Niagara Falls takes on a whole new charm in the forthcoming autumn. This season paints the landscape with a palette of colors that transform it into a picturesque wonder. In this article, we present you with a collection of 10 breathtaking images of Niagara Falls in the fall, all captured from the heights of the Niagara SkyWheel and from below.
Come rain or shine, the SkyWheel offers a year-round opportunity to witness this natural spectacle in climate-controlled comfort. So, let’s embark on a visual journey that showcases the vibrant beauty of Niagara Falls in all its autumnal glory.
Cost of the Niagara SkyWheel: $15+HST for Adults and $7+HST for Children.
Once the leaves start changing colours, there are a number of reasons why traveling to Niagara Falls is the best time to visit. For starters, Niagara Falls hotel packages in the Fall are inexpensive and affordable. The temperatures are more comfortable compared to the humid Summer and frigid Winter days, and moving around is made easy with less crowds! Gone is the season of heavy traffic congestion and long line-ups — and yet many of the popular Summer attractions such as the Niagara Speedway and the Hornblower Niagara Cruises still remain open into the Fall season (*weather permitting).
Take a look at some terrific family Niagara Falls hotel packages in the Fall:
*Deluxe Hotel Accommodations (All room types available including our Family Suites and Superior Guest Rooms with Sofa Beds).
*$25 Denny’s Meal Vouchers for your 1st and/or 2nd night stay. Enjoy fresh cooked-to-order breakfasts, lunches or dinners at our Denny’s Restaurant located directly on-site and open 24 hours (All Denny’s menu items available 24 hours a day).
*Complimentary in-room movie (Includes latest available titles).
*Smart food Popcorn ( 220g bag )
*Two Clifton Hill Fun Passes to the following attractions on Clifton Hill:
*Niagara SkyWheel (Canada’s Largest Observation Wheel)
*Zombie Attack
*Movieland Museum of Stars
*Dinosaur Adventure Golf or Wizards Golf
*Wild West Coaster 6D Motion Ride
*Ghost Blasters Ride
*5 Game Tokens for the Great Canadian Midway
*2 Adult admission passes to the Imax Theatre
*2 Adult admission passes to the Niagara Daredevil Museum
*2 night deluxe accommodations in the heart of the tourist district (2-Room Family Suites available)
*One dinner voucher for the Keg Steakhouse & Bar ($40 value) or T.G.I Friday’s Restaurant ($35 value)
*One Movie & Popcorn Night – enjoy popcorn and a family movie night in your room with your choice of new releases
*4 (2 Adult and 2 Children under 12) Clifton Hill Fun Passes which include the following fun-filled attractions:
*Niagara SkyWheel , Zombie Attack, Movieland Wax Museum, Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf or Wizards Golf, Ghost Blasters Dark Ride and the Wild West Coaster, plus a bonus of 5 Midway tokens. One admission per person.**
*Fifteen (15) tokens per person for the Great Canadian Midway located on Clifton Hill
*Receive two casinos and attractions shuttle passes
*Purchase 1 regular admission and get 1 admission free at the Bird Kingdom.
These are just a couple Niagara Falls hotels close to Clifton Hill selling some great Fall family packages.
For a list of hotels centralized to the Clifton Hill District, Fallsview District, or the Lundy’s Lane area, click the image below and start planning your Fall getaway trip!
7 Awe-Inspiring Places To View Fall Colours In Niagara
Niagara is known for our breathtaking Fall foliage. Here are 7 places to view all the amazing orange, yellow, red, and brown Fall colours in Niagara. Every year it comes alive with such amazing beauty! Dufferin Islands Photo source: @mandyatui
Dufferin Islands is a popular, quiet and secluded park located just south of the Horseshoe Falls. It offers 10 acres of several small islands connected by small bridges and footpaths.
The area is known as a photographers paradise during every season, but it is exceptionally beautiful to photograph in the Autumn. Niagara-on-the-Lake
Just outside the hustle and bustle of Niagara Falls is this quaint little town. This is a must-see road trip to explore “old town Niagara”, and with the Fall colours it makes you feel like you took a step back in time. Find boutique shopping, art galleries, and the world-class Shaw Festival Theatre. Stay in a historic bed and breakfast while checking out its many world-class wineries and fruit farms.
Be sure to make a stop at Queenston Heights Park. This is the home of Brock’s Monument, and the Laura Secord Monument. Queens Royal Park is another must as it features the famous Niagara-on-the-Lake Gazebo (located on the mouth of the Niagara River and Lake Ontario). It was erected for the early 1980’s movie “Dead Zone”. Niagara Parkway Photo source: Christine Hess Photography
Winston Churchill once called the Parkway “the prettiest Sunday afternoon drive in the world”. It follows the Niagara River from Fort Erie and ends in Niagara-on-the-Lake. On your way through this winding stretch of land, be sure to bring out your camera and capture all the gorgeous Fall colours along the way. Niagara SkyWheel
Soar 175 feet above the Niagara Falls for the most spectacular view of the Autumn leaves that you will ever experience. A view in one of these climate-controlled gondolas will grant you breathtaking beauty of the Falls and beyond the Niagara horizon.
This is Canada’s largest observation wheel, and an attraction that the whole family will enjoy.
Rainbow Bridge Photo source: @marie.humes
The Rainbow Bridge is a world-famous tourist site that connects US and Canadian travelers. It filters vehicles onto River Road (the Niagara Parkway), and from there it is only a couple of minutes drive to view the majestic Falls.
It is the fifth largest land border port of entry for total traveler volumes entering Canada. It features four lanes over the Niagara River and gorge, nearest to the Niagara Falls, connecting Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York.
The Rainbow Bridge is one of the faster international bridges crossing the two borders into Canada. Tour bus lanes are designated and pedestrians are permitted on the Pedestrian Walk Way — so snap away some gorgeous Fall pictures like this one! Skylon Tower
The Skylon Tower soars 775 feet above the Niagara River. It is here that you will be treated to a panoramic Autumn view from the top. To get there, you ride up a glass-front elevator to an indoor/outdoor observation deck and two restaurants.
The entrance to Skylon Tower is on Murray Street, just a block up from the Niagara Parkway. There is a general admission fee to the observation deck, but if you’re dining at the top the admission fee is waived.
Whirlpool Aero Car Photo source: Christine Hess Photography
This 100 year-old aerial cable car travels safely between two different points of the Canadian shore of the Niagara River over the spectacular Whirlpool. A round trip is about one kilometre (3,600 feet) and takes about 10 minutes to navigate. The capacity of the car is 40 standing passengers. A breathtaking view of the Fall foliage awaits as you experience the lush view and the Niagara River’s Whirlpool Rapids.
Reading Time: 6minutes -Without a doubt, the Niagara Region attracts the greatest number of tourists between the months of June to August. These are the months that see the highest temperatures, with average highs between 77 – 81 F, and lows between 56-61 F. Even on the hottest days, you can walk alongside the Horseshoe and American Falls and catch a comfortable breeze and mist to cool you off. Another prime reason to visit in the Summer is the atmosphere of large crowds, and you will get full advantage of all the attractions.
All great reasons to visit Niagara Falls in the Summer, but did you know that visiting Niagara Falls in the Fall has a number of beneficial reasons to plan your trip here as well? Maybe even more of an incentive. Here are some prime reasons to start packing your bags:
Plummeting Hotel Rates
Fall sees daily highs ranging from the low 40s to the mid 70s. In some cases, it’s not unusual to see snow as early as the end of October. Room rates have dipped since the Summer and will continue to dive as the Fall goes on. Expect to see rates slashed in half. Even on the weekends (when there all still plenty of activities and events to take part in), the rates are generally 50-60% off what they normally are during a weekday in the Summer.
The best way for getting around Niagara Falls is on foot. Most of the attractions and businesses are compacted together in such a way that it makes it easier (and cheaper!) to travel about this way. There are two prime areas that are ‘must-sees’ when visiting the Niagara Falls in the Fall, and anytime for that matter: Clifton Hill and the Niagara Parkway. Clifton Hill is known as the “Street of Fun by the Falls” for good reason. It’s a street lined with attractions with something for everyone — every ethnicity and every age group to enjoy. Think giant arcades and a “Fun House” for the kids, FIVE Haunted Houses from low on the scare chart to petrifying (hello, Nightmares Fear Factory!) and miniature golf courses for the teenagers, to the Niagara SkyWheel for the Adults, and even a scenic stroll through the historic Oakes Garden Theatre for the Seniors. All these plentiful and varying attractions are steps from one another.
The Comfort Inn Clifton Hill for example is situated in a prime location for accessibility and convenience. Literally right on Clifton Hill and with WEGO stops along the way, this hotel has room rates for as little as $76.50/night for a standard room during the Fall season. Click here to view the rates.
*Pictured Above: Step outside the Comfort Inn Clifton Hill lobby and you are immediately confronted with the Dinosaur Adventure Golf attraction*
The Harvest and Festivals
Niagara is also the home of Ontario’s grape wine harvest celebration. The 64th annual Niagara Wine Festival, based in Niagara on the Lake and historic Montebello Park in Downtown St. Catharines, features more than 100 events between Sept. 12th and 27th, 2015, which includes winery tours, tastings, concerts, Niagara cuisine, wine seminars, live entertainment and one of the largest street parades in the country. The Meridian Grande Parade hosts an outstanding procession of marching bands, drum corps, community groups, majorettes, floats and amazing performances, attracting upwards of 100,000 spectators to the streets of downtown St. Catharines each year. This year’s Grande Parade theme is “Harvest Street Party” and occurs on Saturday, September 26th at 11:00 am.
Another world-known festival that Niagara Falls brings is the Niagara Falls Winter Festival of Lights – November 21, 2015 – January 31, 2016. Since its inception in 1983, it has grown to be Canada’s largest illumination festival and the premiere illumination festival in North America which attracts well over 1.5 million visitors. It was recently included in the Top 10 Canada’s best winter festivals by canoe.ca and recognized as a Festival of Distinction by Festivals & Events Ontario and a Top 100 Internationally Known Event in North America by the American Bus Association.
Let’s also not forget the Niagara Falls International Marathon. This is the only marathon of its kind that starts in the U.S.A. and finalizes in Niagara Falls, Canada. What better scenery than running past one the world’s most amazing sights? I actually did this race before (read: My First Marathon Experience!), and it’s an experience that entrants will never forget, and the beautiful landscape of the Niagara Falls in the Fall is something the spectators will enjoy as they wait for their family and friends to cross the finish line.
Line up? What line up?
Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of the Niagara Falls in the Fall is the fact that the majority of attractions remain open, with the others closing late in the season (mid to end of November). 90% of the Clifton Hill attractions stay open year-round, with the only closure being the outdoor play areas (Mystery Maze, Bronto’sPlayland) and the outdoor 36-hole miniature golf course, Dinosaur Adventure Golf. Even those attractions can see late closures dependant on the weather. To verify, check their websites, or click here for the opening/closing dates and times of the Clifton Hill attractions on the south side of the street.
Autumn sees little to no wait times at attractions, and if you are visiting scenic rides to capture the beauty of the Niagara Falls in the Fall, you are in for a treat! The changing colours are astonishingly beautiful. Catch a ride on the Niagara SkyWheelto photograph pictures from 175 feet in the sky on top of Canada’s largest observation wheel already being situated on the peak of Clifton Hill.
Photos such as these:
Probably the best way to tour the Niagara Falls in the Fall is from directly above with an aerial view on the Niagara Helicopters. Check out some photos and video that I personally took from my ride aboard the helicopter this year by clicking the image below– what an unbelievable experience!
Get up close and personal on the Hornblower Niagara Cruises. This awesome boat tour unlike any other will get you up close and personal with the Niagara Falls well into November. Voyage to the Falls daytime tours are available as well as the unique Falls Illumination/Fireworks Cruises. Not only is the Hornblower a relatively new attraction (just over a year old), but 2015 now features an extension of the Niagara Falls Fireworks. These displays happen on Friday’s beginning on September 11th, 2015 until October 9th, 2015.
Depending on the hotel that you choose to stay at, driving around is not required. However if you do choose to take your car, you can enjoy many parking fees slashed in half as well. This is the beauty of traveling to the Niagara Falls in the Fall — Inexpensive hotel rates, harvest time in Niagara, many popular festivals and events, little to no line-ups, beautiful changing foliage, and parking fees cut dramatically.
For a reasonably priced Niagara Falls parking lot situated in a prime location to the most popular Niagara Falls attractions, and the driving directions (with video) on how to get there:
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