I'll be flying into Buffaloe on the 1st of June, and will be staying a night at the falls. I'm supposed to fly to Phoenix the next morning for a drive to the Canyons. I'm trying to see if I can do all the essential activities at the Falls (US side only) in that 1 day. Someone please provide some expert advise please?

One day should be plenty. Be sure to take the Maid of the Mist!

Yes, you can see the essential activities at Niagara Falls (US side only) in one day.

the best of the Falls is the Canadian side (that's seeing the falls from the front - on the US side you see it mostly form the top).

You don'ts say what time you arrive in Buffalo - is it very early am - so you do have day there? And what time do you have to leave for the airport the next day?

Have no idea where to reco you stay since the have only stayed on the Canadian side and have no idea of there are any decent hotels on the US side.

The obvious thing to do is trip on the Maid of the Mist (they leave from both sides). Other things I'm aware of are in Canada.

One more thought. After you take the Maid of the Mist be sure to go down to the hurricane deck ( I think that is the name ). You get a perspective of the power of the falls.

If you're only going to be on the US side you need to go to Goat Island. This is where you take The Maid of the Mist on the US side. Also, this is where you do The Cave of the Winds.
http://www.niagarafallslive.com/cave_of_the_winds.htm I can't recommend a hotel because we always stay in Canada. There are no hotels on the US side with a Falls view.

Niagara Fall State Park is lovely and this is where you access Cave of the Wind. I definitely recommend it since you can feel more of the force of the falls but Maid of the Mist is iconic and also recommend. You can easily walk across the Rainbow Bridge into Canada w/ your passport if you want to spend part of the day/nt there. Enjoy!

We don't know the citizenship of Soh (nor does it matter if the plan is to just stay in the US). Walking into Canada isn't necessarily the issue. If you are not a US citizen and don't have the correct multiple entry visa into the US then you could be stuck in Canada.

Just to clear up any possible confusion, Goat Island is where you access Cave of the Winds and Goat Island is part of the Niagara Falls State Park. http://www.niagarafallslive.com/goat...s_new_york.htm

Cave of the Winds is not to be missed. A number of years ago we ate in the restaurant in the park (not snack bar, actual restaurant) and we were very pleasantly surprised by how good it was especially for a state park.