This is so NOT how we experienced Niagara Falls.
Zip liners on the Canadians side of the falls. A 4 hour wait unless you have reservations.
But here’s the story of why we were there.
I first attended the Garden Fling in Puget Sound in 2024. The event brings together people that use social media to write and publish information about gardens and gardening. Each year the Fling visits public and private gardens in a different city. At last year’s Fling in Memphis, it was announced that the 2026 Fling would be hosted in Buffalo, NY. Almost immediately, I thought this would be an opportunity to finally visit Niagara Falls. It had long been on my bucket list. The way flight arrangements worked out, it turned out it was easier to fly to Toronto and then drive to Niagara Falls and Buffalo and see some Canadian public gardens along the way. When online friend Janet Davis heard of our travel plans she invited us to dinner at her home and garden in Toronto.
But that’s a different blog. This is (mostly) about waterfalls.
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls holds a special place in our collective memory, and it’s a destination that many Americans aspire to visit someday. Back in the days of early television, it was a recurring gag in at least one episode of the Three Stooges. While I never quite understood its humor, you can watch it online to see if you catch the joke.
Another notable reference to Niagara Falls is the short 1933 film “Shuffle Off to Buffalo,” which depicted a cheap honeymoon to Niagara Falls involving a train journey from New York City to Buffalo, possibly hinting at pregnancy. However, over the years, its meaning has evolved to more commonly mean leaving or dying.
In 1953, the film noir movie “Niagara” featured Marilyn Monroe in one of her more serious roles.
The 1980 movie “Superman II” saw Superman (played by Christopher Reeve) saving a boy who had accidentally fallen into the falls.
There are countless tales and jokes about going over the falls in a barrel.
Our visit would be far less adventurous unless we count watching a portion of the fireworks celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States from Canada.
Some History
The falls are formed by Lake Erie, which sits above the Niagara Escarpment and flows into lower Lake Ontario. These lakes were created when the glaciers from the last ice age melted, leaving behind the basins. There are actually three falls: the smaller American and Bridal Veil falls on the U.S. side, and the impressive 189-foot Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. These falls boast the highest flow rate of any in North America. The water’s green hue comes from dissolved salts and the eroded rock suspended in it.
About 20 million tourists come to the falls each year, and it sometimes felt like every one of them was there at once during our visit. Overall, the area feels like a National Park meets the contrived glitz of Las Vegas.
Watkins Glen
After our Niagara Falls adventure, we crossed the border into Buffalo, New York. After a quick lunch break at a gas station, we headed to Watkins Glen, a beautiful spot in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. I stumbled upon Watkins Glen on Facebook through a post by Karl Gercens. Karl works at the legendary Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania but spends most of his time traveling the world, visiting public and private gardens. He shared some amazing photos of the Watkins Glen waterfalls, and we thought this trip would be a perfect opportunity to explore this hidden gem.
The Finger Lakes were made over 2 million years ago when glaciers moved through and carved out these U-shaped valleys where rivers used to flow. The northern parts of the valleys ended up blocked by moraines—basically rocks and gravel that got left behind—forming lakes that filled those valleys.The rock in the area is mostly slate layers that were laid down as thin layers of sediment 400 million years ago and compressed and hardened into rock. Glaciers 10,000 years ago carved out steep valleys that left small streams falling down the face of cliffs and cutting through the layers of rock creating the many waterfalls in the area.
One of the best examples of these is Watkins Glen State Park where there are 19 waterfalls tumble over the thin layers of shale in a 400 foot deep gorge.
We stayed in a loft above a wine bar and police station in the small charming town of Watkins Glen- just 7 blocks from the entrance the state park. The town was somewhat historic and cute with as many places selling ice cream (I counted at least 6) as restaurants.
After arriving and dinner we did a quick preview trip in the park just before it closed to get a glimpse of some of the falls. We would return in 2 days to explore all of the falls.
Taughannock Falls
The next morning, we set off to explore some of the other breathtaking waterfalls in the area. Our first stop was the tallest single drop waterfall east of the Rockies, Taughannock Falls, with a remarkable 215-foot drop. Access to the upper view of the falls was incredibly easy and just a short stroll from the parking lot.
Next to the parking lot, we discovered a charming pollinator garden featuring native plants. It was a lovely place to take a moment and appreciate the beauty of nature.
After admiring the upper falls, we descended to the lower part of the park, nestled on the shores of Cayuga Lake. From there, we hiked along the scenic Taughannock River, leading us to the base of the falls. And guess what? This waterfall is even taller than Niagara Falls! It was an awe-inspiring experience.
Ithaca
Next we headed to Ithaca on the southern end of Cayuga Lake to view its namesake falls, Ithaca Falls, on appropriately named Fall Creek. Again this cascade was easily accessible from parking in a neighborhood vacant lot across the road from the falls.
We were a bit surprised by the size and noise of this falls. It seemed incredible that such a beautiful waterfall could be right in the middle of a neighborhood.
After exploring Ithaca Falls on the southern tip of Cayuga Lake, we headed upstream to Cornell University. There, a dam on Fall Creek creates Beebe Lake. The creek cascades over the spillway, and part of it bypasses the dam to form Triphammer Falls, flowing over large flat sheets of shale. Parking is easy and right next to the falls.
Next, we visited the Cornell Botanic Gardens at the top of Beebe Lake. We spent some time exploring the garden, which features a shale dry stack enclosure planted mostly with herbs in a semiformal layout.
(Click on photos below for a larger view and to scroll through them)
Our next stop was Buttermilk Falls State Park, which unfortunately had lower water flow and is only good after heavy rains. We had become a bit jaded by the easily accessible beautiful falls we had seen earlier in the day.
Our final waterfall of the day was Shequaga Falls Park, which oddly enough is located right in the middle of the town of Montour Falls. We’re not sure where the town’s namesake falls are or if they even exist. We parked on the street right in front of the falls and had the falls mostly to ourselves.
Watkins Glen State Park
(Click on photos below for a larger view and to scroll through them)
Video of the Waterfalls in Watkins Glen State Park (Best viewed in full screen mode)
The next day, we spent the entire day exploring the 1000 steps, waterfalls and trails of Watkins Glen State Park. The walkable steps, trails, bridges and retaining walls have been built in the park to make it very accessible along a 1.5 mile 400 foot climb to the top of the park.
We had a snack at the gift shop, ice cream for me, at the top of the park and then walked back down through the park and back to town.
Keuka Lake
That evening Scott wanted to see more of the area and after searching online decided we should try The Switzerland Inn located on another finger lake, Keuka Lake. It was short drive through the countryside past many vineyards and wineries on mostly empty roads. We were a bit surprised to find that on a week night the parking lot and restaurant were full with a 45 minute wait for table. We opted instead to eat at the bar located on a deck over the water where we learned that it was Steak and Lobster night that was drawing the crowd.
Shuffle Off to Buffalo
The next morning we started the drive back to Buffalo where I would join the Buffalo Garden Fling and tour gardens of the area for the next 3 days. Scott would fly to Dallas and then to San Diego. But of course his flight would be significantly delayed to American Airlines’ routine chaos plus toilets on the plane that only worked above 16,000 feet.
