Niagara Falls

Three waterfalls along the Niagara River drop over a combined height of fifty meters, with Horseshoe Falls, American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls moving one of the largest water volumes in North America. The horseshoe-shaped section extends about eight hundred meters across on the Canadian side, while the other two sections sit on United States territory.

The site formed about ten thousand years ago during the Wisconsin glaciation when melting ice sheets carved through the Niagara Escarpment. Hotels and observation points appeared on both sides of the border in the early nineteenth century, and the first hydroelectric plant opened in eighteen eighty-one, followed by additional facilities that drove industrial growth and led to international agreements on water distribution between the two countries.

Painters, novelists and explorers have traveled to the falls since the nineteenth century, and the place remains a symbol of the North American natural world. Stunt performers have crossed the gorge on tightropes and ridden over the drop in barrels, adding layers of legend to a site that also became a popular honeymoon destination and now welcomes millions of visitors from around the globe each year.

Viewing platforms, boat tours and underground tunnels on both sides offer different perspectives, with the Canadian side often providing better panoramic sight lines. April through May and September through October bring smaller crowds and comfortable temperatures, and both cities offer public transit, parking and accessible paths to main viewing areas, though rain gear helps for close approaches.

The flow processes more than one hundred and sixty thousand cubic meters of water per minute during peak hours and generates hydroelectric power for both countries, with diversion at night and in winter for electricity production. Erosion has caused the drop to migrate about eleven kilometers upstream over thousands of years, offering a natural laboratory for studying waterfall retreat.