Maid of the Mist completes its final voyage from Canada

A Maid of the Mist tour boat travels along the Niagara River on the day that the tour boat company makes its final tour from the Canadian side of the Niagara River in Niagara Falls, Ont., Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013. (Aaron Lynett / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The Maid of the Mist, one of Niagara Falls most popular attractions, completed its final run on the Canadian side of the border Thursday.

The tour-boat excursions will no longer be sailing from the Canadian side of the iconic waterfalls. The business, which is owned by the Glynn family, will continue to operate from the U.S. side of the gorge and will depart from its dock just beyond the Rainbow Bridge.

The company announced earlier this week that they are extending their season for two days, offering free rides from the American side of the Falls on Oct. 25 and 26.

Tours departing from the Canadian side will be operated by Hornblower, a California-based company. Starting in the spring of 2014, three luxury catamarans will ply the lower Niagara River.

"These cruises offer the usual fantastic up close; get wet views of the majestic falls but will also offer sunset cruises and a firework cruise," according to a Niagara Falls Tourism blog post.

Two of the boats will carry approximately 700 people, and the third will be a smaller ship reserved for private functions.

The Maid, which first set sail across the basin of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls in 1846, currently runs two 600-passenger boats, the Maid VI and VII, according to Niagara Falls Tourism. The boats are powered using two 350-horsepower engines, helping to manouevre the vessels in the waterfalls’ powerful currents.

Considered one of the oldest tourist attractions in North America, the Maid of the Mist has carried a number of celebrities and dignitaries including Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana, former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt and Pierre Trudeau.