Niagra Parkway
Niagra Parkway
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
174 reviews
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Zain A
Farmington, MI1 contribution
Aug 2022 • Family
Overall I had a great experience at Niagra Falls. The park and clifton hills amusement park with Skywheel and Speedway Go karts were really great experience for the kids. The is an array of good restaurants right on clifton hill. The parking is a bit of a challenge but there are many $20 to $30 all day parking lots. If you don't mind walking you can pay less or take the pass for wego Bus. I didn't do that but will try next time. The locals and some park attendants were somewhat not too thrilled with all the tourists and will not hesitate to show their true feelings. But it's tourist based city so a little bit of respect and equality for tourists of all shades would go a long way. And the restaurants are very pricey but that's true for Overall Canada for an American tourists.
Written August 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AndyGrewal
Berlin, Germany5 contributions
Sep 2022 • Family
It's a beautiful walk down and there are no shops in between as such keep a water bottle and few snacks. We covered the off road path in a bike, and tracked the remaining path. There's wildlife in this region so don't travel alone. Go in a group and try to follow the existing hiking paths don't go aside.
Written July 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MaraFromToronto
Toronto, Canada3,543 contributions
Aug 2020
We love this drive from the Falls to Niagara On The Lake. It is so beautiful, looking at the Niagara River most of the way, and with reasonable speed limits, it is super relaxing. We like stopping here and there for a picnic, or just to sit and look out at the amazing view.
Written August 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Victoria L
22 contributions
Jun 2022
This pathway was far longer than I expected and the gardens were manicured in a beautiful way. Where as the USA side had more of the naturalist look (lovely too), the landscapes here were exquisitely maintained and had a flair of European elegance. The views of the Falls we all encompassing and up close and personal in many cases....Awesome.
Written June 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James D
8 contributions
Jul 2020
We cycled from NOTL to the Falls and back again, around 50km.
The vast majority of the trail is cycle friendly - just the last few km in Niagara was on the road.
There are many sights to stop and see; Sir Isaac Brocks memorial, Queenston Heights, the Whirlpool and Sir Adam Becks Hydroelectric generating plant to name but a few.
There were several toilet / water area with many scenic lookout points. The trail also included several bike tool / air pump stations.
The vast majority of the trail is cycle friendly - just the last few km in Niagara was on the road.
There are many sights to stop and see; Sir Isaac Brocks memorial, Queenston Heights, the Whirlpool and Sir Adam Becks Hydroelectric generating plant to name but a few.
There were several toilet / water area with many scenic lookout points. The trail also included several bike tool / air pump stations.
Written July 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travel25346533585
891 contributions
Apr 2024 • Family
We have Driven the Niagara Parkway many times. In all Four Seasons. It is always a beautiful and scenic drive. Allow plenty of time. Watch the changes in Speed Limit. Be careful on the corners when the roads are not dry.
Written April 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bbjsaul
Windsor, Canada249 contributions
Aug 2011 • Couples
This a 50 kilometer return route that runs from the falls to Fort Erie. The trail is paved and follows the river. It is extremely safe and well marked. Any part of this trail is worth doing. There is a small deli in Fort Erie where we bought lunch and ate outside. There are lots of places to stop and enjoy the scenery. We parked off a side street to avoid the high cost of parking in lots close to the falls.
Written September 6, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
oldbutcool
Toronto, Canada145 contributions
Aug 2013 • Solo
This is my favourite biking route--Niagara Falls to Niagara On The Lake. It is a 60K (36 miles) round trip if one travels from the Falls along the waterway (river) to the mouth of river at Lake Ontario. The bike path along the parkway runs along the Niagara river that also separates US and Canada. Along the parkway, one can always see the opposite side is actually a different country, the US. The bike path that covers 90% of the route. The only stretch that is not either a bike path or bike lane is at the Falls where cars move very slowly and the Parkway boulevard is very wide, so riding poses little danger.
i am a seasoned cyclist and i do the ride with my own bike. i have been doing this Parkway ride for the past consecutive five years, and i still love this path. Partly it is because i always do the ride in late August when there is the least amount of rain, and the temperature is never too hot; another reason is that the path is relatively flat except one small stretch that climbs up to the top of the escarpment in Queenston Height.
I notice that there are a few bike rental stands along the way, one is at the Falls Spanish Aero Car Whirlpool Jet Tour. Please consult the internet for more rental places.
If you do the complete bicycle ride from the Falls to Niagara On The Lake which is the standard bike path, it will take a full day, so start early. We usually start at 10am and finish at 3:30 pm with an hour lunch break in The Niagara On The Lake. However, we just pass by all the attractions other than visiting a winery in the Wine Route section.
The parkway offers almost all the attractions that are worthwhile to visit especially you are a first time visitor in Niagara Falls, if you exclude the consideration of visiting the Falls casino and going to the back side of the Falls or taking the Maid of the Mist ferry. A bike ride along the pathway enables you to visit 90% of the attractions and you can visit all of them along the way.
the Parkway runs north-south parallel to the Niagara River where water flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. Following the Parkway, you are bound to pass by a huge Buddhist temple on the west, which appears to have attracted some tourists to visit. Then there is the stop of Aero Car which is a suspended cable gondola going over the falls. I don't really fancy such a ride, but it is a touristy thing to do. Nonetheless, we bikers would stop over at this place to take a rest room stop and also have an ice cream cone in this Aero Car stop. On the way north, you will next see the Botanical Garden which is quite large and also the butterfly conservatory. I have visited this conservatory twice. In this conservatory, you get to walk through a tropical man made indoor garden in which there are thousands of different butterfly species flying freely over you. this will take up an hour and half if you are serious about visiting this attraction. The Garden is actually quite lovely to visit, but it will take you another hour or more if you just want to discover the various plants in the Garden.
Riding further north will take you to a huge flower clock which most people will stop by to take a few photos. We also stop here to visit the johns. After this short visit, if you carry on riding, you will hit the Queenston power station where the water is dropped from the dam to the river level to produce hydro electricty. Opposite to this station is the American counterpart of the same---hydro dam to make electricity. What is interesting is that the water is not from the Falls but re-routed upstream just before the Falls on the west side of the River. The Falls is actually reserved for tourism.
Passing the dam, one will cycle under a bridge that is the Queenston-Lewiston bridge where one can see the heavy traffic between US and Canada. Immediately after the bridge, one will hit the Queenston Height (a park) in which the high point is marked by a tall tower to commemorate General Brock who defeated the Americans who crossed the water at Lewiston-Queenston to attack the British Colony in 1812.
From Queenston Height, which is at the top of the escarpment, cyclists will go downhill by which you can easily reach 30 to 50 KPH (or 18 to 30 MPH), then passing the town of Queenston to another bike path which starts the Wine Route. There are quite a number of beautiful mansions which are private residences.along the way. To the west (left if going to Niagara On The Lake), there are many wineries which welcome visitors to taste its wine. I prefer Rief and Inniskilin estates which are also the two largest along the route. By the way, don't try the Canadian red unless you are really curious about it. No matter how they brag about the red, it is still over priced for its quality. You can easily buy a bottle of good Bordeaux twice as good as the Canadian but at a price half the Canadian red. It is Vidal (hybrid) and Riesling that are the good white to sample. Don't forget to try out the Ice wine since this is the rare opportunity to sample it as the dessert wine is for only local consumption and export to China and Japan. It will take you at best half an hour to 45 minutes to sample some wine if you are not too ambitious. The stretch of wine route is about 10k (6 miles). After the wine route, one will see a 19th century forte--Forte George which was built for the war of 1812, but the war was over when it was completed.
Immediately after the fort, one would hit the town of Niagara On The Lake, within 1K (700 yards at the most), one will hit the city centre where many good restaurants are found. For a quick bite but of good quality, we always visit the Epicurean where we also take the chance to replenish our water bottles. The town is of historical importance. Envision the town and centre ville is a rectangular area, then at the upper right corner (northwest) is the mouth of the Niagara River where the Fort Niagara on the US side is located, which pounded the Canadian town for a week in the war of 1812. If you are North American history buff, this is the place to visit. On a clear day, you can also see the city of Toronto across the lake. After Lunch, we make our way back.
if you bring your own bike, i would say cycling the Niagara Parkway is the ultimate way to see the most attractions in Niagara Falls.
i am a seasoned cyclist and i do the ride with my own bike. i have been doing this Parkway ride for the past consecutive five years, and i still love this path. Partly it is because i always do the ride in late August when there is the least amount of rain, and the temperature is never too hot; another reason is that the path is relatively flat except one small stretch that climbs up to the top of the escarpment in Queenston Height.
I notice that there are a few bike rental stands along the way, one is at the Falls Spanish Aero Car Whirlpool Jet Tour. Please consult the internet for more rental places.
If you do the complete bicycle ride from the Falls to Niagara On The Lake which is the standard bike path, it will take a full day, so start early. We usually start at 10am and finish at 3:30 pm with an hour lunch break in The Niagara On The Lake. However, we just pass by all the attractions other than visiting a winery in the Wine Route section.
The parkway offers almost all the attractions that are worthwhile to visit especially you are a first time visitor in Niagara Falls, if you exclude the consideration of visiting the Falls casino and going to the back side of the Falls or taking the Maid of the Mist ferry. A bike ride along the pathway enables you to visit 90% of the attractions and you can visit all of them along the way.
the Parkway runs north-south parallel to the Niagara River where water flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. Following the Parkway, you are bound to pass by a huge Buddhist temple on the west, which appears to have attracted some tourists to visit. Then there is the stop of Aero Car which is a suspended cable gondola going over the falls. I don't really fancy such a ride, but it is a touristy thing to do. Nonetheless, we bikers would stop over at this place to take a rest room stop and also have an ice cream cone in this Aero Car stop. On the way north, you will next see the Botanical Garden which is quite large and also the butterfly conservatory. I have visited this conservatory twice. In this conservatory, you get to walk through a tropical man made indoor garden in which there are thousands of different butterfly species flying freely over you. this will take up an hour and half if you are serious about visiting this attraction. The Garden is actually quite lovely to visit, but it will take you another hour or more if you just want to discover the various plants in the Garden.
Riding further north will take you to a huge flower clock which most people will stop by to take a few photos. We also stop here to visit the johns. After this short visit, if you carry on riding, you will hit the Queenston power station where the water is dropped from the dam to the river level to produce hydro electricty. Opposite to this station is the American counterpart of the same---hydro dam to make electricity. What is interesting is that the water is not from the Falls but re-routed upstream just before the Falls on the west side of the River. The Falls is actually reserved for tourism.
Passing the dam, one will cycle under a bridge that is the Queenston-Lewiston bridge where one can see the heavy traffic between US and Canada. Immediately after the bridge, one will hit the Queenston Height (a park) in which the high point is marked by a tall tower to commemorate General Brock who defeated the Americans who crossed the water at Lewiston-Queenston to attack the British Colony in 1812.
From Queenston Height, which is at the top of the escarpment, cyclists will go downhill by which you can easily reach 30 to 50 KPH (or 18 to 30 MPH), then passing the town of Queenston to another bike path which starts the Wine Route. There are quite a number of beautiful mansions which are private residences.along the way. To the west (left if going to Niagara On The Lake), there are many wineries which welcome visitors to taste its wine. I prefer Rief and Inniskilin estates which are also the two largest along the route. By the way, don't try the Canadian red unless you are really curious about it. No matter how they brag about the red, it is still over priced for its quality. You can easily buy a bottle of good Bordeaux twice as good as the Canadian but at a price half the Canadian red. It is Vidal (hybrid) and Riesling that are the good white to sample. Don't forget to try out the Ice wine since this is the rare opportunity to sample it as the dessert wine is for only local consumption and export to China and Japan. It will take you at best half an hour to 45 minutes to sample some wine if you are not too ambitious. The stretch of wine route is about 10k (6 miles). After the wine route, one will see a 19th century forte--Forte George which was built for the war of 1812, but the war was over when it was completed.
Immediately after the fort, one would hit the town of Niagara On The Lake, within 1K (700 yards at the most), one will hit the city centre where many good restaurants are found. For a quick bite but of good quality, we always visit the Epicurean where we also take the chance to replenish our water bottles. The town is of historical importance. Envision the town and centre ville is a rectangular area, then at the upper right corner (northwest) is the mouth of the Niagara River where the Fort Niagara on the US side is located, which pounded the Canadian town for a week in the war of 1812. If you are North American history buff, this is the place to visit. On a clear day, you can also see the city of Toronto across the lake. After Lunch, we make our way back.
if you bring your own bike, i would say cycling the Niagara Parkway is the ultimate way to see the most attractions in Niagara Falls.
Written August 22, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FoodFighters
Cobourg, Canada26 contributions
Jul 2011 • Couples
We'd been to Niagara Falls many times over the years but had never driven the parkway from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. We made a point of doing so on this trip down and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery throughout. From the south end at Fort Erie you're treated to an impressive view of the Buffalo skyline and you end the trip about a half hour later in the beautiful and charming town of Niagara on the Lake (the time the trip takes will depend on traffic through Niagara Falls itself, of course, which can be a real zoo - especially on the weekends). The parkway has lots of places to pull over to stretch your legs and admire the scenery and, north of the Falls, many wineries and restaurants where you can stop for a break, as well as fruit stands and farmer's markets offering fresh produce in the summer.
The area around Niagara Falls - that is, right at the Falls, is beautifully landscaped and maintained, but the crowds can be overwhelming - if you don't like battling lots of people, try to avoid weekends - maybe try to avoid the entire summer! Parking around the Falls can be hard to find - we lucked into a lot south of the Falls where the Floral House is located (across from one of the old hydro buildings) - it was $4 an hour (max. of $16) and was within a relatively short walk of the Falls. Washrooms were also available in the Floral House itself and were clean and uncrowded.
The City of Niagara Falls itself (that is, up on the hill where all the hotels are located) is, quite frankly, overcrowded, noisy and unattractive. They've managed to ruin what could have been a real beauty spot with bad architecture and bad planning but you don't need to have anything to do with it if you can manage to find accommodation elsewhere. Stick to the parkway and the small towns in and around the Falls and you'll have a much more pleasant trip.
The area around Niagara Falls - that is, right at the Falls, is beautifully landscaped and maintained, but the crowds can be overwhelming - if you don't like battling lots of people, try to avoid weekends - maybe try to avoid the entire summer! Parking around the Falls can be hard to find - we lucked into a lot south of the Falls where the Floral House is located (across from one of the old hydro buildings) - it was $4 an hour (max. of $16) and was within a relatively short walk of the Falls. Washrooms were also available in the Floral House itself and were clean and uncrowded.
The City of Niagara Falls itself (that is, up on the hill where all the hotels are located) is, quite frankly, overcrowded, noisy and unattractive. They've managed to ruin what could have been a real beauty spot with bad architecture and bad planning but you don't need to have anything to do with it if you can manage to find accommodation elsewhere. Stick to the parkway and the small towns in and around the Falls and you'll have a much more pleasant trip.
Written August 3, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BRIAN c
Harrisburg, NC120 contributions
Oct 2014 • Friends
This is a MUST do for everyone. From Key west to Fairbanks, and Halifax to San Diego, THIS ride/road is one of the most beautiful on the North American continent. I know personally AND from taking others. You must go all the way from lake erie to lake ontario, which is from the town of fort erie to the town of niagara on the lake. the falls is right in the middle. you are at river level until the falls , then niagara river drops into the niagara gorge. you go right along the river throughout. it is surrounded by historic trees, homes, wineries, landmarks, vegetation, fruit orchards. don't skip town of queenston. short ride, maybe two hours. rivals the enchanted circle near taos, new mexico. the history is the key. the american side of river is destroyed and lined with chemical plants, landfills and other wise choices in pursuit of profit.
Written March 28, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Any suggestions for visiting the falls when I only have one day? I also will be visiting with my mom who is disabled with COPD. (She can not walk long distances.) Any help would be appreciated.
Written July 13, 2018
Hi Kim , my oldest daughter has COPD too.
I would definitely doing the Maif of the Mist Boatd Trip - everything is good for disabled people .
In fact - the Boattour is the only thing I would recommend
If you are there for the fireworks at night - take the passport with u and 4 quarters and go to the rainbow bridge - pedestrian - it’s perfect and less people !
Enjoy
Written July 13, 2018
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