Niagara Falls from every angle

Water. Water everywhere. Water with unimaginable power.

That is the feeling wherever you are at Niagara Falls. Almost a little surprising, because before and after the falls, the Niagara River flows calmly, at times almost leisurely, on its way from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.

But when the water thunders over the edges, it is simply magnificent.

Not a natural spectacle. A force of nature.

We tried almost every perspective on this spectacle: from America, from Canada, from platforms, steps and tunnels, from the observation tower and twice from a boat. We wore disposable rain ponchos in several colours and turned our faces into the spray.

In our Canadian hotel room, two armchairs stood side by side at the window. We sat in them, ate takeout and looked at the Horseshoe Falls.

We wanted to make the most of every possibility, every angle and every drop. That is exactly what we would do again if we returned.

Not everything around the falls is beautiful. Hotels and residential buildings stand close to the water, along with a casino, roads, car parks and a great deal of tourist infrastructure.

But who cares, as long as you keep looking towards the waterfalls?

Here are the perspectives we tried — in the order of our journey from the USA to Canada.

In brief

01 – Visit both sides.

02 – Get as close to the water as possible on the American side.

03 – Cross the border on foot once.

04 – Enjoy the broad panorama from the Canadian side.

05 – Take at least one boat trip. Two will not hurt either.

06 – Book a hotel room overlooking the Horseshoe Falls.

07 – Do not be afraid of disposable rain ponchos.

The American side

Prospect Point

Prospect Point offers the classic view of the American Falls. You stand above their eastern edge and look across the full width of the waterfall. Bridal Veil Falls and the Canadian shore are clearly visible too.

It is a good place to start and get your bearings. Afterwards, you can work your way closer to the water, step by step.

Niagara Falls Observation Tower

The observation tower extends far out over the gorge from Prospect Point. This gives it the most complete panoramic view of all three waterfalls from the American side.

Lifts also take you down to the boat landing. The view is particularly beautiful in the late afternoon and at sunset.

Maid of the Mist

The American boat trip starts below the Observation Tower. It first passes the American and Bridal Veil Falls, then enters the spray of the Horseshoe Falls.

The route differs little from the Canadian daytime tour.

Even so, there is no compelling reason not to do both.

When you are in the middle of it, the masses of water feel extraordinary every time. And after the first trip, at least you know where you would like to stand on the boat.

Cave of the Winds and Hurricane Deck

A lift takes you to the foot of the gorge. From there, wooden walkways and several platforms run below Bridal Veil Falls.

On the Hurricane Deck, some of the crashing spray hits visitors almost directly. It is the American side’s most physically immediate perspective.

Luna Island

Narrow Luna Island lies directly between the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. You stand almost at both edges at once and look down on the Cave of the Winds walkways.

Here it becomes clear that Niagara Falls is not a single waterfall. The water divides, flows past the islands and disappears over the edge a few metres later.

Terrapin Point

Terrapin Point offers the best view of the Horseshoe Falls from the American side. You stand on Goat Island, immediately beside the American end of the great brink, watching the water flow into the curve of the Horseshoe Falls.

The perspective is not quite as comprehensive as from the Canadian side. Even so, this may be the most impressive viewpoint on the US side.

Among other visits, we came here on a morning run and saw a complete rainbow over the water — genuinely the full 360 degrees.

Between the USA and Canada

Walking across Rainbow Bridge

The pedestrian crossing on the international Rainbow Bridge offers an unusually balanced view across the scene: American and Bridal Veil Falls on one side, Horseshoe Falls on the other, and below them the gorge with its sightseeing boats.

We used the bridge on our way from the USA to Canada.

Because you are crossing an international border, the usual entry formalities apply. Passports and any required entry documents should therefore not be left in your hotel room. There is no exit check on the American side, which feels a little strange if you are used to the procedure at airports.

Crossing the border on foot is a little more involved than an ordinary walk, but an experience in itself.

The Canadian side

Queen Victoria Park and Niagara Parkway

How many times did we walk along this promenade?

It is long and still remains exciting. Along the way between Clifton Hill, Murray Street and Table Rock, the perspective constantly changes: from the American Falls to the great curve of the Horseshoe Falls.

Access is free and possible at any time. During the day, a varied crowd strolls along, repeatedly stopping to marvel together. In the evening, the illumination of the falls and, depending on the date, fireworks add to it.

Table Rock — at the brink of the Horseshoe Falls

Immediately beside Table Rock Centre, you stand practically at the brink of the Horseshoe Falls.

Here, you see less of their overall shape than of the immense quantity of water plunging over the edge just a few metres away. Until shortly before the brink, the river still looks remarkably orderly.

Then all order ends.

Journey Behind the Falls

A lift descends about 38 metres through the rock. Through openings in the tunnels, you look behind the falling wall of water. Outdoor decks stand to one side at the foot of the Horseshoe Falls.

Of course you get wet.

The view from the tunnels is less spectacular than the name might suggest: mainly a white, racing wall. The outdoor decks provide the more powerful images.

Niagara Parks Power Station — The Tunnel

We came in the evening. Added to the masses of water were the lighting in the tunnel and the illuminated falls.

From the former power station, a roughly 670-metre tailrace tunnel, about 55 metres underground, leads to a platform right on the lower Niagara River. From there, you see Horseshoe Falls and American Falls from an unusually low perspective.

The exhibition and light show in the Power Station are worth seeing too.

Do pay close attention to the times, though: access to the tunnel, and therefore to the platform, closes considerably earlier than the exhibition. And do not underestimate the time needed for the lift, the tunnel and simply marvelling.

Niagara City Cruises — Voyage to the Falls

The roughly twenty-minute Canadian boat trip first passes American and Bridal Veil Falls, then enters the bowl of spray at the Horseshoe Falls.

During the day, boats take the complete “Full Mist” route. And “Full Mist” is no exaggeration. You are guaranteed to get wet.

Even if you have already taken the Maid of the Mist, it is not merely a repeat. The weather, the light, your position on the boat and the distribution of the spray change the impression. Besides, by this point we had some practice with the rain ponchos.

Skylon Tower Observation Deck

From the indoor area and the wraparound outdoor deck of the Skylon Tower, you can see all three waterfalls, their positions relative to one another, the incoming water, the cloud of spray and the gorge continuing downstream.

Only from up here do you understand the whole geography.

A telephoto lens is more useful for photographs. We went up once in the afternoon and a second time for the fireworks. There was a combined ticket costing only slightly more than a single visit.

Our hotel recommendation

On the Canadian side, we stayed at the Niagara Falls Marriott Fallsview Hotel & Spa.

We do not recommend it for its facilities. Nor for the spa. We never even saw that.

We recommend it for the view.

In our room, two armchairs stood side by side right at the window. From there, we looked out at the Horseshoe Falls. Once, we got takeout, settled into those chairs and watched the water tumble over the edge as we ate.

We could not have found a restaurant with a better view.

So what matters is not only the hotel but the room category you book: as high up as possible, with a direct view of the Horseshoe Falls.

What we did not do

A helicopter flight.

We thought it could hardly get any better. The flight is short, the organisation not inconsiderable, and we felt the time it required would have been time taken away from the falls themselves.

When you see some of the videos afterwards, though, you do begin to wonder.

Perhaps next time.

Things we would do again

We would visit both sides again.

We would walk across Rainbow Bridge again — even though this time it was almost a necessity because we were continuing to Toronto.

We would take a boat into the spray again. Probably twice.

And we would sit in two armchairs in front of a hotel window again, eat takeout and look at the Horseshoe Falls.

Because at Niagara Falls, the greatest challenge is not finding the best viewpoint. It is eventually tearing yourself away from it.