A slender splinter of rock perched right on the edge, where two waterfalls thunder at once — the broad American Falls off one flank and the lacy ribbon of Bridal Veil off the other, mist drifting up through the trees between them. Reached by the pedestrian bridge over the racing upper rapids onto Goat Island, it's among the most precarious, beautiful spots in the park. The name comes from a rare wonder: on a bright night, the moon can throw a lunar rainbow into the spray, hanging in the dark over the water. Olmsted deliberately designed this whole reservation to feel untouched and wild, as if no one had shaped it at all. It's also the launch point for the tour's tales of Niagara's daredevils — the tightrope walkers and the barrel riders who dared the gorge.
You made it across — over the pedestrian bridge, with the upper rapids tearing along underneath, onto Goat Island. Worth knowing: this island feels wild and forested for a reason. Olmsted designed the whole reservation to look like no one designed it at all — strip out the works of man, replant the native shore, and let the river do the talking. And now you've walked out onto Luna Island, this little splinter of rock balanced right on the edge. Look around — you've got two waterfalls at once. The American Falls thundering off one flank, and on the other, the slim, lacy ribbon of Bridal Veil. Mist drifting up through the trees. They named this place Luna because on a bright night, the moon throws a rainbow into that spray — a lunar bow, hanging in the dark over the water. You're standing in about the most precarious lovely spot in the park. Stay well back from those rails. Hang here a moment — Boone's got the wild ones for you now: the tightrope walkers and the barrel riders, the daredevils who dared this gorge and lived to brag, and the ones who didn't.
