Bridal Veil Falls is the smallest of the three waterfalls at Niagara Falls, dropping 78 feet straight down onto a pile of fallen rock in Niagara Falls State Park, New York; measured to the river, the fall is 181 feet. It pours off the American side between Luna Island and Goat Island and visitors can walk right up to its base on the Cave of the Winds boardwalks.
The falls
The crest is only about 56 feet wide and faces northwest. Like the neighboring American Falls, it starts with a clean vertical drop of 78 feet, then the water crashes down a slope of fallen boulders to the Maid of the Mist pool, 181 feet below the crest in all. Luna Island, about 130 feet wide, is all that separates it from the American Falls. Its flow isn't gauged apart from the American Falls.
Getting there
Niagara Falls State Park is free to enter. Lot 2 on Goat Island is the park's recommended parking for Cave of the Winds; in 2026 it cost $10 a day, or $15 Friday to Sunday from May 22 to October 11. From Goat Island a footbridge crosses to Luna Island, which stands right beside the crest. To reach the base, Cave of the Winds takes visitors 175 feet down by elevator, then along wooden walkways to the Hurricane Deck, within feet of the falling water. Tickets in 2026 were $23 for adults and $19 for youth in high season, $14 and $10 in low season.
When to go
The falls run year-round. The full Cave of the Winds walk to the Hurricane Deck runs from May through October; in winter a shorter Gorge Trip shows the falls from observation platforms with less spray. The decks are taken down each fall because of ice and rebuilt each spring.
On site
Expect to get soaked on the Hurricane Deck, which is compared to a tropical storm even on calm days. A poncho is included, but the famous sandals are no longer handed out, so bring footwear that can get wet. The attraction is listed as wheelchair accessible.
History and name
The name comes from the fall's lacy look. It has also gone by Luna Falls and Iris Falls, and Luna Island is said to be named for the lunar rainbows seen in its mist at full moon. A cave behind the falls, found in 1834 and first called Aeolus's Cave, drew guided tours from 1841. A rockfall stopped them in 1920. From 1924 visitors walked on decks in front of the falls, and in 1954 another rockfall, followed by dynamiting of an unsafe overhang, destroyed the cave for good.
Nearby
The American Falls is about 0.1 mile away, across Luna Island, and the Horseshoe Falls is about 0.4 mile away at the far end of Goat Island. Spring Cave Cascade is about 5.4 miles off.
Distances are straight-line.