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Niagara Falls is a magnificent natural wonder that attracts millions of visitors every year. If you're planning a trip to Niagara Falls, it's essential to understand the best time to visit to make the most of your experience. Whether you want to witness the power of the falls, enjoy seasonal attractions, or embrace the beauty of the changing seasons, there is a perfect time for everyone to visit. Let's explore the different seasons and what they have to offer at Niagara Falls.
Niagara by the Season:
Visiting Niagara Falls in Spring
Springtime brings new life to Niagara Falls, with blooming flowers and the return of wildlife. It is the perfect time to witness the falls' raw power as the winter snow melts, creating a thunderous show of cascading water.
Summer Weather at the Falls
Summer in Niagara Falls brings warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine. It's the perfect time to enjoy outdoor activities and witness the falls in all their glory. However, it can get crowded, so planning in advance and arriving early can help you beat the crowds and fully enjoy your visit.
Autumn at Niagara Falls
Autumn transforms Niagara Falls into a breathtaking canvas of vibrant colors. The changing leaves create a stunning backdrop for the already majestic falls, making it a favorite time for photographers and nature enthusiasts.
Niagara Falls in Winter
Winter transforms Niagara Falls into a magical wonderland, with ice formations and breathtaking scenery. While the weather might be cold, the experience is worth braving the chilly temperatures.
This is Our Autumn Travel Guide of Niagara Falls
We had credits with Southwest Airlines that we had to use before the end of October, we had booked a flight to go to Texas before COVID but when things started to shut down we had cancelled. Southwest had let us keep the credits while COVID was going on but earlier this year we received notification that we have to use our credit otherwise we lose it. We knew we already had a couple of trips planned so we pushed out as far as we can. We did not have many days off so we cannot take off for too long. With these as our criteria we decided to visit Niagara Falls. There is not much to do there that we can see and we can probably see what we want to see in 3 days. We took off Thursday and Friday and planned on coming back Sunday.
Arriving at Niagara Falls
We had read that the Canadian side was nicer so after booking our flight we picked Marriott on the Falls in Ontario.
Our flight options were limited so the flight we had leaving St. Louis leaves at 5:40 am. We woke up around 3 am had coffee and away we go. We were a little late getting to the airport and by the time we got to our gate they were already boarding our group. We had a stop at Maryland and then we flew to Buffalo
When we got to our hotel our room was not ready so we left our luggage at the hotel and we grabbed lunch at the Stacked Pancake and Breakfast house which has the best Nutella Oreo Waffles that I have ever had. I would have taken a picture but I was too hungry.
We went back to our hotel and our room was still not ready... getting mildly annoyed at this point but Kevin was able to reel me back and told me we could explore while we waited.
Our first stop was the Journey Behind the Falls. It is on the Canadian side so we did not have to cross the border. Full disclosure on this attraction was be prepared to get wet.
There were multiple observation decks in the park so it is not like you have to go behind the falls to appreciate it. Honestly, the “Journey” wasn’t all that spectacular. Probably the closest you can get to the falls without dying but that is it. Although they provide a disposable poncho... there is nothing that can prevent you from getting wet if that is what you are going for. The force and current of the falls is so great the water is just getting to you no matter what.
Also, if you are chatty... slight problem for you, it is loud, you would not be able to get a word in, your companions might be relieved though. Here is a preview of how loud the falls is...
We still had time so we went to check out The Tunnel at the Niagara Parks Power Station. It is a fairly new attraction. It provides another view of the Niagara Falls, still on the Canada side. The Tunnel was 2,200 feet long so it is a bit of a walk to get to the end..
Like I said... it provides a different view of the falls. A view where you are not going to get wet... much... just a mist. I might already be wet and just couldn't feel getting more wet.
After all of that, we went back to the hotel to check on our room but it still was not ready. It was annoying especially they had an option to "check-in" via the mobile app. When we finally got to the room though room was nice.. although there is a random bathtub in the middle of the room. It is good for holding luggages though
When we went back to the hotel our room was not ready. I was getting annoyed at this point because I even did an online check-in the day before to let them know the time I am coming, came at noon, and 4 hours after my room is still not ready?! Come on! Also, I dropped my phone and my screen died. It did not crack, it just slowly died
We had a quick nap and then we were off to dinner at the Blind Pig. We also went to Walmart to get some HDMI cable so we can watch some shows we had downloaded at Amazon Prime because our hotel did not have any streaming service, just pay per view… lame.
Niagara Falls Tour
This is the main event of our trip here in Niagara Falls. We had booked a tour with Over the Falls Tour and they had picked us up at the hotel at 9 am. Our tour guide was Nick and he was awesome. Cheerful, knowledgeable, and had some jokes.
We were the first one that got picked up, we had stopped by a couple of other hotels to pick up other passengers that would be part of our tour.
Our tour guide Nick was coming in too hot because our first stop was the Maid of the Mist, which is I thought would be last. You are going to get wet. Do you really want to go through the entire tour wet? But he said that in terms of logistics that is the easiest. The way they had organized the tour is that all US sites are first because we went from Canada, then crossed the border to the US to pick up passengers. Since we are already in the US we do US sites, then cross the border to Canada. So off to the Maid of the Mist, we go.
Let me wrap myself up in the poncho, which would only partially help
Right off the bat, the thing was cold! I was not even on the boat yet and I was already cold let alone if I got wet. I bought my point-and-shoot camera for the trip because I did not want my main camera to be water-damaged. If my point-and-shoot got damaged, I wouldn’t be heartbroken.
The experience was fun. It was indeed cold and wet. The mist, the wind that the waterfall generates and the sound just makes for an overall exhilarating experience. I took a couple of pictures but since the wind was so strong I put my camera away so I can hold on to the boat rails. Kevin was holding me so I wouldn’t tip over but there is no picture that is worth getting injured for, or worse thrown off the boat.
Nick told us to hold on to our ponchos because we would need it at Cave of the Winds. He said they have ponchos but it is not as good as the ones we got from Maid of the Mist.
The views from the Niagara State Park was still fantastic even though they said that the Canadian side had nicer views.
There is a hurricane deck in the cave of the winds which, I am not sure it does feel like a hurricane, I certainly won’t be testing that by chasing hurricanes but it was intense. I felt that it would blow me over the deck. Again we did get wet but we held on to our ponchos. I even had Kevin tie the arms of my poncho behind me like a straight jacket and just held my arms in because I did not want to get wet.
Kevin on his way to the Hurricane Deck of the Cave of the Winds
That was the last site we had “getting wet” After that we mostly stayed dry. We then crossed back to Canada. This was an entirely different experience than crossing the US. When we crossed the US border it felt like we were inconveniencing them by crossing… like they were not expecting “company” and we should have called ahead. Crossing Canada is just getting off the bus checking your passport and getting on the bus again
We had lunch at a food court with an attached souvenir store. It was by the White Water Walk which was unfortunately closed because of maintenance.
Our next stop was Ontario’s Sir Adam Beck Plant Plant which is adjacent to the USA’s Niagara Falls Power Plant. Our tour guide pointed out where the Niagara had started a long time ago.
He then took us to the “whirlpool”. The Niagara Whirlpool is a natural whirlpool within the Niagara River located along the Canada–U.S. border between New York and Ontario. The whirlpool is in the Niagara Gorge, downstream from Niagara Falls. The whirlpool's greatest depth is 125 feet. Interesting that someone thought that they could swim this gorge. It is a pretty view though.
After that, we went back to the viewing deck of the Journey of Niagara for some more falls viewing then off we went to Skylon Tower.
Skylon Tower is an observation deck that also has a restaurant. The tower offers 360 of the city. It was pretty cool and pretty windy. We chose to not spend a lot of time in the tower because after looking at the falls there isn’t really much to see so even though there is a 360 view…. Only 180 is interesting.
After the tour, he dropped us off back to our hotel. We hopped onto the car and started to find places where I could get my phone repaired. It was rough looking for a place that would repair my phone at the cost of another phone. We eventually found one for about $160 CAD. It doesn’t look the same anymore, the graphics are all wrong. Anyway, that was that.
We took a nap once we are back at the hotel and decided on Vietnamese for dinner. We went to Pho Xyclo. It was kind of a different concept restaurant. You do not have to interact with the server at all. First, they seated us, then they gave us a menu with what looks like what the servers used to write down orders. We did not know what to do with it initially and figured it is probably to write down our orders. Then someone dropped on a pitcher of water. In our table were napkin dispensers, a bunch of chopsticks, soup spoons, a bunch of sauces, and a bin full of ramekins for sauces. We wrote down our order, someone picked it up and that is how we got our food. The food was good considering more of Niagara seems to be touristy.
Chill Day
Today was a chill day before traveling. We left a day just in case there were attractions that we had missed out.
The Niagara Park was a tram down so we took the Falls Incline Railway to the park.
I started the day with a run along the waterfalls. Kevin walked while I ran. The walking trails was initially busy but it eventually thins out as I go further. I like running as a way to explore an area when I am traveling so it was nice to get some run in and at the same time explore the area on foot.
We went back to the hotel after my run and we ate our leftover Vietnamese. There was a microwave in the lobby and some tables. Saved us some money just eating leftovers.
We went across the border back to NY to go to the Whirlpool Gorge, or the Gorge Trail which can be accessed from the Whirlpool State Park.
It was 3.5 miles and goes down to the Whirlpool. It might have been an easy hike but I do not have the footwear for this endeavor. Even though it was a fairly short hike, my feet ached and I did not feel like the payoff of seeing the whirlpool up close and the class 6 rapids was worth it.
To compensate for this activity we felt that we deserved some donuts so we had stopped by Country Donuts and More. They had all sorts of donuts and lunch items like soups and sandwiches. The donuts were good. We got 2 each… because our feet was achy.
We went back to the hotel… for a nap again.
For our last night, we decided to try out the Watermark at the Hilton restaurant that our tour guide Nick had recommended. The food was decent. They had a pre-fixed menu of choosing 3, a starter, an entree and a dessert. I had a calamari and steak with cheesecake crème brûlée for dessert. Kevin had fish cakes with steak and he had chocolate cake for his dessert.
We planned on walking down to the falls again but after dinner, we decided we’ve had enough and went back to our hotel. We have an early flight anyway with a border crossing so we have to give ourselves plenty of time.
Overall, our Niagara adventure was a lot of fun. The tour guide and the weather being perfect made a world of a difference. So when is the best time to visit Niagara Falls? When you are free of course!!! But in my opinion, autumn is perfect. Autumn provides thinner crowds, shorter lines if at all and the autumn colors are also naturally beautiful. It is cold for sure but it is a good trade-off for not being around so many people.
Hope you enjoyed going reminiscing about our trip. I hope our Autumn Travel Guide inspires you to visit Niagara Falls
TTYL!
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