The mist hangs in the trees at Terrapin Point, a cloud you see from the road. From the brink, Horseshoe Falls is a white wall into the gorge, and the spray soaks a jacket on the walk.
Cave of the Winds puts you in the spray at the base of the drop. Maid of the Mist runs into the cloud under the Horseshoe and comes back wet. Plan on a full day in the park for the two of them.
Niagara Falls State Park does not allow camping of any kind. The overnight is Four Mile Creek State Park in Youngstown, about 20 minutes north, electric sites on the Lake Ontario shore. The water is in front of the sites, and the night sounds like the lake.
Camping runs mid-May through early October. In summer the site is the first booking, and the van is the second. Youngstown is also where the fort and the wine trail start.
Fort Niagara, Lewiston, and the Niagara Wine Trail
Robert Moses Parkway runs north to Youngstown, where Old Fort Niagara stays open year-round. Lewiston is between the Falls and the fort, with Artpark's summer concerts and festivals.
The Niagara Wine Trail follows the escarpment for about 60 miles through Niagara, Orleans, and Monroe counties. Tasting rooms and harvest weekends make it a full day in the fall.
Lockport's Flight of Five is the eastbound day. The five original lock chambers climb the escarpment, and life-size lock-tender sculptures line the walk.
Whirlpool and Devil's Hole
The Niagara River bends hard through the gorge, and from the rim trail at Whirlpool and Devil's Hole you watch it stand up in waves. As of September 2026, the lower rapids trail is closed for rockfall, so the walk stays on the rim.
The Canadian parks over the Rainbow Bridge belong to a St. Catharines trip. Whether a rental van can cross is a question for the listing.
Golden Hill State Park and Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse
Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse is decommissioned, and it still owns the Lake Ontario bluff at Golden Hill State Park in Barker. The campground and yurts are in the trees below the tower. This is the second night on the lake, the one you book when you want the lighthouse or when Four Mile Creek is full.
Camping and lighthouse tours run mid-May through mid-October, with tours weather permitting. The Lighthouse Cottage sleeps 6 with a two-night minimum. If you need more bunks than a campervan, look at RV rentals in New York.
If the week turns south, start from Buffalo.