Late last summer Rusty and I decided to visit Niagara Falls as we headed west along the northern part of the US toward the west coast. I had been there back in the 1970s, and was interested in seeing how it had changed. It has become more touristy, which is to be expected, but not in a negative way! Niagara Falls State Park has lots of trails and easy walking paths that take you to all the interesting water features of the park.

The Falls were formed over 12,000 years ago during the last Ice Age. As the massive glaciers receded, the melting ice created vast bodies of water known as the Great Lakes. The combined force of these lakes, specifically Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, led to the formation of Niagara Falls. The falls themselves consist of three sections: the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls, and the Bridal Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls, named after its distinctive shape, is the largest and most impressive of the three. The falls’ tremendous power and beauty make it a sight to behold!

We decided to spend two days visiting the Falls, using the town’s local Walmart as our base camp, which is only a few miles away and offers its parking lot to RVers and camper vans. The first day we spent walking all the trails and paths. Besides the three main falls, the other water features of the park are really quite beautiful including Terrapin Point, Goat Island, and the Niagara River. You can walk across a bridge to the Canadian side if you wish. (We didn’t do that) and there’s even a hiking trail that takes hikers to the base of the Falls.

On the second day we bought tickets to the Maid of the Mist, a boat that takes tourists to the bottom of the Falls. The lines to the boats were long, but they moved quickly, and before we knew it, we were shouldering our way to a railing near the front of the boat, wearing the obligatory Maid of the Mist rain ponchos. The boat took us from Prospect Point in the state park on a 20-minute tour to the front of the American Falls and into the basin of the Horseshoe Falls. There were a lot of oohs and aahs from passengers, and yes, we all got quite wet. But it was exciting to see the power of water, up close and personal like that.

The City of Niagara Falls is home to a large population of Southeast Asian immigrants, so if you like Indian food you’re sure to find a restaurant you’ll like. We had lunch at a family-style buffet Indian restaurant that was delicious! We also enjoyed touring the souvenir shops and the visitor center.

Rusty and I had a great two days in Niagara Falls, and it was just enough to see everything before continuing on our way west. By the way, Niagara Falls is the oldest state park in the country and it’s open 365 days and year, 24-hours a day! If you go, be sure to check out the lighted Falls at night!

P.S. There’s a great History Channel episode on the formation of the Great Lakes and Niagara Falls on YouTube. Very interesting and informative! The link is https://youtu.be/wztD2yxuyhI?si=SV6IhcYWzovcRrCx.