Niagara Falls Photos

A selection of photos of one of the most spectacular wonders of the world, the Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. (There are 36 photos in this photo gallery.)

Niagara Falls is one of the natural wonders of the world, only the Victoria Falls in Africa are larger. The Niagara Falls, on the Niagara River, are actually three separate waterfalls. The American Falls are between Luna Island and Prospect Point, the Bridal Veil Falls between Luna Island and Goat Island and the Horseshoe Falls (the Canadian Falls) are between Goat Island and Table Rock. Goat Island split the river into two channels which in turn created two falls, with Luna Island causing a narrow division between the American and Bridal Veil Falls. ... ...continue under photos...

... Together the two cascades are 1060 feet across the brink and 176 feet high, although the vertical fall is only about 70 feet due to the many rocks that have broken off over the years.

The spectacular Horseshoe Falls are 2600 feet along the brink and 167 feet in height. Before civilization came to the Niagara region the Falls must have been even more magnificent than they are today, because now there are power plants on either side of the Niagara River. The Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations on the Canadian shore and the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant on the American side generates about 4.4 Gigawatts of power, in fact the Niagara power stations supply a quarter of the electricity used in Ontario and New York State. The usual flow of water over the Horseshoe Falls is around 100,000 cubic feet per second, but at night the water is diverted into the hydro tunnels and the flow is cut to 50,000 cubic feet per second. Although the control by the Ontario Hydro and New York State Power Authority is necessary to provide this energy, the manipulation of the Falls could be compared to taming wild and free horses for domestic use. The twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, in Canada and Niagara Falls, New York. in the United States cover the land on both sides of the cascading water, and around 12 million people come to the Niagara region each year.

For over 10,000 years the aboriginals were the only people who knew Niagara Falls existed, then in 1604, some sources say, Samuel de Champlain discovered the Falls while exploring the wilds of Canada. Then Father Louis Hennepin, a Catholic priest, missionary and explorer, described the spectacle in 1679 in his journals. 12,500 years ago, after the ice from the Last Ice Age receded to the north and the Great Lakes were formed, the Niagara River began to flow northward from Lake Erie, through the Niagara Escarpment, to Lake Ontario. The river is 35 miles long and the total elevation drop is 326 feet. Originally Niagara Falls were near where Queenston, Ontario is now located and was only about 35 feet high but due to erosion of 5 feet each year, the Falls moved 7 miles upstream. Today, because of the water control the amount of erosion has been reduced to about 12 inches every 10 years. The Niagara Gorge below the Falls was formed when the river broke through a glacial blockage to an ancient gorge (St. David's Gorge) and the resulting convergence formed the famous Whirlpool Rapids, where waves can reach 20 to 30 feet high.

Visitors to the Niagara Region obviously come to see Niagara Falls, but there is so much more to see and do. Take a ride on the Maid of the Mist to get a close-up view of the Falls, or venture behind the Horseshoe Falls to see them from a different angle. There are the Niagara Park Botanical Gardens, great restaurants to savor and excellent live theatre. The Niagara World Wine Tours are the best way to visit the local vineyards and taste the wines of the area. Shopping in nearby Niagara-on-the-Lake is a fun experience, the town has an old world charm. The many landmarks and monuments are an easy way to enjoy history - Fort George, McFarland House and the Niagara Historical Society and Museum to name a few. To wind up the day a visit to the Niagara Falls illuminated with continuously changing lights is a delightful, romantic or fun sight depending on your mood. The illuminations were started in 1925 and have been fascinating visitors since then, regardless of age, race or nationality.