Key Annual Road Trip Vacation | Niagara Falls, ON and the Great Smokey Mountains, NC

We are back from an unforgettable road trip! We would love to share with you some of our personal photos from the trip all taken with our Fuji X100S and our iPhone 5. It was a hard decision not to bring our Nikon gear with us on the trip but it adds far less stress on us to just be the normal tourist with the point and shoot and actually we had a great time with the challenge of having just ONE camera. Doug also had our Go Pro for a few videos under the falls (thank goodness for the waterproof case). Anyway, we started our trip with a slightly late start Sunday night and headed to our halfway point, Columbus, Ohio. Normally we would be all up for the challenge of doing the entire drive in one day (roughly 12 hours to the Canadian side of the falls) but that would have put us there at 5AM and we like to sleep so we stayed in Columbus :-). We stayed on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls at the Marriott Hotel and had an absolutely fantastic view of BOTH falls from our room. All of the hotels on that side of the gorge had excellent views of both falls. Although it was slightly rainy the first day, it was a perfect 65 degree breezy day and it cleared up in the afternoon just in time for us to go behind the falls (yes, literally behind) and also go down to the base of the Canadian falls to experience the power and mist of the water. It was incredible. We also toured Table Rock and were amazed at the idea that in even just a few hundred years the falls quite possibly will look very different due to falling rock and erosion. The power and the size of the falls was something I never got over even after staring at it for two days it just constantly amazed me. We of course did the boat tour to the base of both falls (Maid of the Mist is on the United States side, the Hornblower is on the Canadian side). We opted for the Hornblower as both take the same route. We only snapped a few cell phone pictures on the boat itself due to the crazy mist and wind. Doug and I also got in touch with our inner child as we got in a round of mini golf (and yes, I won) and rode the Sky Wheel which overlooks both falls and was an incredible experience. The weather was cool and never topped 75 degrees. This place is a must see but note a few things:

-It is expensive as all crazy to use your cell phone (we put ours in airplane mode) across the border.
-You need a passport to cross over the border and be aware of things you can and cannot bring over
-Clifton Hill has a TON of activities for kids and a lot of attractions and places to eat but can be very pricey (everything is mostly in US and Canadian dollars)
-The WEGO bus line will be your best friend, otherwise be prepared for a long uphill/downhill 1.5 mile walk from the hotels to the falls. It looks MUCH closer than it is
-There is NO tall barrier between the falls and well, death. The barrier is roughly waist high on an adult. I was actually very shocked by this but TWICE Doug and I saw two separate kids start to climb up the rock divider and thankfully their parents catching them before we could even shout. If you take active children there keep a close eye on them because the drop is steep and in most places hits direct water. We saw a few adults actually standing on the barrier and we came to find out later that some tourists had fallen over doing this. We passed on this adventure. The power of the water alone demands respect.
-Yes, the water is REALLY green. From what we read about the falls it is due to minerals and materials in the water.
-Yes, MANY people have died going over the Canadian Falls. We didn’t read about anyone attempting the American Falls (as its rocky base is the likely deterrant).

We left New York and headed south to the North Carolina Side of the Great Smokey Mountains. We attempt to go to this area at least once a year if not every other as I have some very dear family in the area we love to visit. Although visiting was the main goal of the trip we also stopped by some favorite spots. Since I have been going to this area since I was a kid I am very familiar with some of the great spots including Deep Creek in Bryson City, the Road to Nowhere (with great views of Lake Fontana) and Highlands (think awesome waterfalls). Below is a list of waterfalls we got to shoot on our trip:

Mingo Falls-Big Cove Road
Tom Branch Falls-Deep Creek, Bryson City
Indian Falls-Deep Creek, Bryson City
Dry Falls-Highlands
Sliding Rock-Highlands
Culusaja Falls-Highlands
Silver Run Falls-Cashiers (we had to visit this one in some rain but it was definitely worth it!)

If you are ever in the Smokey Mountain area, avoid the tourist traps of Gatlinburg and head over to the other side of the park. There are GREAT views and awesome times to be had and we absolutely love Bryson City and its unique places to eat and shop. We hope you enjoy some of our vacation pictures. We also stopped by Nashville, TN on our way back for a little sightseeing. Thanks for reading! We will be back in full wedding season this coming weekend, really looking forward to it!

-Kate