What’s black and white and covered in Niagara Falls mist all over? My dog in the winter, walking along the Niagara Parkway in Niagara Falls, Ontario, during the season when white frozen chunks of ice make the mighty Falls look like a Group of Seven painting.
I loved the view – my dog almost loved the view too much when she tried to jump on the ledge overlooking the gorge below. I didn’t let her, obviously. But birds are a powerful draw for an energetic spaniel who stayed on the safe side of the Niagara Falls barrier for the rest of our jaunt.
The Niagara Falls wide pedestrian walkway from Clifton Hill to Table Rock Welcome Centre is a visually spectacular dog walk, and even better during March when room permits her erratic spaniel walking style, more interested in sidewalk smells and discarded fast food bags than one of the greatest natural wonders of the world.
Niagara Falls Dog Walk
The 57-metre-high Canadian Horseshoe Falls, feeding the Niagara River and powerful enough to generate electricity for both sides of the border, is spectacular. The water’s echoing roar dominates the soundscape and ice freezes for months along cliffs – I’ve seen The Falls many times in all seasons, including during the annual holiday light show, but this is my first time walking this route with a dog in tow.
Today is my adventurous spaniel’s first Horseshoe and Bridal Falls experience, despite having been to the area several times, but only to a conservation area and dog-friendly shopping mall. Turns out, an unseasonably warm day in late winter was the best time to run my high-energy sprocker along the Niagara Parkway, still very popular with tourists despite being ‘off season.’ Summer, however, is a lot more crowded.
Off-season Best Dog Season
With fewer tourists here today, we had room to navigate the wide walkway beside a surprisingly short decorative metal fence with a natural-stone base separating viewers from a straight grassy drop-off into the tumultuous Niagara River below. During the summer, it’s a well-gardened photo-worthy paved walk.
A cement barrier separates pedestrians from traffic winding along the curvy street. In March, though, the grass is brown and dotted by patches of melting snow – something my dog loves sniffing through. I’m glad there’s a cement partition between her and the cars.
The road and walkway along the Canadian side of Niagara Falls could have been developed as an eyesore of a tourist attraction right next to one of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls.
Yet it isn’t. And that’s largely thanks to the Niagara Parks Commission established in 1885. Niagara Parks is a self-funded provincial agency, no tax dollars but not private either. And that combination likely saved the parkway along Niagara Falls from a fate similar to the Las Vegas Strip (although Niagara Falls, Ontario, does have two provincially-owned casinos).
History of Niagara Parks
The story begins with the creation of the Niagara Parks Commission in 1885. At the time, Niagara Falls was becoming a tourism sensation, but much of the land around the river was privately owned and cluttered with mills, factories, and commercial buildings that blocked the view.
Reformers feared that the natural wonder could be swallowed by unchecked development. The solution was radical for the era: the provincial government established a public park system to preserve the landscape along the river and guarantee access to The Falls for everyone.
And parks and landscaping are good for dogs.
The other advantage of visiting off-season is that it’s easier to find parking near the base of Clifton Hill near Niagara City Cruises, which starts running again in May. This is a good starting point for the part of the promenade where visitors walk, pausing for photos, to the best view of the Horseshoe Falls: outside of the Table Rock Welcome Centre and Restaurant.
Pet dogs aren’t permitted inside Table Rock, but there are picnic tables outside. The entire route, at a brisk (but not direct) spaniel pace, is 30 to 40 minutes (and parking meters are paid in 30-minute increments). Note that during the summer season, parking is very expensive here. Most rely on the WEGO bus system to take them up and down the Parkway.
Is the WEGO dog-friendly?
Not really. The WEGO is only pet-friendly for very small dogs. According to the Niagara Parks Commission, “Non-certified small dogs and animals are allowed on all WEGO operated buses provided they are in actual animal carriers. The animal must be in the carrier and carried at all times by the passenger, cannot bother other passengers, cannot take up a seat and cannot cause an obstruction in the aisle.” So, a no for my 16 kg pup, and I don’t carry a carrier with us. No reason to.
But if you and your pup are up for a good walk, it’s possible to walk even further, and longer, along the edge of the Niagara River, thanks to good design and slightly less people congestion off-season.
Final Fun Fact
An interesting historical twist about this area is that the parkway’s philosophy influenced other scenic roads around the world. The idea that a roadway could be designed primarily for beauty and public enjoyment—rather than speed or commerce—helped inspire later parkway systems, including elements of those developed by planners like Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed the first state park on the United States side of The Falls in 1885.
Today, however, we’re sticking to the Canadian side only (and attending the Connections Pet Expo – more about that soon on dogtrotting.net). And we’re enjoying a late-winter dog walk along the Niagara Parkway between Clifton Hill and the Table Rock. I’m taking in the dramatic views of the misty, ice-rimmed falls while my energetic spaniel sniffs every questionable corner of a well-walked route that’s attracted tourists from around the world, with or without their pups.
Writer bio: Sherri Telenko has been a professional writer for decades and a travel writer for the last two. She’s a member of TMAC (Travel Media Association of Canada) and Dog Writers Association of America and travels almost weekly with her canine companion, Victoria.Contact Sherri at dogtrotting.net here. All written content is original, written by a person, and based on experience and research. Please subscribe!
