Descend 180 feet beneath the historic Niagara Parks Power Station to discover the 2,200-foot-long tunnel (670 meters) that lies under Niagara’s cathedral of power on the Canadian side of the falls.
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The tunnel beneath the Niagara Parks Power Station was first excavated in 1901. It took thousands of workers four years to dig the tunnel with the help of only lanterns, rudimentary dynamite, pickaxes and shovels.
The tunnel served as an exit point for the water used in generating hydropower for over a century.
Before reaching the tunnel, visitors to the power station are shown a scale model of the massive engineering works that went into converting the pounding waters into electricity. Operated from 1905 until 2006, the power station diverted water from the mighty Niagara River to run giant generators.
After the Niagara Parks Power Station stopped running in 2006, it sat untouched for several years.
The station opened for tours years ago, after Niagara Parks Commission decided to give it a second life as a tourist destination. But the tunnel has been closed for the past 16 years. Now, the 2,200-foot-long tunnel has reopened as a museum and viewing point for visitors to the falls.
Make your way down into the tunnel in a glass-enclosed elevator and prepare to witness a breathtaking panoramic view of the falls from the viewing platform at the edge of the Niagara River.
You are about to embark on an incredible journey through a 115+ year-old tunnel, deep underground.
This all-new attraction uncovers a never-before-seen underground world and reveals more fascinating details about Niagara’s incredible story of power.
Learn how it expelled the power station’s spent waters back into the Niagara River, at the base of the falls.
At the end of the almost eight meters tall and six meters wide tunnel, you will reach a 65-foot (19 meters) viewing platform to absorb the beauty of Niagara Falls, with incredible views of both the Horseshoe and American Falls.
A visit to the power station and tunnel takes around two hours. To round out the power plant experience there is an evening show titled "Currents: Niagara's Power Transformed." The light and sound experience outlines the power plant's history and includes 3D projections of surging water, turbines and sparks of electricity.
If you purchased a regular ticket to the Power Station, a visit to the tunnel is included. Ticket prices range from $18.25 to $38, depending on when you go and if you would like a guided tour. Children 5 and under can go for free. ■