Niagara Falls Travel Forum

My bf & I are heading to Niagara Falls (both sides most likely) this coming weekend. I'm doing research and came upon these two similar adventures:

Journey Behind the Falls and Cave of the Winds Tour

They both sound similar (taking an elevator down and walking on a boardwalk close the falls). One is on the Canada side and the other on the US side.

Have any of you been to both, or either? Which one do you recommend?

Also, any place else we shouldn't miss at Niagara? We are going on Maid of the Mist as well. We've both been to Niagara before but more than 10 years ago.

(We'll be in Toronto heading back to the US so just stopping in for about half a day).

Thanks!

Niagara-On-The-Lake is a very nice place to stroll around for a few hours.
Also ArtPark, in Lewiston ( a NY State Park) has some neat stuff to see. www.artpark.net

I have been to both the Journey Behind the Falls and Cave of the Winds tour, and prefer the Cave of the Winds. (on the New York side). This features a trip down to the decks below the American Falls, and is really spectacular. I did that trip 2 years ago. The Journey Behind the Falls (Canada Side) I did 25 years ago, and that consisted of a trip through a tunnel to look at the back of the falls.

If you're only going for half a day, grabbing lunch near the horseshoe falls, walking over to the NY side, doing the cave of the winds, and walking back should just about cover it.

Be sure to rent the movie "Niagara" before you go.

You may not have the time but I always liked the Whirlpool State Park when I lived in the area. You can hike down the gorge and see the lower rapids close up. There are 2 paths down, one by the Whirlpool, the second by Devel's hole. These rapids can be 12 feet high. Once down, you can walk along next to the river on a path that used to have a tourist railroad. I think the RR was during the 1800s but is long gone.

Most people miss Goat Island. Goat Island is the island between the NY Falls and the Horseshoe falls where you can get a close up view of the upper rapids around 3 sisters islands and a close up view of the bridal veil fall on the tiny island which makes that fall. You use to be able to park for free at the end of Goat Island away from the falls and walk to the sites I just said. I think you should still be able to.

Well, if you decide to visit Cave of the Winds, you'll be on Goat Island.

Great, thanks! I think I will go to Cave of the Winds then. The hike at Whirlpool State Park sounds fun too. I'll suggest it and if we have time we'll give it a go.

Thanks for your help. Happy 4th!

To get to the path down to the river at Whirlpool State Park (NY side), walk (short walk) from the parking lot to the edge of the gorge. Talk a look around and take some photos at the top of the gorge. Then walk north (away for the falls) along the fence. You will come to an opening in the fence where the path down is. This is all free, at least the last time I was in the area it was free.

Have fun.

We ended up not going to either Cave of the Winds or Journey into the Falls, although if we had to choose we would have done Cave of the Winds. We saw it from above and while we were on Maid of the Mist (Canadian side)...it looked like a lot of fun and you get much closer to the falls than Journey. They are both different experiences though as Journey is at the Horseshoe Falls and Caves is at the other one.

Maid of the Mist on the Canadian side was awesome!

Thanks for all your tips! :)