Niagara Falls Tickets and Prices for 2026: What Is Free and What You Pay For
The first thing to know about Niagara Falls tickets is that you do not need one to see the falls. Niagara Falls State Park, on the New York side, is open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, and it is always free to walk in. What you pay for is parking and the attractions that take you closer: the Maid of the Mist boat ($30.25 for an adult in 2026) and Cave of the Winds on Goat Island ($14 for an adult from October 19, 2026 to March 31, 2027). The Canadian side works the same way: the parkland is open, and Niagara Parks charges for Journey Behind the Falls and its other attractions, singly or in passes.
This guide lists what each ticket costs, where to buy it, what it includes and when it is valid, side by side for both banks of the river. All prices are as the operators print them for 2026, and all can change; check before you go.
What is free at Niagara Falls
A surprising amount of the best of Niagara costs nothing. On the New York side, without a ticket, you can see:
- Prospect Point, the overlook beside the American Falls, where the Maid of the Mist leaves from.
- Luna Island, between the American and Bridal Veil Falls, above water dropping more than 175 feet.
- Terrapin Point on Goat Island, right above the Horseshoe Falls.
- The Three Sisters Islands, where walkways lead out into the Canadian Rapids above the Horseshoe Falls.
- The Schoellkopf site, where a free elevator goes down to the river at the ruins of a power plant that collapsed in 1956.
- The illumination, which lights the falls every night of the year from dusk.
- The fireworks, nightly at 10 p.m. in season (from May 15 to October 12 in 2026). Watching them is free from Prospect Point or from Queen Victoria Park on the Canadian side.
The Observation Tower’s elevator and deck are open to all visitors; you do not need a boat ticket to use them. From there you get the only panoramic view of all three falls from the US side.
The price list at a glance
| What | Who runs it | Adult | Child | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maid of the Mist | Maid of the Mist, NY side | $30.25 | $19.75 (6-12) | 5 and under free with a paid adult |
| Cave of the Winds | NY State Park | $14 | $10 (youth) | October 19, 2026 to March 31, 2027 rate |
| Niagara Scenic Trolley | NY State Park | $5 | $3 (youth) | Good all day |
| Parking, lots 1 and 2 | NY State Park | $10 a day | $15 Friday to Sunday, May 22 to October 11 | |
| Journey Behind the Falls | Niagara Parks, Canada | $33 | $21.50 (3-12) | Year round |
| White Water Walk | Niagara Parks, Canada | $21 | $13.50 | April to November |
| Whirlpool Aero Car | Niagara Parks, Canada | $25 | $16.50 | April to November |
| Niagara Falls Pass Classic | Niagara Parks, Canada | $89 CAD | Valid April 20 to November 1, 2026 |
The New York prices are in US dollars. Niagara Parks prices its passes in Canadian dollars, and its single tickets are its own price list on the Canadian side; it accepts US dollars at its own exchange rate (more on that below).
Maid of the Mist tickets
The Maid of the Mist is the boat that takes you into the basin of the Horseshoe Falls from the New York side. It has been a park attraction for more than 150 years, and it boards only from Niagara Falls, New York, at a landing in the lower gorge below Prospect Point.
2026 prices:
- Adult: $30.25.
- Child (ages 6-12): $19.75.
- Children 5 and under: free with a paid adult.
- Groups of 20 or more: the adult group rate is $27.25.
The price is in US dollars and includes the elevator down to the landing, which you need to reach the boat. It also includes a souvenir rain poncho and admission to the observation deck that extends out over the gorge with a view of all three falls.
Buying online or at the booth. You can buy online, which gets you an emailed voucher valid any day of the 2026 season that you exchange at the ticket booth when you are ready. Or you can buy at the booths, which are at street level in the park next to the Observation Tower; a ticket bought in person is valid only on the day you buy it. Either way, you cannot reserve a time. Everyone, online ticket holders included, joins the line and boards the next boat, first come, first served. The ticket office closes 15 minutes before the last departure.
One thing to note if you are comparing listings: Maid of the Mist says it does not run or endorse walking tours, sightseeing tours, third-party tour companies or online ticket resellers, and that only its own tickets and vouchers are redeemable. A guided tour that includes the boat buys and hands you that ticket; check that the listing says the boat ticket is included.
Maid of the Mist hours in 2026
The boat runs seven days a week, holidays included, but only in season. The spring opening date depends on ice in Lake Erie.
| Dates (2026) | Hours |
|---|---|
| January 1 to April 23 | Closed |
| April 24 to May 18 | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily |
| June 22 to August 9 | 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily |
| September 28 to October 31 | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily |
| November 1 to November 8 | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily |
The weeks in between step up and down between those hours; the boat company’s schedule page has every date. The Maid of the Mist closes for the 2026 season on Sunday, November 8.
Cave of the Winds tickets
Cave of the Winds is the attraction on Goat Island that takes you 175 feet down into the gorge to the Hurricane Deck, beside the water flowing off the falls. Unlike the boat, it is open year-round, every day except Thanksgiving (November 26), Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
How tickets work:
- Where to buy: at the attraction on Goat Island or at the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Welcome Center. A la carte tickets are not available online.
- Timed entry: Cave of the Winds is a timed ticketed attraction, and the park advises making that reservation one of the first things you do on arrival.
- Price: from October 19, 2026 to March 31, 2027, $14 for an adult and $10 for a youth. The park raises the rate for the summer season and posts the current figure on its Cave of the Winds page.
- Footwear: the park has phased out the free sandals it used to hand out, so bring shoes you do not mind getting wet.
Cave of the Winds is accessible as far as its main viewing platform. The park’s Beyond the View walking tour can be combined with Cave of the Winds tickets as a combo.
Observation Tower, trolley and parking
The Observation Tower at Prospect Point is open to all visitors, with elevators to the base of the gorge and the Maid of the Mist landing. In 2026 the far end of the tower is temporarily closed, and the Crow’s Nest stairs beside the American Falls are under construction, so check the park’s page for what is open.
The Niagara Scenic Trolley circles the park about every 30 minutes, with a commentary on the park’s history. It costs $5 for an adult and $3 for a youth, the ticket is good all day, and the last day of the 2026 season is November 29, 2026. It often reaches capacity; arrive early or go on a weekday.
Parking in lots 1 and 2 costs $10 a day for most of the year and $15 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from May 22 to October 11. Lot 3 is free on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday all year, and when it does charge, a car costs $10. Our guide to getting there has the full table and the weekend traffic detour.
The Canadian side: Niagara Parks tickets
Across the Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Parks runs the attractions along the Ontario bank. You need a passport to cross. Its main single tickets, on its own price list:
- Journey Behind the Falls: $33 for an adult (13+), $21.50 for a child (3-12). You go 125 feet down into tunnels through the bedrock behind the Horseshoe Falls, with portals behind the falling water and an observation deck at the foot of the falls. Allow about 60 minutes; it is open year round, in the Table Rock Welcome Centre at 6635 Niagara Parkway. Visitors have gone down here since 1832, when the first staircase was built.
- White Water Walk: $21 for an adult, $13.50 for a child. A quarter-mile boardwalk beside the Class 6 Whirlpool Rapids, open seasonally from April to November.
- Whirlpool Aero Car: $25 for an adult, $16.50 for a child. A cable car over the Whirlpool that crosses the international border four times without a passport.
Journey Behind the Falls sells timed tickets online, which let you book a one-hour window to join the line, as well as anytime tickets. Children 2 and under are free at every Niagara Parks attraction.
Niagara Parks passes
If you plan two or more of the Canadian attractions, Niagara Parks’ passes are better value than single tickets.
- Niagara Falls Pass Classic, $89 CAD: Journey Behind the Falls, White Water Walk and the Butterfly Conservatory, plus the WEGO bus and park-and-ride parking.
- Niagara Falls Pass Premium, $129 CAD: every major Niagara Parks attraction, including all four heritage sites, plus transport and parking.
All the passes are valid from April 20 to November 1, 2026, and they cover only attractions on the Canadian side. Bought online, they include park-and-ride parking at Rapidsview (Lot C), which otherwise costs $10 for the day.
Paying in US dollars in Canada
Niagara Parks attractions, restaurants and shops accept US dollars and US cards as well as Canadian money. For US cash, Niagara Parks uses an exchange rate of 1.30: $1 USD counts as $1.30 CAD. The WEGO bus is priced in Canadian dollars with tax included: $16 for a 24-hour adult pass and $20 for 48 hours.
After dark: the illumination and the fireworks
The evening shows cost nothing on either side. The falls have been lit every night since 1925 by the Niagara Falls Illumination Board, a body shared by the two countries; today the LED lights sit in three places across the gorge on the Ontario side, so the colors are aimed at the American and Horseshoe Falls from Canada. The lights come on at dusk every night of the year.
The fireworks are set off from inside the gorge, between the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls. Niagara Parks names Queen Victoria Park as the best viewpoint, along its main lawn or the wall above the river; on the New York side, the park recommends Prospect Point. If you want to watch from the foot of the Horseshoe Falls instead, the Journey Behind the Falls observation deck stays open for the illumination and, in fireworks season, the 10 p.m. show, on a paid timed ticket. Shows can be cancelled in strong wind.
Opening hours on both sides
- Niagara Falls State Park: open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year. Its attractions keep their own seasonal schedules.
- Maid of the Mist: in season only; closes for 2026 on November 8.
- Cave of the Winds: daily, year-round, except three holidays.
- Journey Behind the Falls: open daily, year round.
- White Water Walk: seasonal, April to November.
- Illumination: every night from dusk. From October 16 to 31, 2026 the lights run from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., and from November 1 to December 31 from 4:30 p.m. to 2 a.m.
- Fireworks: nightly at 10 p.m. from May 15 to October 12, 2026, with extended displays on July 1 and 4.
When is the best time to go?
For the full set of tickets, go between late spring and October. That is when the Maid of the Mist runs at its longest hours (9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from June 22 to August 9), the White Water Walk is open, the passes are valid, and the fireworks run every night.
It is also when the falls carry the most water. Under the 1950 Niagara Treaty between Canada and the United States, at least 100,000 cubic feet of water per second must go over the falls during the daylight hours of the tourist season: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. from April 1 to September 15, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from September 16 to October 31. At all other times the minimum is 50,000 cubic feet per second, and the rest can be diverted to the power stations.
The cost of a summer visit is crowds. The park’s lots fill early on weekends (Friday included) and holidays, and lots 1 and 2 charge $15 on summer weekends. A weekday in June or September gets you the long hours without the worst of the lines. In winter the park stays open and Cave of the Winds runs, but the boat does not.
Is a guided tour worth it?
On your own, a day on the New York side means parking, a Maid of the Mist ticket, a Cave of the Winds ticket bought in person for a timed slot, and possibly the trolley. None of it is complicated, but the lines add up on a summer weekend: the trolley often fills, Cave of the Winds tickets cannot be bought ahead online, and the boat boards strictly first come, first served.
A guided tour of the US side earns its price when it includes both the boat and Cave of the Winds and takes care of the timed entry. It is less useful if it includes only things that are free. When you compare listings, check:
- Whether the Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds tickets are both included, or only one.
- Which side the tour visits, and whether it needs a passport.
- The season: in winter the boat does not run, so a tour can only include Cave of the Winds and the viewpoints.
- Evening tours: whether they cover the illumination and, in season, the 10 p.m. fireworks.
The tours page lists the guided tours, jet boats and helicopter flights side by side, and our boat tours guide compares every way onto the water.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Park on Goat Island midweek. Lot 3 is free Tuesday to Thursday all year.
- Use the free viewpoints first. Prospect Point, Luna Island, Terrapin Point and the Three Sisters Islands cost nothing.
- Buy the boat ticket online. It does not save money, but the voucher is valid any day of the season, so the weather can decide your boat day.
- On the Canadian side, buy a pass if you will see two or more attractions.
- Watch the fireworks for free from Prospect Point or Queen Victoria Park.
Short answers on passports, prices and the season are on the FAQ page.