Lodging Not a Drop in Bucket at Niagara Falls

From daredevils to honeymooners, Niagara Falls draws more than a million visitors per year. But it’s not always easy to find inexpensive, convenient lodging. On the Canadian side, in addition to Hostelling International facilities and campgrounds, a cozy tourist home is now being marketed to travelers on limited budgets.

The Niagara Falls Guest House (4487 John St.; telephone [905] 356-9037) is a two-story home operated by Lorenzo Siciliano. There are three double rooms for $18 a night per person and a four-bedded room for $15 per person. The guest house is more conveniently located to Niagara Falls sights than the HI-Niagara Falls hostel. You can see the falls from the foot of the street, and it’s a comfortable walk to the casino and amusements on Clifton Hill.

The HI-Niagara Falls is about a 25-minute walk from the falls and near a stop for the bus system known as the “people mover.” The hostel’s building is not appealing from the outside but is suitable inside. There are beds for 80 people, from $16.80 per night, in rooms shared by two to six people. It is at 4549 Cataract Ave.; tel. (905) 357-0770 or toll-free (888) 749-0058.

Bike rentals can be arranged through Wheelies Bicycle Rentals for $17 per day, with the bikes dropped off and picked up at the hostel. The hostel staff can also arrange minibus day trips to popular sites and wineries.

For those who prefer to camp, the closest of about eight facilities is the Glen-View Tent and Trailer Park at 3950 Victoria Ave. It’s about two miles north of the falls along Niagara Parkway. Sites start at $18.

You can drive or walk across the Rainbow Bridge between Canada and the United States. There is a Hostelling International facility in Niagara Falls, N.Y., at 1101 Ferry Ave. It’s a Victorian home in a residential area with 46 beds available for $13 to $15 per night. Two drawbacks to this location are that it’s closed from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and you would be several miles inland from the falls and popular sites.

In addition to the quirky museums, sky-high dining, a casino and the amusements that Niagara Falls is often identified with, there is an excellent self-funded park system that stretches 34 miles along the Niagara River from Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake. It features historic sites, nature walks, flower gardens, restaurants, picnic spots, a butterfly conservatory and a full-length bike trail. Winston Churchill called this route along the river and gorge “the prettiest Sunday drive in the world.”

It’s an ideal route to cycle. However, if you won’t be biking, you can still see the key sites between Niagara Falls and Queenston Heights economically by using the air-conditioned people-mover coaches that circle a 19-mile loop. Riders pay $3.25 once and can get on and off as often as they want during a day. The coaches stop at popular sites every 20 minutes.

One of the stops along the route is the Great Gorge Adventure, where you can experience the thundering power of the falls close up. For $3.75 an elevator takes you down to a riverside boardwalk. A little farther north at the Niagara Glen Nature Reserve, trail maps are available in a roadside gift shop, which will lead you down to the riverside. Free guided walks are conducted several times per day in the summer.

The Niagara Parkway and its accompanying bike path continue north, bringing you to historic sites such as Queenston Heights, which is dominated by the massive Brock monument. For hikers, this is the area where the Bruce Trail begins, Ontario’s oldest and most popular long-distance footpath. It follows the 500-mile rocky ridge of the Niagara Escarpment to Tobermory.

About four miles from Niagara Falls, at Line 8 (along the people mover system), you’ll reach Shalamar Lake Campground; tel. (905) 262-4895. This is the closest campground to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Tent sites start at $17.

As you continue north, you’ll also start to come across wineries, such as Reif Estate Winery at 15608 Niagara Parkway, tel. (905) 468-7738. It’s one of more than 30 wineries in the region. Tours are available at 1:30 p.m. between May and September. Ask at the winery for a free copy of the Winery Tours Map produced by the Wine Council of Ontario to find out about others.

The Niagara Parkway leads past an entrance to historic Fort George, positioned by the British to protect the mouth of the Niagara River and into Niagara-on-the-Lake. This was the original capital of upper Canada. It’s now popular for its theaters, boutiques and Old World charm.

Budget travelers hoping to take in some theater can try their luck at obtaining a discounted, same-day seat. Get them from the Festival Theatre box office, tel. (905) 468-2172, starting at 9 a.m. daily. Head along Queen Street toward the river, and after you cross Wellington, the theater will be on your right side. A further 50% discount is granted to students with valid university or college identity cards. There are also short plays that start at noon in the Royal George Theatre for $15.

One of the biggest thrills in the area is a jet boat ride at the falls. Niagara Jet Boating operates May to October at 61 Melville St.; tel. (905) 468-4800. The one-hour trip up the Niagara through the swirling rapids is $36 per person.

If you don’t have your own transportation to Niagara-on-the-Lake and you don’t want to bike, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Shuttle service, tel. (905) 358-3232 or toll-free (800) 667-0256, makes three trips in each direction, each day. The fare is $10 one way or $15 round trip. For students with ID, it’s $6 one way, $10 round trip.

There are no youth hostels in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Anchorage at 186 Ricardo St. (near the Jet Boat docks) is a two-story motel with patio dining. Rooms range from $26 November to April, to $62 in the peak summer months. Tel. (905) 468-2141.

Izon is a Toronto-based freelance writer. She can be reached at https://www.izon.com