Apple Chronicles: Niagara Falls

New York City may be the first thing that comes to mind when you mention “New York,” but the state is also home to one of the most magnificent wonders of nature—Niagara Falls.

A wet and practically freezing weather greeted us on our way to Niagara Falls.

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This trip to Niagara Falls is almost a decade in the making. I, together with friends from my former office a decade ago, planned to visit here when we were deployed to Ohio at that time but due to the lack of time, budget, and not so favorable weather, it wasn’t realized. Last year, almost a decade later, I’m back on the East Coast, and finally am able to make this trip a reality.

One of the notable bridges we had to cross to get to Niagara Falls.

From NYC, we took a rental car and drove all the way upstate. Our trip started past midnight and we arrived late in the morning (with some stops along the way). It’s around 430 miles away so it’s a pretty long drive!

The weather may not be great but the trip was definitely worth it!

The temperature was just hovering around freezing when we arrived but that did not stop us from exploring the area and of course seeing the majestic falls.

There are so many trail options around the park.

The trails lead from the parking all the way to some of the islands.

And I was fortunate that my trail running shoes were perfect for the mixed terrain, but I didn’t have warm enough clothes to run in the freezing weather.

Cold weather matched with mists from the falls makes it feel colder near the falls…

The trails allow you to see the river before it reaches the falls…

There are vantage points that allows you to enjoy the beautiful sceneries.

And you can actually get down there if you’re willing to pay.

Niagara Falls as seen from the United States’ side with Ontario, Canada on the background.

Panoramic view of Niagara Falls.

We probably arrived at an odd time of the year as there’s not that many people around. On one hand, it’s good as there’s no crowd, but it’s also bad as most establishments in the area was also closed so there aren’t that many dining options. Overall, it’s great as we were also able to get a hotel room pretty cheap so we didn’t have to immediately return back to NYC. I was also able to see the falls at night.

Lights beaming from the Canadian side light up the falls at night.

I took the opportunity to enjoy the sights one last time the following morning before we finally head back to the city. It snowed that night so that would be the first time I’d be seeing snow again in person in a very long time.

We woke up with the ground covered in a few millimeters of snow.

The railings near the falls had some interesting additions, too!

One last look at this amazing wonder of nature…

This trip is definitely one for the books! It is amazing how nature can display both grace and power, magnificently. I hope to be back in the future in warmer weather so I can run the trails, and also see the falls from the Canadian side.

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