In case I forget the chain of events that led to being able to get this photo of me holding a bottle of Niagara water, while simultaneously being in a boat cruising on the Niagara River, I am writing it down in this blog post!
Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in the United States of America! It is always free to walk into the park and experience the falls!
Visitors walk along a scenic path beside the river, to get to the falls area.
The green cylinder is the ticket booth to start the process of purchasing tickets to ride the famous boats, Maid of the Mist (www.maidofthemist.com). I was with the Making Memories Tours group (www.MakingMemoriesTours.com) that came to New York via motorcoach, and our tickets had been purchased in advance, so we did not have a long wait in line. I had visited this state park in the past (see blog dated September 12, 2008 in the archives), but the line to purchase tickets for the boat ride was so long, and my time there was so short, I had to forego the boat ride. Hence, my excitement at the prospect of getting to cruise under the falls on this trip!
After one has their tickets, they proceed across an elevated walkway at ground level, where they wait to get onto an elevator that will carry them to the bottom of the river gorge. The photo below shows a docked Maid of the Mist boat, waiting to take on more passengers.
While I was waiting for the elevator, I snapped a photo of a glass door with the maple leaf emblem saying "All are welcome here", so that means that even the Arkansas hillbilly reflected in the glass, is welcome!
On the walkway, there is good view of bridge that spans the Niagara River, and connects the USA to Canada.
When you purchase a ticket to Maid of the Mist, it includes a "one size fits all" blue poncho, intended to keep passengers from getting completely soaked, when they are at the falls.
The front of the Poncho has the Maid of the Mist logo, noting its origins go back to 1846!
Apparently most people discard their wet raincoat after the cruise, as evidenced by the huge bags of thrown away raincoats. However, I kept mine, as did several other people in our group.
The Maid of the Mist is proudly celebrating America's 250th birthday, as seen by the painting on the top deck. The name Nikola Tesla on the side of the boat, is a reminder that all the boats in their fleet are now fully electric.
On my previous visit, I had gone down the stairs pictured in the photo below. However, there were no people on the steps this time, and I could later see that the top was closed off, with several pieces of heavy equipment apparently doing repairs at the facility.
Across the river on the Canadian side, we could see a boat full of people in pink ponchos, which is their signature color vs. the blue colors of the American side.
I was amused at this sign as I exited the Maid of the Mist area, knowing that, indeed, a ride on Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls, is a "BUCKET LIST" item for thousands around the world! In fact, these falls produce 750,000 gallon-BUCKETS PER SECOND!
As our motorcoach was driving across the bridge, I noted there was a walkway on the bridge for pedestrians, so they could say they "walked from the USA to Canada". That is exactly what several friends and I did in June, on a much longer bridge. You can read about that adventure in the archives, in a blog dated July 7, 2026, titled "International Bridge Walk Expedition!".
Once our boat made it across the bridge, it was time to go through Customs. Everyone had to get off the bus, go inside the building, then stand in line, to show their passport. While we were doing that, officials were inspecting our bus for contraband. Apparently, we all passed, because we were able to reboard the bus, in just a few minutes.
It was just a short drive to our hotel on the Canadian side of the Falls, so after I was settled into my lodging, I went outside to explore the area. Since so many of the hotels have the word "niagara" in them, I took a photo of the exact name of my hotel, with the landmark tower in the background, so I could find my way back "home" after walking around the area.
When I made my way across the street to the sidewalk above the falls, I was delighted to see there was a rainbow over the falls, so I asked another tourist admiring the sight, to take my photo with the rainbow in the background.
The photo below shows the top of Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side, as seen from the street-level of our hotel.
In case there was any doubt as to which side of the river contain the Horseshoe Falls, the Canadian flag, with its red, maple-leaf center, removed all doubt.
To get from street level, down to the level of the river, one can take a long walk, or simply pay for a ride on the funicular, that transports several people at a time, down the steep slope, to the bottom of the gorge.
The next morning, I was out as soon as it was daylight, to see what the falls looked like, in the early morning. Because of the temperature differences in the air and the water, the scene was completely obscured by mist from the falls, but the sun could be seen, peeking through, from the American side.
After my morning walk, and a nice breakfast at the hotel, we boarded the bus to go see the "Floral Clock" (www.niagaraparks.com), pictured below. It is situated close by the river, and the hands of the clock are powered by the hydroelectric energy generated at Niagara Falls. It also has Westminister chimes that ring every quarter hour.
I am very thankful I had the opportunity to visit the world famous Niagara Falls, on both the American and the Canadian sides. When our Maid of the Mist boat was next to the falls, with nothing being heard but the roar of millions of gallons of falling water, I was reminded of the Scripture verse from Revelation 1:15 that says, "The sound of Jesus is like the sound of many, many waters." Thanks to this trip, I now have a better idea of what that verse means! Needless to say, this "Bucket List" trip, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"! Tricia
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