My theory is this: if you have time, always take the scenic route because you never know what you’re going to see. There were several different paths that we could have taken to get up to Niagara Falls. But, with three goals in mind: 1) to finally check off seeing all five of the Great Lakes, 2) to see Niagara Falls, and 3) to see a baseball game in Toronto, we chose to go from Erie, PA, through New York to the U.S. side of the falls, and into Canada.

If you’d like to read about Niagara Falls specifically, I have a whole blog post about it here.

Our first stop was Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA.

It was very windy the day we were there, but a stop by the Tom Ridge Environmental Center to go to the top of the 75-foot Observation Tower was a must. You get some great views of Lake Erie, and also an abandoned theme park nearby.

A woman standing beside the railing of a lighthouse, smiling. The view behind her is of trees, an abandoned theme park, and Lake Erie beyond that.
A view of Lake Erie, with rocks at the bottom of the picture, small waves crashing against the rocks, and a few trees on both sides of the picture. A blue sky is above the lake.

Presque Isle State Park is a 3,200-acre park that is free to enter, and has all different kinds of things to do: biking, swimming, beaches, lighthouses, boat tours, and more. It was a beautiful place to stop and stretch our legs for a little while.

Looking out over a beach on Lake Erie, at Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA.
A square white lighthouse attached to a red brick building. Grass in forefront and blue skies above. At Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA.
Presque Isle Lighthouse
A small, metal, square black and white lighthouse that sits at the end of a wide concrete dock. Lake Erie is behind it. At Presque Isle State Park in Erie, PA.
North Pier Lighthouse

From there, we stopped at all of the other lighthouses that we found along the way.

A grayish colored, round lighthouse made out of stone, with a little square block building attached to it.
A plaque on the side of the lighthouse that reads: Erie Land Lighthouse. First Lighthouse on the Great Lakes. First lighthouse of wood contracted 1812, operational 1813. Second lighthouse of brick constructed 1858. Current lighthouse of Berea Sandstone completed 1867. Complete restoration by Fiske and Sons, Inc. Fourth Generation Company. Started 2003 Completed 2004.

The Erie Land Lighthouse, 2 Lighthouse St. Erie, PA

A large metal observation tower with a building attached, and a walkway leading to it. The tower sits at the end of a wide concrete dock area. Located in Erie, PA.
Bicentennial Tower, 1 State St., Erie, PA
A side view of a stone building with an enclosed front porch. A large tree stands beside it (in the forefront of the picture).
A round, stone lighthouse with a brown wooden door at the bottom.

Barcelona Lighthouse, 8234 E Lake Rd., Westfield, NY

A square stone and white brick lighthouse with the sun shining just behind the top. The perspective is meant to make it look like the light is shining. A red brick two story house sits, attached, behind the lighthouse.
A metal plaque on a brick wall that reads: Dunkirk Lighthouse has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places of the United States Department of the Interior. Built 1875.

Dunkirk Lighthouse, 1 Point Dr. N, Dunkirk, NY

A two story red brick house with a small, covered front porch. The sidewalk runs up the right side of the picture, leading to the house. Lake Erie is slightly visible in the background.

We spent a little while in Niagara Falls State Park in NY, but they were doing a lot of construction (building new walkways and giving people better views of the falls in general), so we didn’t stay long.

You could walk along the rapids of the Niagara River and feel the energy building as it got closer to the falls.

A view of the Niagara River, with rocks at the bottom along the shore and trees in the distance along the other shore. Blue sky at the top.
A view of the Niagara River in New York, with the towering Canadian hotels in the distance.
A view of the Niagara River rapids, just a bit before they flow over the American side of Niagara Falls. Trees in the distance.
A view of the American side of Niagara Falls to the left, and the tall hotels on the Canadian side of the border to the right.

We crossed the Rainbow Bridge into Niagara Falls, ON, and spent the evening looking out over the falls from the 48th floor of our hotel.

A view of the American side of Niagara Falls from the 48th floor of a hotel on the Canadian side.
American and Bridal Veil Falls on the U.S. side
A view of the Horseshoe Falls in Canada, and the Niagara River beyond it, from the 48th floor of a hotel room.
Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side.
A view from the 48th floor of a hotel, overlooking the American side of Niagara Falls, the Rainbow Bridge from the U.S. to Canada, and the space needle. The sun is setting in the background.
A view of the Niagara Falls lit up at night, with all of the city lights around it, from the 48th floor of a hotel on the Canadian side.

The next day we took a walking/boat tour with City Cruises (the best way to see Niagara Falls).

A view of the American side of Niagara Falls, with a tour boat going by it. Tall hotels off in the distance.

The boat gets as close to the falls as it safely can, and, unless you sit inside, you will get wet. All of the mist is caused by the wind and the power of the water hitting the rocks.

Looking at the American side of Niagara Falls, through a lot of mist over the rocks. From the perspective of a boat in the water.
A view of the Canadian hotels at Niagara Falls from a boat. A rainbow is created because of the mist from the falls.
All of the mist swirling around us was creating rainbows. =)
A partial view of the Horseshoe part of Niagara Falls from a boat. The falls are mostly obscured by the mist that comes off of them.
Going into the center of Horseshoe Falls.
A view of Horseshoe Falls from the observation deck at the Table Rock Center in Canada.

This is a photo from the side of Horseshoe Falls. On the boat tour, you will be right in the middle of all of that mist. It was an experience unlike anything else I’ve ever done before, and I highly recommend it. If you aren’t a tour person, or you don’t have the ability to take one, this view of Horseshoe Falls is near the Table Rock Center.

It’s also where the Journey Behind the Falls tour is.

A "window", or portal as they call it, behind the Horseshoe Falls. A concrete surrounding with a square-ish "window" that water is flowing over and somewhat into.
Looking out towards the American Falls and the Rainbow Bridge from the U.S. to Canada, from "under" the Horseshoe Falls on the Journey Under the Falls tour.
A view of the Horseshoe Falls from the Journey Behind the Falls tour - which looks like a side view of the falls. It's not really "behind" the falls.

That night we drove up to see a baseball game in Toronto.

The Toronto Blue Jays baseball stadium.

In my next post, I’ll show you some of the pictures from our trip home. We saw a few more beautiful waterfalls on our way through West Virginia.