Niagara Falls Part 2 of 3 Series

Niagara Falls can be best viewed through Maid of the Mist especially if you cannot travel to Canada ( Remember that you might need a Canadian visa and it is a good idea to look into all immigration details before planning to travel to Canada for a great view of the Horseshoe falls).  The best time would be early morning to avoid long lines and crowds. Though the first boat departs at 9 AM, people will start queuing up as early as  730 AM. Staying at a hotel closer to the falls helped us take the 10 minute walk and stand in the line by 815 AM by which it was already getting filled faster.  If you have already purchased a discovery pass or planning to buy a Maid of the Mist ticket, stand in the line. Once you get closer to the counters, the park agents will direct you to a counter where you will turn in your  maid of the mist tabs from your discovery passes and collect the white colored tickets. Optionally, you could also buy the white tickets there for the maid of the mist. Then, you will take the stairs to the deck and stand in line to get into the elevator that takes you down to boarding area of Maid of the mist. To your left is a walkway for Observation tower. You will get a chance to look around and take in the panoramic view of all the 3 falls from the deck on your way back. For now, just stand in the line and proceed ahead to Maid of the mist. Once you are down the elevator, you will find strollers parking area to your left. Then  walk through a tent where they hand the blue Maid of the mist ponchos. Once you stand in the line waiting for the boats, you will have ample time to wear the ponchos. Once we boarded the double decked boat, we headed upstairs and stood in the front which I guess is a perfect place to take in the falls. There is going to be a lot of mist as you pass the American falls and Bridal Veil falls. The breathtaking moment is the  horseshoe falls.  We felt the cold water spritz hitting our face surrounded by the falls to our left, right and front views ( They stop the boat for a few minutes  at the base of the horseshoe falls) and the gray sky blended completely with the falling white waters diminishing the difference between sky and land.  This would be great moments to capture but be careful that your cameras/devices doesn’t get damp in the water spray.  It is better to take any medicine ahead if you think you will be seasick to the mild sways of the boat when they stop it for few minutes at the horseshoe falls.

Horshoe falls from Maid of the Mist

 There are limited number of restrooms located closer to where you will board the Elevator back to the top of the observation tower. There are also some seating benches available. You will notice stairs leading to the falls right next from this restrooms.  If you are in for a nice walk, you can take the stairs that will lead you to side of the American falls. You will hear the water thundering and can get totally drenched in the Falls sprays! It would be a nice idea to get dressed in swim shorts earlier to stay comfortable if you plan to visit this as well. Also, your feet and shoes might likely get wet and you might find mini water pools on the ground.

Tip: If you are travelling with lot of your family members who might opt to choose out of Maid of the Mist or these Falls view walk, you could all get down the elevator till the boarding point and wait at the seating benches taking turns to visit places of your choice.