Cave of the Winds - Into the Spray

Photo: Dough4872, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Niagara Falls State Park Walk, a free self-guided tour.

This is where you buy a ticket for the Cave of the Winds, pick up a poncho and sandals, and ride an elevator down into the gorge. Wooden walkways lead to the foot of the Bridal Veil Falls, close enough that the water pounds on you and runs beneath your feet.

The name comes from a real cave behind the Bridal Veil, found in 1834 and first called Aeolus's Cave, after the Greek god of the winds. Tours began in 1841, but the rock was unstable: a 1920 rockfall killed three people, and in 1954 another collapse and the blasting of a risky overhang wiped out the cave. Today's decks sit in front of the falls, wedged into the rocks rather than bolted, and are taken down each fall and rebuilt each spring so winter ice can't wreck them.

On nearby Stedman's Bluff sits a statue of Nikola Tesla, given by Yugoslavia in 1976. In 1895 Niagara's first big power plant began sending out alternating current based on his system, a model for the electric grid we use today.

Getting here: Walk back off Luna Island and a few steps west along the path to the Cave of the Winds building; the Tesla statue is on Stedman's Bluff close by.

Did you know?: Winds beneath the falls on the Cave of the Winds decks can reach about 68 miles per hour, close to tropical-storm strength.

Photo op: At Stedman's Bluff, pose beside the seated Tesla with the falls and the mist behind you.

Nearby: Restrooms, food and a gift shop are at and around the Cave of the Winds building.

More on Wikipedia: Cave of the Winds · Nikola Tesla · Adams Power Plant Transformer House

Cave of the Winds - Into the Spray

Stops on this tour