Our night in Niagara Falls was a bit rough, partially on account of the uneven campsite causing a noticeable tilt in the RV. I slept in until nearly 8am, by which time everyone else was awake. We ate a quick breakfast, disconnected the hookups, and made the short drive to Niagara Falls State Park.

Parking was very complicated, but perhaps that was only because I did just about zero research before hand. After much driving around, following the circuitous RV routing, we found our lot on the very edge of Goat Island. It was a walk to the main attractions and the falls, but it was just nice enough outside and only about a mile’s walk along paved trails.

We got our first glimpse of the falls from the observation deck of the Maid of the Mist. They had a very good system, so after our brief photos from elevation, we took the elevator down, were issued ponchos, and corralled into a queue. The line was not that long, and neither was the wait. Before long, we were on board and standing on the upper deck.

The boat ride starts by driving close, but not too close, to the American Falls. There’s plenty of lecturing about how great and ethical the company that operates the ship is, which I suppose is important. We passed the boats of the Canadian operator along the way.

The real highlight of the show is when the boat pulls into the center of Horseshoe Falls and just kind of sits there. Surrounded on three sides by the powerful falls, there was mist and wind and waves. It was very loud, and an exciting encounter up close with nature. The hundreds thousands of gallons of water cascading over the falls with force was very cool.

With that, the short but eventful boat ride was over. We made our way down the river and back to port, before disembarking and going back up the elevators to the Observation Deck.

We made our way back into the park, and along the walking paths that followed the upper areas of the river. Intense rapids are found in this area, signaling the impending danger ahead for anything on the water.

Across the bridges that carry people and small vehicles across the river just above the falls, we arrived back on Goat Island. We got our tickets to timed entry to the Cave of the Winds and had a few minutes for a bathroom break and a snack in the shade. Before too long, our entry was called. What followed was another carefully choreographed action. It started with five minutes in a museum, followed by a short video on the history of Niagara. With that over, we made the walk across a path to the elevators, down into a cave, and then a short walk to the edge of the water.

Once again, we were issued a poncho (theme) and walked out on to the decks building into the side of the cliffs right by the American Falls. The gulls, of all ages, were everywhere.

The water movement at this level of the falls was intense. At each level, there was a totally new perspective and plenty of sloshing water to get drenched by. The roar was loud and the views were incredible.

We made our way through the decks with just enough speed. Everyone came away completely soaked wherever the poncho failed to shield. The worst of it came, unsurprisingly from the “Hurricane Deck” located just outside the splash zone of one of the major falls.

That was enough fun, so we made our way back to the elevator, up to the main elevation, and walked to the cafe to get lunch. The food portions were huge, and we ate overlooking Horseshoe Falls.

After finishing lunch, and partially drying, we walked over to the upper viewing area of Horseshoe Falls.

After taking in our final views, and recording an episode of ChetCast, we started our long walk back to the RV parking lot, but not before one last blast of falls mist came down on us like a spring rain.

We drove back to the campground, stopping along the way to get a few groceries and fuel. Back at camp, we got the RV hooked up, and the kids went to play on a giant bouncy feature and in a playground with one of the other young campers.

Dinner was pasta, followed by a campfire and s’mores. The weather was beautiful, cool but just on the edge before it becomes uncomfortable. We did a quick interior clean of the RV while the kids played again with their friends after s’mores, before getting everyone inside and ready for bed. I spent a few minutes outside cleaning up our campsite and prepping the RV for tomorrow’s travel.