Most pictures of Niagara Falls are taken from the Canadian side. And when most people think of visiting Niagara Falls, they are thinking of visiting the Canadian side. That was our thought too, so we thought about skipping Niagara altogether since we don’t have current passports.
But, since we were already driving along I-90 and would be passing through Buffalo, we decided we might as well stop for a day visit to the American side of the falls.
It was spectacular! Having been to the Canadian side before, we can now say that we much prefer the American side.
- You get to visit Niagara Falls State Park, the oldest state park in the USA.
- There’s adequate parking, even for RV’s, at the state park.
- There are plenty of hiking trails along the river and near the falls.
- You get to be right there next to the falls. It’s up close and personal.
- There’s the Cave of the Winds, the Maid of the Mist, the Niagara Gorge Discovery Center, an Observation Tower, the Niagara Aquarium, and more.
- It’s not crowded and doesn’t feel like visiting the Las Vegas Strip.
Some of the tours are pricey, so we didn’t do everything. We spent some time in the Visitor Center, which is free and we ended up paying for the Cave of the Winds, which was fairly inexpensive since we were early in the season and the full tour wasn’t open. The Cave of the Winds tour takes you down a 175 foot elevator to the base of the American and Bridal Veil Falls.
Travel Tips
There is RV parking in Lot 3 (map) at Niagara Falls State Park. It was free when we went, but they might charge a small day fee during the summer. It’s about a half mile walk from the RV parking to the observation areas.
