# Travel >> Destinations >> Canada

How to Experience the Journey Behind the Falls at Niagara Falls, Ontario

Of all the visitor attractions the Niagara Falls area has to offer, from the famous “Maid of the Mist” ride to a wax museum, the “Journey Behind the Falls” is the only attraction that allows visitors to actually elevator down behind the magnificent Horseshoe Falls and experience the force of the water underneath the precipice. Visitors are given a rain poncho prior to descending and once out of the elevator, you'll follow the tunnel that leads to two observation points: the Great Falls and the Cataract Portals. From a safe distance behind a rail, you can watch the water drop and feels the wind gusts caused by its power. Also, there is access to an outside deck area directly beside Horseshoe, which allows you or to experience the spray caused when the water hits the Niagara River. Of the two deck levels, the higher is for the more adventurous.

Light jacket
Water-proof camera

Instructions

- 1
  Fly into Lester B Pearson International Airport in Toronto, which is 80 miles to the northeast. Access Provincial Highway 427 south to the Queen Elizabeth Way, or more famously known as the QEW. The QEW follows the Lake Ontario shore and connects Toronto with Buffalo, New York and therefore the Niagara Falls area. Don’t mistake a street called The Queensway with Queen Elizabeth Way. This can be confusing in that The Queensway runs the same direction as the QEW and is the street just before it. Once near Niagara, take Exit 30B and travel east on 420 which becomes Roberts Street and ends at the Rainbow Bridge and Niagara Falls. Take the Niagara Parkway south to Table Rock Center. Paid parking is across the street.
- 2
  Fly instead to Buffalo/Niagara International Airport, only 30 minutes south of Niagara. Take State Highway 33 west until Interstate 290. Travel north on 290 to Interstate 190, exit and continue north. Once crossing Grand Island, take Exit 21 and travel west on Robert Moses State Parkway, which becomes State Highway 384 and John B. Daly Boulevard. Continue on 384 and cross Rainbow Bridge. Take the Niagara Parkway south to Table Rock Center. Paid parking is across the street.
- 3
  Follow directional signs to the “Journey Behind the Falls” ticket window. Prices are affordable.
- 4
  Continue to follow signs toward the elevator. This is a good time to put on the poncho.
- 5
  Walk through the tunnel toward a distant opening that leads to the outside deck area.
- 6
  Opt to save the deck area for last. Turn right and walk to the furthest portal. Both portals are similar in perspective, yet both should be experienced.
- 7
  Feel the powerful rush of water. Have the children throw a coin toward this massive fountain and watch how quickly it is consumed.
- 8
  Return to the deck portal and step down to the first deck. This deck is extremely wet, yet is the drier of the two. Many visitors won’t venture even to this point.
- 9
  Step up to the second deck, closer and higher than the first. Some opt to brace themselves and back in toward the force, before turning and defiantly challenging the falls.
- 10
  Return to the surface and dine at any one of the restaurants in the area, all within walking distance.
- 11
  Lodge at any number of hotels, also within walking distance, and priced to fit any budget.