There are several ways to get soaked at Niagara Falls, but the Niagara Falls Cave of the Winds tour on Goat Island in the Niagara State Park is the wettest.

The Niagara Falls Cave of the Winds tour takes you down a 180 foot elevator ride to the base of the Bridal Falls on the American side wearing a yellow rain coat. It becomes obvious as you walk along the wooden walkway towards the falls why you’re wearing a rain coat.

The Niagara Falls Cave of the Winds “Hurricane Deck” is correctly named as the swirling winds created by the torrent of foaming water crashing against the rocks completely soaks the on-lookers.

Participants can get as close as fifteen feet away from the falling water.  In fact, the Niagara Falls Cave of the Winds allows individuals to get as close to the actual Falls as any location on either side of the border.

Originally the Niagara Falls Cave of the Winds was an actual cave located behind the Bridal Falls. The cave went about thirty feet behind the Falls and was about fifteen feet wide. Eventually the cave was blocked by falling rock and finally in the 1950’s a series of slides made the entire area too dangerous for tours. At that point New York State created what is now the Niagara Falls Cave of the Winds by constructing wooden “Hurricane Deck” at the base of the Bridal Falls.

The “Hurricane Deck” is torn down every autumn by New York State Park maintenance workers and then reconstructed every spring. This is done because the heavy amounts of ice created by the falls in the winter would tear the deck apart. This has become a rite of Spring for Niagara Falls residents as they know the announcement that the deck is being built means warmer weather is on the way.