You need a full day for Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds, and the trails.

A full day — roughly 8 to 10 hours — is realistic if you want to do all three without rushing. You can squeeze it into 6 hours if you’re efficient and skip lunch, but you’ll feel it.

Maid of the Mist itself is about 30 minutes on the water, but the whole experience (waiting in line, getting the poncho, boarding, drying off) runs closer to 1.5–2 hours. Cave of the Winds is similar: walking down, the deck time, and the obligatory photo stop plus line takes another 1.5–2 hours.

The trails are where the time disappears. The three-mile Niagara Gorge trail or the paved rim walk each eat up 1–2 hours depending on how often you stop. Add bathroom breaks, food, and walking between attractions, and half a day is gone fast.

Better to have extra time than to feel rushed.