Niagara Falls

On our way back from Concord, NH to Cedar City, UT, we passed right by the Niagara Falls exit.  We decided spontaneously to stop for a quick look, since neither of us had seen them.  We stayed on the American side, since neither of us had our passports, so we were able to see the American Falls, a small part of the Bridal Falls, and the Horseshoe Falls.  It was very cold as it was early morning as we were passing through, but the falls were amazing to see.  I hear the Canadian side is an even better view…but oh well..we didn’t have much time.

From the U.S. side, the American Falls can be viewed from walkways along Prospect Point Park.  To walk from the parking lot to Prospect Point, take some pictures, and walk back to the car took us about 30 minutes.  It was a quick trip, but at least we can say we’ve seen the falls!

The Niagara Falls are massive waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York.

Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the border and American Falls on the United States side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls also is located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow,and almost 4 million cubic feet on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.

To see our pictures of Niagara Falls, click here!