Niagara Falls in a day

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 12:00:00 -0500

Trip: Niagara Falls, NY · Sat Oct 18, 2025 · with Dan · there and back in one day, about 15 km on foot

Dan and I had been talking about Niagara for a long time, and it kept not happening. Then we realised the Maid of the Mist stops running for the season in early November, so if we wanted the boat it had to be October. We booked flights for a Saturday and decided to do the whole thing in one day.

Getting there

The flight was JetBlue at 7:30 AM out of JFK, which meant waking up at 4:30 after about three hours of sleep. The Uber left at 5:20, and then the traffic to JFK was terrible. We got there with very little time, and the last part was a proper run to the gate. We made it. The running also told me I should be exercising more than I was.

We also bought the Maid of the Mist tickets at 5:30 that morning, from the car.

Leaving JFK, a little after 7:30.

We landed in Buffalo just after nine. A 30-minute Uber took us to the town of Niagara Falls, and we were walking into the state park by ten to ten.

The Maid of the Mist

We started with the boat. They hand you a pink poncho, you get on, and it goes straight up the river towards the Horseshoe Falls.

From far away the falls look calm. Close up, it’s huge. When the boat is right in front of the Horseshoe everything around you turns white with mist and foam, and you can’t see any land at all. It felt like being in the middle of a storm at sea. We got completely drenched. My shoes were soaked through.

Heading into the Horseshoe.

I had come prepared with a spare pair of socks, and Dan had brought napkins and a plastic bag, so after the boat we sat for a bit, dried off, and I changed into dry ones. Then lunch at a South Indian and Himalayan buffet, $20 each, good value after a morning like that.

Walking the falls

After lunch we just walked. The weather was perfect: not cold, clear blue sky, and the water at the bottom of the falls was a very clear blue-green. I had my blue jacket on over a Boston sweater, which turned out to be exactly right.

At the American Falls, with the Rainbow Bridge behind.

From the observation point you see the American Falls side-on, with the Maid of the Mist boats going back and forth below, small and red.

The American Falls.

Mid-October was right for the trees too. The paths around the park were yellow, orange, green and bright red, all mixed together.

The red maple near the Cave of the Winds sign.

Canada is right there across the river, with its hotels and the Skylon Tower. We waved at it. Dan said “Hello, Canadians!” and I said “¡Hola!”, which made sense to me at the time, since we were both in a Spanish class.

Canada, across the river.

The Cave of the Winds

This was my favourite part of the day. The Cave of the Winds is a set of wooden stairs and decks built right up against the Bridal Veil Falls, the small falls next to the American Falls. We took our shoes off and put them in the bag, put on another poncho, and walked down and then up towards the water.

The stairs up to the Bridal Veil Falls.

The higher you go, the closer you are. On the top deck the water is hitting your face and your whole body, and it’s so loud you can feel it. It was really fun. With the sun out, there was a rainbow in the spray the whole time, a full, bright one.

Under the Bridal Veil Falls.

We stayed up there for a long time, getting soaked, taking photos and videos, and dancing a little in the spray.

The top deck, with the rainbow.

The Horseshoe side, and home

Later in the afternoon we walked over to see the Horseshoe Falls from the American side. By then the light was low and golden and the mist was glowing.

The Horseshoe side, late afternoon.

By the end we were both really tired. The early start caught up with us. We took an Uber back to Buffalo airport, flew out at 8:20 PM to Newark, and both of us dozed off on the way home. We were back in the city by eleven. I could have done this trip on my own, but it wouldn’t have been half as fun. I’m glad Dan and I did it together. It was a really good day.

Notes to myself

Niagara works as a day trip from New York if you fly: Buffalo is an hour away, and the falls are 30 minutes from the airport.
The Maid of the Mist closes in early November, so it’s a September or October trip.
Bring spare socks and a plastic bag. Both rides soak you.

What	Roughly
Flight JFK → Buffalo (JetBlue)	$168 each
Maid of the Mist	$30 each
Lunch buffet	$20 each
Uber, Buffalo airport → falls	$43
Lyft, Newark → home	$60