The Niagara Parkway runs 56 kilometres along the Canadian side of the river, from Fort Erie in the south to Niagara-on-the-Lake in the north. Winston Churchill is said to have called it the prettiest Sunday afternoon drive in the world. A century later it still holds up, and it costs nothing but petrol and a free afternoon.
What to stop for, heading north from the falls
- The Floral Clock, a working clock face planted with thousands of bedding plants, swapped out twice a year.
- The Butterfly Conservatory, a warm glasshouse with hundreds of free flying butterflies, good on a rainy day.
- The Niagara Glen, where a stairway drops into the gorge and onto trails along the rapids.
- Queenston Heights, a quiet park on the escarpment with a War of 1812 monument and long views over the lower river.
Where it ends
The road finishes in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a small town of heritage storefronts, wineries and the Shaw Festival theatre. Plan to arrive in the late afternoon, walk Queen Street, and have dinner before heading back. The drive is gorgeous in either direction, but the light on the river late in the day is the reason to do it northbound.
Drive it slowly. The speed limit is low for a reason, cyclists share the road, and the whole point is to not be in a hurry.
