Niagara Falls, NY

[shadows4]

Researching for a possible trip to the falls. Would be July 2-5th. Need possible suggestions for campgrounds and things that would be a must see in the short amount of time we will be there. Thanks, John

[bdlaise]

A few years ago we stayed at the KOA in Lewiston, and back in Aug we stayed at the Branches of Niagara on Grand Island off of Whitehaven Rd. The Branches is a very nice and quiet place. The KOA in Lewiston is close to fort Niagara.

[KevinGeiwitz]

I was one who said it would be boring but I was wrong!!! We did stay on the Canada side and it does have a better view and more to do. One thing I did not know is that it is wine country like NAPA so if you like wine you could spend days touring the vineyards alone.

[NCWriter]

Thought of another fun thing to do in that area. The town of Lockport isn't far, and it has a section of restored locks on the Erie Canal where you can ride a boat or stroll the tow path. There's a visitor center as well.

Lots of wineries around there, too.

[NCWriter]

DOTLDaddy wrote:

NCWriter wrote:
We found Four Mile Creek to be very convenient.....
If you camp there, you get free parking at the NF state park lots,

FYI, however, they have done away with the free parking at NF state park lots. It costs 10 buck now, even if you are camping at Four Mile Creek. 😞

Well darn! Thanks for that update.

[WNYBob]

Yes, border crossings can be a pain especially on holiday weekends. I've gotten over in as little as 10 min and as long as 4 hours.

I suggest walking over the Rainbow Bridge at the falls, the gardens at the base of the bridge are wondedfull. There is an amphitheater lined with square trimmed Maple trees and the Falls is the stage! Then catch the shuttle.

[jnharley]

We stayed at Golden Hill State Park and it was a 45 minute drive to visit the falls. We were only interested in the falls and not all that touristy shopping stuff so a day visit was enough for us. The day that we were there (a week day), the line to drive across to Canada was 2.5 hours long.

[DOTLDaddy]

NCWriter wrote:
We found Four Mile Creek to be very convenient.....
If you camp there, you get free parking at the NF state park lots,

Four Mile Creek is a great place to camp, as long as you can get along with electric only. We were just there this last August.

FYI, however, they have done away with the free parking at NF state park lots. It costs 10 buck now, even if you are camping at Four Mile Creek. 😞

[WNYBob]

All above great ideas, but reservations would be a must. Lots to do around here, from educational history to touristy things to shopping an of course the falls.

When going to Canada passports or enhanced drivers licenses are a must, for kids or grand kids check on line for necessary papers both governments have boarder crossing sites.


Both sides have shuttles, in my opinion a must in Canada as hey have restrictions on parking. Their shuttle has packages that include attractions at a discount, again check on line.

When time gets closer give me a shout and I can give driving instructions and specifics about getting around.

[Busdriver]

Four Mile Creek

[shadows4]

Wow!!! Thankyou all. I didn't expect such detailed responses. You have given me much to look into. Again, thanks so much.

[Yeti_plus]

Everyone has given some great ideas.
My advice is book your site early no matter where you stay!
July 1 is the Canadian holiday and July 4 is the US holiday. Canadians will camp in US because all Ontario parks are full for the long weekend and folks from the US will camp in Ontario for the 4th because all US parks are full.
we were in a Michigan state park last year for our May long weekend and 75%+ of the rigs had Ontario plates. The folks from Michigan I talked to said they were heading to Ontario for the next weekend to avoid the crowds.
Enjoy, have been to Niagara Falls many times over the years and we always discover something new every time.

[jplante4]

We stayed at Branches of Niagara and were happy with the park. Nicely landscaped and maintained.

The touristy build-up seems to be mostly on the Canadian side, except in downtown Niagara. The US side has a park that is just a park. We were there last falls an the overlook point and restaurant were closed.

[Tvov]

We went about 5 years ago, staying on the Canadian side at the KOA on Lundy's Lane. There was a city bus that stopped at the campground entrance multiple times an hour, making going to the falls very easy.

I am assuming they still have Maid of the Mist boats? We thought it was fun to do. You get complimentary rain ponchos and the boats go right into the mist from the falls.

We had dinner at the Skylon Tower - I highly recommend it! Very cool, very good food. Spectacular view overlooking the falls.

I have no idea if you'd be interested, but I took my son and his friend to the Canadian hydro power station a couple miles down the river. You take an elevator and go something like 27 stories down to a viewing area / museum to check out the hydro generators. I enjoyed it!

There is actually a ton of stuff to do and see in the Niagara area. It is a VERY built up tourist area - not at all woodsy like the pictures show. The Canadian side seems to have more touristy things to do.

Have fun!

[NCWriter]

We found Four Mile Creek to be very convenient, an easy drive to the falls via the Robert Moses Parkway. Nice campground right on Lake Ontario. We had an electric hookup but the shared water outlets were various places spaced around the CG. Bring a copy of your dog's rabies certificate - they ask to see it.

If you camp there, you get free parking at the NF state park lots, which saves I think $10 versus commercial lots further from the falls. We arrived early and got into a very close space. From there we could walk across the Rainbow Bridge into Canada, easy customs, to see the falls from that side - viewing parks are right next to the bridge. (Or you can drive but long line of cars were waiting to cross and clear customs as we walked by them.)

Near Four Mile is Fort Niagara, a big state park also on the water, with restored buildings, nice visitor center, costumed interpreters who demonstrate musket firing, recreational areas, etc. Well worth a visit. IIRC, they have a pool people staying at Four Mile Creek can use, too.

July 4th is probably very popular so you are smart to plan early. We were there in July two years ago and it was packed.