The best outdoor activities in Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is well-known for its flashy side. But if you’re looking to revel in the majestic beauty of the Falls themselves, allow us to introduce you to Niagara Parks. This Canadian entity is responsible for many of the best outdoor activities in Niagara Falls and provides immersive experiences on the Niagara River, along the Niagara Gorge, and in the surrounding area.
By visiting these Niagara Parks locations, you’ll understand the awesome power of Niagara Falls and the impact it has on the surrounding landscapes. Here’s a look at the best things to do in Niagara Falls while spending time outdoors. Have questions about planning your own visit? Join our Facebook community!
Presented in partnership with Niagara Parks
Start by picking up a Niagara Parks pass
When visiting a popular spot like Niagara Falls, paying admission for each individual attraction can add up quickly. Niagara Parks makes visiting the Falls more affordable with its attraction passes. Some cost less and include admission to most popular locations. The Adventure Pass Plus includes admission to all six of the attractions listed below as well as 48 hours of unlimited access to the WEGO bus network and the Falls Incline Railway.
You can also use an Adventure Pass Plus to access a shuttle to the village of Niagara-on-the-Lake and four more heritage sites in the area, making it a great deal for visitors who want to see it all. If you live nearby and visit Niagara Falls more than once a year, take a look at the Niagara Parks annual pass.
When you purchase a Niagara Parks pass, you can also pick up a Niagara Parks Passport. Get a stamp as you visit each of the locations below. When you’re done, you’ll have a booklet full of great memories to take home as a souvenir!
Learn more about the War of 1812 heritage sites managed by Niagara Parks >
Explore the Niagara Parks Power Station and Tunnel
The Niagara Parks Power Station is more than a century old, and yet it’s one of the newest attractions in Niagara Falls! When it was originally constructed in 1905, it became the first major power plant on the Canadian side of the Niagara River. It powered communities on both sides of the Canada-USA border until it was decommissioned in 2006. Fifteen years later, Niagara Parks reopened it as a revitalized and interactive signature destination.
You’ll find very different experiences at the Niagara Parks Power Station at different times of day. During a daytime visit, you can explore the history of Niagara’s power generation through interactive displays. To be fair, much of this attraction is indoors, but it’s the outdoor part that’s the centrepiece. Walk through the 670-metre (2,200-foot) tunnel, and you’ll be rewarded with a stunning view of Niagara Falls from below!
If you visit the Niagara Parks Power Station at night, the exhibits transform into a beautiful and immersive light show. It explains the history of power generation at Niagara Falls in an approachable way. Then, when you descend 54 metres (180 feet) underground to the tunnel, you’ll find the tunnel and Niagara Falls are lit up in a spectacular array of colour!
Meet the man responsible for the nightly Niagara Falls lights >
Explore Tesla: A Spark of Genius
A special exhibit titled Tesla: A Spark of Genius is on display at the Niagara Parks Power Station until October 13, 2025. Learn about the life and times of inventor Nikola Tesla, whose discoveries like AC power and remote-controlled devices still directly impact our lives today.
Don’t miss the massive 10,000-volt Tesla coil mounted into the Power Station’s ceiling. It’s so powerful you can see the electricity emanating from it as it runs, and it can even play music!
Soar above the Niagara Gorge in the Whirlpool Aero Car
The Whirlpool Aero Car is a long-time favourite attraction in the Niagara Falls area. This antique cable car has been taking visitors soaring over the spectacular Niagara River whirlpool and Niagara Gorge since 1916. Its cables hang 76 metres (250 feet) above the water and span nearly 550 metres (1,800 feet) across the whirlpool!
The views of the whirlpool and rapids from the Whirlpool Aero Car are breathtaking, and you won’t find them anywhere else. Don’t worry about which side you’re on when you board. Passengers switch sides halfway through, so you’ll get a 360-degree view of the Niagara River whirlpool and Niagara Gorge on your journey.
Journey Behind the Falls is a historic trip
Niagara Falls has been attracting fascinated tourists for so long that Canada wasn’t yet a country when its first attractions opened!
The earliest predecessor to today’s Journey Behind the Falls dates back to 1832. Back then, a basic staircase allowed visitors to descend into the gorge and view Niagara Falls from below. Over time, construction on a network of tunnels — and eventually an elevator — evolved into the Journey Behind the Falls we know today.
Water cascades over Niagara Falls at speeds of up to 110 kilometres (or 68 miles) per hour. There are few better ways to comprehend the awesome power of the Falls than to stand directly behind or beside it and watch the water roar past. It covers you with mist so thick you’ll need to use one of the provided rain ponchos, even on the sunniest days!
White Water Walk is one of the best outdoor activities in Niagara Falls
If you visit Niagara Falls and never leave the main tourist strip, you’re really missing out! Some of the area’s best destinations are just a short drive or bus ride away.
White Water Walk is located just 5 kilometres downriver from the Canadian Horseshoe Falls on the Niagara River Parkway. From the road, it doesn’t look like much. But once you take the elevator 70 metres (or 230 feet) down to the bottom of Niagara Gorge, you’ll find a boardwalk with absolutely jaw-dropping views of the Niagara River rapids. These Class 6 rapids generated by Niagara Falls are some of the most intense anywhere in North America!
The boardwalk at White Water Walk is roughly half a kilometre (a quarter mile) long. You can walk to the end and back in 30 minutes. However, we suggest you budget a little extra time in case you’re as mesmerized by the rapids as we are! Some form of this attraction has been at this location since 1876, yet many people have never experienced it. In our opinion, White Water Walk is the best hidden gem attraction in Niagara Falls.
Explore more of the Niagara River Parkway >
Explore the Butterfly Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
When the crowds are too much and the kids are overstimulated, make a beeline to the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
The Butterfly Conservatory, opened in 1996, is the largest facility of its kind in North America and is home to more than 2,000 free-flying butterflies. It’s surrounded by the Botanical Gardens, 99 acres of immaculate landscaping maintained by students of the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture.
The wonderfully fragrant herb gardens supply some of the area’s best farm-to-table restaurants with Niagara Falls views. The rose garden is wonderful to walk through as you admire dozens of varieties. This is a beautiful place for a stroll and some welcome serenity away from the hustle and bustle of Niagara Falls.
Floral Showhouse has dazzling tropical plants and flowers
Gardening and landscaping are long-standing traditions in Niagara Falls. Niagara Parks has maintained some form of a Floral Showhouse since 1894. The version you’ll see today, located roughly a kilometre (half a mile) upriver from the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, opened in 1946.
Up to 20,000 flowers and plants are chosen and grown annually to be displayed in the Floral Showhouse’s garden and conservatory spaces. You’ll find exotic plants, succulents and cacti, adorable fairy villages, and incredible sculptures made from flowers and plants with intricate and fascinating details.
Hike beside the raging river at Niagara Glen Nature Centre
If you want to challenge yourself with your outdoor activities in Niagara Falls, visit the Niagara Glen Nature Centre. Here, you can walk down nine storeys of stairs to descend into the Niagara Glen and hike through eight different trails.
You can also take part in a photo scavenger hunt, where pictures will earn you points toward natural objects to take home. There are gemstones, shells, rocks and more! Ask the staff inside the Niagara Glen Nature Centre for more details.
Is two days enough in Niagara Falls?
If you don’t mind keeping a busy schedule, you can fit in plenty of the many things to do in Niagara Falls within two days. We visited all six of the signature Niagara Parks attractions surrounding Niagara Falls during a two-day visit.
Where should I park at Niagara Falls?
Niagara Parks maintains a list of available parking lots in Niagara Falls and the surrounding area, including pricing. There is one free parking lot at the Whirlpool Aero Car available year-round, and parking is also free at Old Fort Erie at the southernmost end of the Niagara River Parkway. All other lots charge either an hourly or a daily rate.
If you plan to use more than one parking lot during your visit, or if you visit Niagara Falls more than once per year, check out the Niagara Parks annual parking pass. As soon as you park more than once at one of the main lots near the Falls, the pass begins saving you money. Plus, it’s good for a full year and you can register two different vehicles, making it a fantastic deal.
What else is there to do near Niagara Falls?
There’s so much to do on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. You can visit the museums and amusements of Clifton Hill, the fun street of Niagara Falls. Or you can extend your visit and explore further along the Niagara River Parkway. Head north to visit Niagara-on-the-Lake, the pretty village near Niagara Falls that’s the beating heart of Ontario’s wine country.
Discover more Ontario road trips >
