The Complete Guide to Niagara Falls
The most powerful waterfall in North America — straddling two nations, shaping two centuries of history, and still thundering on.
Jaw-Dropping Facts
Discover what makes Niagara Falls extraordinary.
Massive Water Volume
Over 168,000 cubic metres of water thunder over the crestline every single minute during peak hours — around 700,000 gallons per second.
Horseshoe Falls Dimensions
The Canadian Horseshoe Falls drops an average of 57 metres (188 ft) and stretches approximately 790 metres (2,600 ft) wide — far larger than the American side.
Hydroelectric Powerhouse
Power plants on both sides produce nearly 4–5 million kilowatts of electricity — supplying over a quarter of all power used in New York State and Ontario.
Erosion in Progress
The falls erode roughly 30 cm (12 inches) per year — down from 90 cm historically thanks to engineering. At this rate, they’ll reach Lake Erie in about 50,000 years.
Fish Survive the Plunge
Fish regularly go over Niagara Falls and almost all survive, thanks to their ability to flow naturally with the current. Some are briefly stunned but swim away.
The Green Colour
That distinctive emerald-green hue comes from an estimated 60 tonnes of dissolved salts and extremely fine rock flour generated by the river’s relentless erosion every minute.
Four Great Lakes Drain Here
Water from Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie all drain through the Niagara River — representing nearly 1/5 of all Earth’s fresh water.
Night-Time Flow is Halved
Under an international treaty, flow over the falls is reduced at night so more water can be diverted for hydroelectric generation — the spectacle is managed for both power and tourism.
America’s Oldest State Park
Niagara Falls State Park was established in 1885 and designed by Frederick Law Olmsted — the same landscape architect who designed Central Park in New York City.
History
The story of Niagara Falls through the ages.
The Ice Age Gives Birth to Niagara
As glaciers melted, vast quantities of meltwater carved through the Niagara Escarpment, creating the falls. Southern Ontario was covered in ice sheets 2–3 km thick.
First Humans Arrive
The Paleo-Indian Clovis people were among the first inhabitants — nomadic hunters who witnessed the very birth of the falls, living on tundra and hunting caribou, mastodons, and elk.
Etienne Brule — First European
French explorer Etienne Brule is believed to have become the first European to see the falls. The Indigenous Iroquois name — Onguiaahra, meaning ‘Thundering Waters’ — appears on maps as early as 1641.
Father Hennepin’s Discovery
Recollet priest Louis Hennepin visited in December 1678 and published the first engraving of the falls in 1697. He was so awestruck he estimated their height at 183 metres — more than three times actual.
The War of 1812
The Niagara River became a frontline. The region saw fierce battles, and artifacts are still found along the riverside. Niagara-on-the-Lake was taken by American forces and later burned.
Tourism Begins in Earnest
The completion of the Erie Canal made Niagara Falls easily accessible for the first time. Within 50 years, tourism had increased tenfold to become the area’s dominant industry.
America’s First State Park
The Niagara Reservation was created — the very first state park in the United States. An early triumph of the conservation movement against commercial exploitation of the falls.
The Birth of Hydroelectric Power
Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse developed the world’s first large-scale hydroelectric power plant here. In November 1896, AC electricity was transmitted for the first time to Buffalo, NY — changing the world.
The Falls Are ‘Turned Off’
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a temporary dam, completely stopping flow over the American Falls for months. Engineers studied the riverbed. Two bodies were discovered in the dried-out falls.
Nik Wallenda’s Tightrope Walk
Nik Wallenda became the first person to walk a tightrope directly over the thundering Niagara Falls from the US to Canada, drawing a global television audience of millions.
Notable Figures
Remarkable people and events in the history of Niagara Falls.
Sam Patch — The Jersey Jumper
Constructed a platform 85 feet above the Niagara River and jumped in. He survived, returned days later to jump from 130 feet — and survived again. He became one of America’s first celebrities.
Blondin — The Great Tightrope Walker
Jean Francois Gravelet performed breathtaking tightrope walks across the Niagara Gorge during 1859–1860, thrilling tens of thousands. He even crossed blindfolded, on stilts, and pushing a wheelbarrow.
Annie Edson Taylor — First Barrel Rider
On her 63rd birthday, schoolteacher Annie became the first person to go over the falls in a barrel and survive. Days before, her cat was sent over to test it — the cat also survived.
Bobby Leach — The Steel Barrel
Survived in a crude steel barrel but spent six months in hospital with two broken kneecaps and a fractured jaw. Ironically, years later he died after slipping on an orange peel.
Kirk Jones — No Device Needed
Became the first person to survive going over Horseshoe Falls without any flotation device — he just swam over. Jones was fined $2,300 and banned for life from entering Canada.
Nik Wallenda — The Wire Walk
Seventh-generation member of the Flying Wallendas family walked a 550-metre tightrope directly over Horseshoe Falls from the US to Canada, watched live by millions worldwide.
The Falls That Power a Continent
Niagara Falls was the birthplace of modern electricity. Nikola Tesla’s vision transformed not just the falls, but the entire world’s relationship with power.
Power Generation
- 4–5 million kilowatts generated by both US & Canadian plants
- 50–75% of Niagara River water is diverted for power generation
- 1/4 of all power used in New York State and Ontario comes from Niagara
- 1896: World’s first large-scale AC electricity transmission to Buffalo, NY
- 1950 Treaty regulates water diversion between US and Canada
- Flow is reduced at night under treaty to maximise generation
Geology
- Formed 12,500 years ago when glaciers melted
- Originally located 11 km downstream at Queenston-Lewiston
- Horseshoe Falls erosion: ~30 cm/year (was 90 cm historically)
- Deepest section of Niagara River: 52 metres
- Water speed at crestline: up to 109 km/h (68 mph)
- Green colour = 60 tonnes/min dissolved salts & rock flour
Niagara Falls Trivia
Test your knowledge with these surprising and fascinating facts.
It’s NOT the world’s tallest
Around 500 waterfalls are taller. Venezuela’s Angel Falls stands at 979 metres — nearly 17 times higher. But none match Niagara’s combination of height and staggering volume.
Marilyn Monroe filmed here
The 1953 film Niagara starring Marilyn Monroe was filmed in Niagara Falls, Ontario — cementing the falls’ romantic and cinematic mystique worldwide.
P.T. Barnum wanted a circus here
The legendary showman proposed turning Goat Island into a circus ground. The idea was rejected, preserving it for the public as part of Niagara Falls State Park.
A golf ball was hit across it
In 2019, pro golfer Maurice Allen became the first person to hit a golf ball across Horseshoe Falls — a shot of 393 yards through the mist, landing on Goat Island.
It was ‘turned off’ in 1969
The US Army Corps of Engineers literally stopped the water over the American Falls by building a temporary dam. Two bodies were found in the riverbed during the process.
Black squirrels crossed the bridge
According to local legend, there were no black squirrels on the US side until the first suspension bridge was built — the squirrels crossed over from Canada, and you can still spot them today.
The Underground Railroad ran through here
Niagara Falls was a crucial stop on the Underground Railroad. The historic Village of Lewiston was the last stop before freedom in Canada.
It doesn’t actually freeze
The water flows too fast to freeze. However, in 1848 an upstream ice jam reduced the flow to a trickle for several hours — the only time in recorded history.
1/5 of Earth’s fresh water
The water comes from four of the five Great Lakes, which together hold nearly one-fifth of all the fresh water on the entire planet.
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