do find parking, it can be very expensive. If you are staying in a hotel, you'll more than likely have to pay for your parking there, too, but at least you can leave your car once you arrive, and walk around the rest of the time. It's worth noting though that some restaurants in the downtown core do understand this plight, and offer limited parking if you dine with them (usually two hours, or thereabouts).


As night fell, we wanted to see the falls lit up. Every night the waterfalls are lighted by gigantic projectors on the Canadian side. On select nights during the peak season there are also fireworks over the falls, but unfortunately there weren't any on Saturday night (but there was on Friday and Sunday, the nights before and after we were there. Go figure.)


The next day we had breakfast at our hotel, then packed up our things and headed for Niagara Falls, New York. The easiest way to get there is to drive over the Rainbow Bridge that connect the two towns, as seen in some of my photos above. The border crossing was smooth, and before we knew it we were back in the USA.

We wanted to explore the Niagara Falls State Park, and do a couple of the points of interest on the NY side, so we parked on Goat Island, which is inside the national park. Parking on Goat Island costs $8 (US). There are a few good vantage points on this side, including Terrapin Point and Luna Island.













One of the things that you can see from above the falls is the deck down below for the Cave of the Winds attraction, which we would be doing a little later on.


On Goat Island there is a memorial statue to the brilliant inventor Nikola Tesla, who lived in New York City for many years.






After stopping by the Tesla memorial we went down to the Cave of the Winds attraction. I found it funny that it is called the Cave of the Winds, yet there is no cave - the sign at the ticket booth even says as much (below). You take an elevator down to a deck at the base of the Bridal Veil Falls (next the American Falls) and are given a poncho and sandals to wear, and a plastic bag to store your shoes and socks in. Both the sandals and poncho are yours to keep - a relief since I was wondering if someone else had worn the sandals beforehand! When you first step out of the elevator you have to walk down a pathway to the lower part of the deck, where you can see the falls really well, but don't actually get too wet. For a few minutes while walking around down there Jon and I were wondering why we really needed the full body length ponchos, sandals or plastic bag. however, there are several sets of stairs to climb to different levels, and as we got further up, the spray was more dense, and the water was even rushing onto the deck surfaces and stairs. The final area doesn't really come into view until you get near the top of the viewing platforms, then you realise what it's all about! The final deck is called the Hurricane Deck, and boy, you really get wet! As I warned you for the boat trip into the Horseshoe Falls, I'll warn you here too - do not take any valuables with you, unless they are securely stored in air-tight plastic bags, in your pockets, under your ponchos. With our things safely stored in our zip-lock bags, tucked under numerous layers of clothing, we braved the Hurricane Deck. Wow! What an experience! You can virtually stand under the Bridal Veil Falls as they crash down! It's nothing short of thoroughly exhilarating! I don't have photos of that last part because the force of the falls was so powerful it was virtually impossible to do anything but stand there laughing like madman as the water drenched us! Highly recommended to everyone, and for $14 (US), including the poncho, sandals, entry and plastic bag, it was well worth the money!









After the Cave of the Winds, we walked into the downtown area of Niagara Falls, NY, to see what was around. I have to say, I would not suggest anyone do this. I hate to openly bash a place, but Niagara Falls, NY, is not a nice place. Given how beautiful the Canadian side is, and even how nice the state park area is of Niagara Falls, NY, the town is utterly horrible. The weird thing is, there are hotels, restaurants, casinos and attractions just like the Canadian side, but for some reason, the execution of it all is terrible. We went into the Hard Rock Cafe, and then decided that was enough of the downtown area, so we went back into the state park to see a couple more things before we had to leave for home. As a side, I thought it was funny that the two things I took photos of at either Hard Rock Cafe (on both sides of the falls) were related to Elton John! (See photo of the star on the ground, in the Canada section above.)



After visiting the Hard Rock Cafe we went back to the park to visit Three Sisters Island, which overlooks some of the rapids, then went back to our car.





Before leaving the area completely, we went to the Fashion Outlets of Niagara Falls, which is about twenty minutes by car outside of the downtown area. It isn't a bad mall overall, but the Disney Outlet store was pretty terrible, and we probably wouldn't make the effort to drive twenty minutes to go back again.




Finally, I want to mention a couple of other things about both of the Niagara Falls towns and attractions. Both the US and Canadian sides are incredibly expensive to shop and dine in. The Canadian side even imposes an actual tourist tax on everything (food, gifts, even hotels), which some places can remove from the bill if you ask nicely. Even taking out the tourist tax though, both sides of the falls are very expensive. Expect to pay $3.50 for a small bottled water or $11 for a bowl of rice (my jaw hit the floor when I saw that one on the US/NY downtown side).

If I was going to plan another trip, or help someone plan a trip, I'd definitely suggest staying on the Canadian side, as there is much more to see and do, and the Canadian side of town is much, much nicer than the US side. With that said, the US side's state park, with the Cave of the Winds, the views of the rapids and the Maid of the Mist (if you decide not to do the Hornblower on the Canadian side, that is) are worth checking out.

If you have any questions about our trip or my report, you can use the Disqus box below to post!

Have a great day,

Dan.