Niagara Falls State Park
Niagara Falls State Park is located in the City of Niagara Falls in Niagara County, New York, United States. The park, recognized as the oldest state park in the United States, contains the American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls, and a portion of the Horseshoe Falls.
In addition to its views of the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and the Canadian Falls, the park overlooks the Niagara Gorge and allows access to the Maid of the Mist tour boats, Cave of the Winds, Goat Island, the Prospect Point Observation Tower, a statue of Nikola Tesla, and the IMAX movie Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic which is shown at the Niagara Adventure Theater.
The views of Horseshoe Falls are not near as good as what you can see from the Canadian side of the river (you will need a passport), however this is definitely worth the visit and offers many opportunities not available on the canadian side.
Cave of the Winds
This was my favorite part of my trip here, it is amazing to be this close to the power of the waterfall.
The Cave of the Winds was a natural cave behind Bridal Veil Falls at the Niagara Falls. The cave was some 130 feet high, 100 feet wide and 30 feet in depth. It was discovered in 1834, and originally dubbed Aeolus’s Cave, after the Greek god of winds.
Guided tours began officially in 1841, through Goat Island and descending down a staircase closer to the falls, into the cave. The cave was obliterated in a massive 1954 rockfall and subsequent dynamiting of a dangerous overhang.
Today, the “Cave of the Winds” is the name of a tourist attraction near the same site. You ride an elevator 175 feet deep into the Niagara Gorge. Then you walk over a series of wooden walkways to the famous “Hurricane Deck”. As you stand at the railing, you are a mere 20 feet from the billowing torrents of Bridal Veil Falls.
The decking is removed each fall due to the potential damage caused by ice buildup at the falls and re-installed each spring by park officials for sightseers to enjoy the experience. The decking is not secured to the rocks below by bolts or other construction materials; the wood beam supports are simply wedged into the rock crevices.
Where it is:
The best Niagara Falls address for your GPS system is:
24 Buffalo Avenue
Niagara Falls, NY, 14303
The State Park does not have an actual physical address, therefore, this will bring you to the cross streets of 1st Street and Buffalo Avenue – which is the intersection at the entrance to the park and the base of the bridge to Goat Island.
Drones
In Niagara Falls State Park, (per FAA rule 14 CFR 93 Sub E), there is a flight restriction in the vicinity of Niagara Falls State Park that amounts to a No Fly Zone. All flights below 3,500 feet are restricted, Therefore, UAS are prohibited in Niagara Falls State Park. No permit will be issued.
Maps:
Interactive Google Map
Use the map + – controls to zoom in and out, click and drag the to move the map, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views. Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view.
GPS:
The exact coordinates of Niagara Falls are:
- Latitude 43.081528
- Longitude -79.064240
Cost:
It’s always free to walk into the Park and experience the Falls!
Parking is another issue. Most of the parking in the park is $10 on weekdays and $15 on weekends.
Cave of the Winds
Admission: Adults $21.00, Children 6-12 $17.00, 5 & under free. Advance ticket sales are not available and all tickets must be purchased in person at the ticket window. Cash or Credit Cards accepted.
Hours:
Niagara Falls State Park is open 365 days a year. and it’s always free to walk into the Park and experience the Falls!
The park offers a museum, food concession, a movie theater, a gift shop, fireworks, hiking and nature trails, picnic tables, recreation programs, and fishing. The Top of the Falls Restaurant, on Goat Island overlooking the Horseshoe Falls, is also available within the park.
Niagara Falls State Park Photo Gallery
Click Here for full page gallery
More Photographic Destinations in New York
Interactive Google Map
Use the map + – controls to zoom in and out, use the Map drop-down to change to “Map”, “Satellite”, “Hybrid”, or “Terrain” views. Drag the little man icon from the upper left corner to a map location for street level view. Click on a pushpin for more information about the Photographic Destination, then click on the title to go to the location page.
Click Here for Photographic Destinations by State
Great Places for Great Photos
Let me help you to find a great location for your next photography adventure. I will list many lesser-known destinations, as well as the famous "Icon Locations" for photography. I will provide photos (Lots of Photos), location information, consisting of what there is to photograph as well as other information about the destination. I will give costs, maps, directions, contact information, and other essential information for a successful photo trip. I will only post for locations that I have personally photographed to ensure a quality guide to great locations for photography. If you know of great places that are not posted, please send me the details, I may just decide that is a place I need to go!
Greg Disch is a freelance photographer located in Arkansas. Greg specializes in nature, scenic, wildlife, and other outdoor subjects in Arkansas and other areas of the country. Most of the images on this site are available for sale as prints, personal use, or rights managed stock photos.
Greg offers both classroom instruction and in the field hands on photographic workshops. Classroom sessions are normally held in Fort Smith Arkansas, but arrangements can be made to bring a class to your group.
All classes and workshops have small class sizes designed to provide an optimum student to instructor ratio, where you can get the personal attention, you need. Most classes and workshops are limited to a maximum of six participants and will be held with a minimum of only two.
If you are looking for a wonderful opportunity to get personal individual instruction, I do private workshops and classes at a location of your choice, whether doing a location photo shoot, coming to your home or business, traveling across the country on a road trip, or at my classroom. This is a fantastic way to learn digital workflow and be sure that your computer equipment is properly configured for optimum performance.
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