Niagara Observation Tower

Niagara Observation Tower

The Niagara Observation Tower is located in the Niagara Falls State Park at Prospect Point and it offers tourists a great close-up view of the American Falls. That added beauty is that the view will only cost you one dollar.

The one dollar admission fee allows you to walk out onto the observation deck or take the elevator down to the base of the American Falls. Both the view from the top and bottom of the Niagara Observation Tower are a bargain and offer a thrilling experience.

The Niagara Observation Tower was erected by New York State in 1961 not long after the State completed the New York Power Plant down river. The Niagara Observation Tower remained as it was built in 61′ until it underwent a major face-lift in 2001. Today the tower stands 282 feet tall and offers a unique elevated and out-front view of the American Falls.

The Niagara Observation Tower is also the official entrance to the Maid of the Mist on the American side. The elevator takes you down to the bottom of the Niagara Gorge where you board the Maid of the Mist after paying an additional fee up top.

If you go down the elevator to the bank of the Niagara river you can follow the pathway to the base of the American Falls. You will find yourself standing next to huge boulders that were once up at the top of the Gorge, but have fallen due to the erosion of the American Falls.

Tourists can actually walk up a metal stairway that takes you about half-way up the Gorge, right next to the falling waters. While you are not quite as close as the Cave of the Winds on the other side of the American Falls, you can still stand just yards from the pounding cascade of Niagara.