‘Lines ready – launch!” The gate in front of me shot open and I flew towards Niagara Falls. I was one of the first to try the Mistrider, a new parallel-line zipwire that hurls four people at a time for 670 metres past the American and Bridal Veil Falls towards the Horseshoe Falls, at speeds of up to 80km/h.
The three waterfalls comprising Niagara Falls straddle the US-Canadian border; the zipwire is on the Canadian side. While Niagara is by no means the world’s tallest waterfall (that’s Angel Falls in Venezuela), it is one of its most powerful, with more than 168,000 cubic metres of water surging through every minute.
“The neat thing about the zipline is that riders get a unique view of the falls,” said Tom Benson, CEO of Wildplay, the company that built it. This is true not just of the trip down, but of the viewing platform at the bottom, accessible only by zipwire. It perches over the Niagara river, close enough to Horseshoe Falls that I’m soaked in mist – and deafened by the crashing torrent.
The line wasn’t yet open to the public (it opened on 15 July ), but it looks set to be a hit: the test runs drew large crowds, and 800 riders a day are anticipated.
It isn’t as scary as it sounds, though you need a head for heights. The gorge is about 60 metres below the launch platform and you can control your descent, up to a point. My first time, I “starfished” (arms and legs out wide), which slowed me down and let me enjoy the view. On my second go, I “pencilled” (arms in, legs out straight), speeding ahead of my fellow riders for a bigger adrenaline rush. It takes about a minute to reach the bottom.
The Mistrider isn’t the only new attraction. Also open from yesterday is the Whirlpool Adventure Course, an aerial obstacle course above the Niagara rapids. It wasn’t ready when I was there, but I did go in a forklift truck to its highest point, 15 metres off the ground – with a further 76-metre drop down the gorge. The vantage point was dizzying and the course – log ladders, rope swings, tightropes and zipwires – looked a lot of fun. A more extreme version and a kids’ course are both opening soon.
This is big news for Niagara, where the classic trips seem to have been around for ever. The Whirlpool Aero Car, for example, celebrates its 100th birthday next month. Eight million tourists visit the Canadian side each year, but now Niagara Parks, the government agency that has run the region since 1885, is hoping to attract travellers who want more than a quick selfie.
Another change is in the food on offer. The town of Niagara Falls is all dull chains, but the five restaurants owned by Niagara Parks are all certified by Feast On, an Ontario scheme under which at least 25% of ingredients used have to be sourced locally – I’m told the real ratio is closer to 50%.
At the Queen Victoria Place Restaurant overlooking the falls, I had rainbow trout from Lake Huron ($21) and a glass of riesling from nearby Ravine Vineyard. In town, independent restaurant AG has a “field to fork” menu, using ingredients from local farms and wines from the Niagara region. There is even a craft brewery, the Niagara Brewing Company, which serves beer flights ($8.95) and makes a welcome alternative to the Hard Rock Cafe and its ilk. The brewery opened last year on what was the World Wrestling Entertainment shop – a neat example of how the city is changing.
Niagara is clogged with cars, but driving isn’t necessary: there’s a hop-on, hop-off bus, the Wego, plenty of places to hire bikes, and a 53km Niagara River Recreation Trail to cycle along, plus 15km of hiking footpaths through the glen. The area went car-free for Canada Day (1 July), and plans to make that a regular occurrence.
Other events have included a pilot yoga class by the falls on international yoga day (19 June). A food festival is taking place in the botanical gardens in September; there are summer gigs in the parks; and a host of activities for Canada’s 150th anniversary next year. The souvenir shops are gradually adding locally made items that people might actually want to own, rather than snow globes and cheesy T-shirts.
There is a long way to go. The overall impression is still of neon, kitsch attractions (two waxwork museums!) and bad burgers. And, given the choice, I would rather stay at lovely Niagara-on-the-Lake, 22km away, than in the city. But it’s a start – even, for riders of the new zipwire, a flying start.
• Accommodation was provided by the Crowne Plaza hotel (doubles from £78, crowneplaza.com). Flights were provided by Air Canada (from £370 return from London to Toronto, aircanada.com). Activities and some meals were provided by Ontario Travel (ontariotravel.net). The Mistrider zipline costs from $50pp and the Whirlpool Adventure Course from $40, book at wildplay.com. A two-day Adventure Pass Plus for attractions and bus travel is $85 (niagaraparks.com).
