Niagara Falls

ErichSpiez's picture

Location

Ontario
Canada
43° 4' 42.996" N, 79° 4' 34.968" W
CA
General info: 

An unstoppable flow of rushing water surges over the edge with thunderous force. The mist rises for hundreds of meters as the waters collide. Niagara is not the tallest waterfall but it is the most powerful one in North America and among the three most powerful ones on the globe. Every second a whopping 7000 cubic meters (or more than a million bathtubs) of water plummets downward.

Despite the raw power of the falls, they are one of the easiest to access and view from all sorts of angles. The Niagara Falls consist of three separate waterfalls. From largest to smallest they are the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls.

The natural beauty of the Niagara Falls can sometimes be forgot due to the huge tourist industry around it. Nevertheless, these are one of the most spectacular natural wonders of the world.

Getting there: 

OWN CAR
There are several parking lots on Canadian and US sides. Parking costs $3 to $20 a day on either side of the falls.

BUS
The Bus Station is right across the street from the Amtrak station, about 3km from the falls. 4555 Erie Ave; 7am-10:30pm. There are several daily connections to Niagara Falls from the major cities.

TRAIN
Amtrak station is about 3km from the falls. Daily trains from Niagara Falls to Buffalo, Toronto and New York City ($63, nine hours).

PLANE
Niagara Airbus connects Niagara Falls to airports in Toronto($62 - 1½ hours) and Buffalo ($71 - 1½ hours) with frequent door-to-door coach service.

Costs: 

On Canadian side there is no fee to see the falls. On the US side the Niagara Falls State Park entrance fee is $36 for adults and $29 for children. 5 yrs and under for free.

There are loads of different activities around. Some examples with prices:
Maid of the Mist Steamboat cruise- Adults $17.00 US - Children $9.90 US
Grand Lady Lunch Cruise - Adults $45.00 Children $23.00
Rainbow Air Helicopter - 10 minute flight - Adults $105 US - Child $90 US (minimum two per flight)

Interesting places nearby

Maple Ski Ridge, located in the upstate city of Schenectady, has a snowmaking operation that covers 95 percent of the mountain covering 15 acres. Ski day or night.

BASE: 750ft
SUMMIT: 1200ft
VERTICAL DROP: 450ft

You can ski every night of the week at Marquette Mountain (and days too, of course) over 144 acres of terrain. The vertical is 650 feet. A back country ski zone is fun for advanced skiers and boarders.

Massanutten Resort in winter means days spent on a 1,100-foot vertical drop with great views of the Blue Ridge mountains. Ski down the 3,300- foot Diamond Jim or the 4,100-foot Para-dice.

BASE: 1315ft
SUMMIT: 3001ft
VERTICAL DROP: 1686ft

NO. OF. LIFTS: 2
Gondolas: 0
Chairs: 1
Surface: 1

McCauley Mountain Ski Center is a family area open an average of 105 days per year. BASE: 1562ft SUMMIT: 2250ft VERTICAL DROP: 632ft NO. OF. LIFTS: 5 Gondolas: 0 Chairs: 1 Surface: 4

Walter Schoenknecht, the visionary behind Mount Snow in Vermont, created Mohawk Mountain in the Southern Berkshires, in Cornwall, CT in 1947.