This post marks the end of my waterfall mini-series. It was fun sharing all the waterfalls we visited, but our adventures continue. We are going back to mountains and lakes starting next week. I was originally hesitant to put this particular waterfall up, because this isn't really a hike, more like a walk in a very tourist centric area. But this is the biggest and most grand waterfall I had ever seen, so it made sense to me for this waterfall to cap off the waterfall mini-series. I guess this will still technically be an adventure, but just not a "hiking" adventure. Of course, I'm talking about Niagara Falls located at the border of Canada and USA in Ontario and New York State.

We took the rental car and left Toronto early on a Saturday morning. The morning had a mild chill, but the forecast calls for another sunny and hot day. We got on the 401 and to our surprise, there was not traffic jam. I guess traveling at 7am on a Saturday morning has its benefits. The drive was quick and smooth and we reached our destination just before 9am. From the research I did online, I knew to park at the Clifton Hill Niagara Falls Parking, which offers a flat rate $30 daily parking, a decent deal for such a popular location. I fished out a $50 bill to the young man manning the parking gate and was amused by the $20 change he gave me, because the bill had "VOTE JT OUT!" written on it. It is no secret that Trudeau's popularity had been plummeting and the message on the bill confirms this reality.

This message probably resonates with many Canadians.

Another advantage to heading out early is that it is easy to find parking. We parked at a spot fairly close to the walkway leading to Clifton Hill and started to make our way down the hill towards the falls. We passed through Clifton Hill, where they built out the surrounding streets like a theme park, but it was quiet because most businesses don't open until 10am or 11am. We kept heading downhills as the sound of rushing water became louder and louder, until we were greeting with the largest waterfall we had ever seen (this was actually my third time visiting Niagara Falls, but the first time visiting with wife and kids).

Niagara Falls

I saw the signs and booths for Niagara City Cruises on the way down the hill and decided we should go on it. So, we rushed to the ticket booth and got our tickets to get on the next cruise. Because it was still relatively early, we did not have to line up for long to get onto the cruise. While walking down the long ramp, everyone was handed a thin red plastic poncho to keep themselves from getting wet. We also saw Rainbow Bridge while waiting to board the cruise. Rainbow Bridge connects USA and Canada over the Niagara River and is a border crossing. Our plan was to walk across the bridge into the USA after we finish our cruise ride.

Rainbow Bridge

Soon after the cruise was fully boarded, it started to leave dock and headed towards the waterfalls. Naturally, most tourists, including ourselves, gathered on the upper deck, while leaving the lower mostly empty. A pre-recorded program talking about the waterfalls was being played on the PA system, but the rumblings of the falling water started to cover the man's voice from the speakers as we moved closer to the falls. If I remember correctly, I think the voice was talking about how Niagara Falls is made up for three waterfalls, American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls and the amount of water that travels through each of them every year. Our destination was just in front of the Horseshoe Falls. The wind and mist got more and more intense the closer we got to Horseshoe Falls until eventually everyone's ponchos were filled with wind and everyone was wet.

Looking at American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls

Approaching Horseshoe Falls

It was quite the experience getting close to Horseshoe Falls

After the cruise ride, we took another look a this amazing waterfall from the pedestrian viewpoint before taking our walk towards Rainbow Bridge. As indicated by the signs posted, the bridge is a border crossing and we had to present documentation to cross. We already had plans to go over the border crossing when we first planned our trip, so we brought our passports along even though we would remain in Canada for the rest of this trip. Interestingly, they charge a $1 fee for each pedestrian crossing from the Canadian side and the entry is guarded by a couple turnstiles. We went through the turnstiles onto the bridge without any problems and took our time to cross into the USA.

Another look a Niagara Falls.

Heading onto Rainbow Bridge. Traffic jam at the border crossing.

$1 fee required for accessing the bridge.

Looking towards the falls on the middle of the bridge.

Holding Canadian passports, going through USA Customs was quick and easy. We exited the customs building and found that Niagara Falls State Park is very close by. We made our way to the park and found numerous people there. I guess a waterfall this big and this famous attracts numerous tourists, no matter on the Canadian or the American side. We walked towards the falls and found that the view isn't as nice as viewed from the Canadian side, but it's good to see the American's point of view. It turned out to be quite the contrast, as the Canadian side is full of commercial and business activity with a full blown theme park built just uphill of the falls, while the Americans kept the area around the falls a state park, mostly free from commercial activities.

Entering Niagara Falls State Park in USA.

Niagara Falls seen from the American side.

Same loud rumbling and water rushing.

After checking out the falls from the American side, we made our way back across Rainbow Bridge back into Canada. The kids wanted to play the overpriced mini-golf at Clifton Hill. I told them we could do so after lunch. We spent a few more hours at Clifton Hill burning money to entertain the kids until we finally had enough fun at this place and started to make our way to Niagara on the Lake to finish our day.

Check out my previous hikes: