Niagara Falls State Park, New York

Niagara Falls: [July 2007] Niagara Falls, the quintessential American/Canadian tourist attraction, is the perfect place to spend a day enjoying some great urban hiking—miles of paved walking paths allow hikers to gain access to spectacular views on both the American and Canadian side of the falls. Niagara Falls, truly an international star, is a set of three massive waterfalls located on the Niagara River—the falls actually straddle the border separating the U. S. state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario. Niagara Falls is comprised of Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls (including Bridal Veil Falls)—Horseshoe Falls, located almost entirely on the Canadian side, is the larger of the two at over 2,000 feet wide and nearly 180 feet high, the smaller American Falls drop 110 feet to the jumbled rocks below and span approximately 1000 feet. The smallest falls, Bridal Veil Falls, is also located on the American side, separated from the American Falls by Luna Island. Views of the falls from the American side offer more of an up-close perspective, usually from right above the falls, whereas the views from Canada provide more wide-sweeping vistas. Thanks to the Rainbow Bridge, a steel arch bridge accessible to pedestrians that allows hikers to cross back and forth between these two great nations, you can enjoy the parks on either side of the border by foot. Trails found within Niagara Falls State Park, on the American side, provide access to attractions such as Prospect Point Park, which also features the Prospect Point Observation Tower and a boat dock for the Maid of the Mist. In addition, we walked across the bridge above the American Falls to Goat Island, where you can experience Bridal Veil Falls from below via the Cave of the Winds tour. Across the border in Canada, Queen Victoria Park features incredible views of both the American and Horseshoe Falls. The three of us covered several miles within the two parks on a beautiful July day, taking in as many of the tours as possible. We also visited the parks the night before, in order to view the falls lit up by the famous colorful light show. A word of advice, the lights turn off at midnight during the summer—something I didn’t realize until we had hiked clear across the Rainbow Bridge to Canada—I sat up my tripod across from the American Falls in Canada, snapped one picture, and then out went the lights. No shots of Horseshoe Falls lit up for me! The next morning, we arrived early in order to beat the crowds. We hiked to Prospect Point where we admired the falls complete with a rainbow before heading to the Upper Niagara River Rapids. After viewing the rapids, we purchased tickets for the Maid of the Mist, got drenched beneath the falls spray and then made our way to Goat Island via the pedestrian bridge, where we then booked the Cave of the Winds Tour. After our second drenching, we explored the park and its many views before crossing the Rainbow Bridge for a second time to take in the spectacular views on the Canadian side. We had a wonderful day touring Niagara Falls, despite the crowds, and we highly recommend this urban hike.