White Water Walk, Niagara Falls

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The White Water Walk is a wooden boardwalk built along the narrowest section of the Niagara River between the Niagara Falls and the Niagara Whirlpool. There are two staircases, one around the middle of the boardwalk and the other at the end, that you can climb down to get real close to the river. The view and sound of the white water rushing against the rocky formations are very impressive!

If you can, try to visit early in the morning or late in the day. The White Water Walk is accessed through a tiny elevator located in the shop, which can create infuriating waiting lines at tourist peak hours.

The White Water Walk is open seasonally, from roughly early April to late October. Operating hours vary according to the season as well, but are essentially from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the summer months (late June to early September) and 9-10 a.m. to 5-6 p.m. in the shoulder months. Admission cost is $9.95 for adults and $6.50 for children aged 6-12, but is included in the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass for those who also plan on doing the Maid of the Mist, Journey Behind the Falls and/or Niagara's Fury attractions.

This was a lot of fun. When we went this past summer we cramed our day with as much sightseeing as we could handle. The White Water Walk is one of the newest attractions and one of the most fun. You take an elevator down to this wooden walkway and get out and you get to walk along the rapids flowing away from the Falls. It's really cool to see how fast and powerful these rapids really are.

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The Whitewater Walk is a 1/4 mile riverside walk that goes past the class 6 rapids that exist down river from the Falls and before the whirlpool where the Whirlpool Aerocar is located. Class 6 rapids are defined as "extremely difficult to successfully maneuver due to significantly steeper vertical drops and boulders. Usually considered unrunnable." The rapids here are thought to not be created by rocks on the bottom of the river but by the sheer force of the water being forced through the narrowing of the gorge, the Niagara River at this point is estimated to be 35-50 feet deep depending on whether you believe the sign at the site or the website below moving at a speed of up to 30 miles per hour.

You can't help but stand on the walkway and wonder how much fun it would be to ride those waves, a Niagara policeman whom we chatted with said that an experienced kayaker would have no problem here but running the rapids is not permitted.

Most of the Whitewater Walk is accessible, you take an elevator down to the walkway and although there are a couple of sets of stairs where you can go down for a closer look, the walkway itself does not have any stairs.

The Whitewater Walk is one of the four activities included on the Adventure Pass, this was the 1st of the four that we visited. It is located 4km away from the Falls so we took the People Mover, which was included with our Adventure Pass, to get there. We had a reservation for 6:20pm and arrived just at about that time, I don't know that they even looked at the time on the reservation since it wasn't overly busy. Without the Adventure Pass, it's currently $9 adults/$5.85 for kids 6-12, under 5 free.

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This is a really powerful part of the river, you can see the amazing white water. It's very powerful and you can read the feats of the daredevils along the path during this tour. Very informative and enoyable.

Take an elevator down more than two hundred feet to some wooden walkways where you can stroll beside the wild white water. Be warned, you may be walking along and all of a sudden feel a huge splash!
It is open year round and admission is $5.75

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After the falls fall, they continue on this amazing river of waves crashing rocks. Take the white water walk to enjoy its powerful views and roaring sound.