Niagara Falls - Heaven on Earth

The waterfalls of Niagara, voluminous and stunning, straddle between the national borders of the Canadian province of Ontario, and the New York State of the US. Formed by the receding glaciers at the end of the last ice age (nearly 10000 years ago) a..

The waterfalls of Niagara, voluminous and stunning, straddle between the national borders of the Canadian province of Ontario, and the New York State of the US. Formed by the receding glaciers at the end of the last ice age (nearly 10000 years ago) and the waters of the Great Lakes making their way through the Niagara Escarpment into the Atlantic, there is rearranged topography across the Escarpment. There are three main rock formations and erosion has never been even. The top rock was the erosion-resistant limestone and dolostone with softer rocks underneath it. Made of Shale, these also have some ancient fossils embedded in them.  With repeated partial erosion, large chunks of hard cap rock carved out the fall eventually.

The Niagara Falls is a highly potential source of energy and in 1881; the first hydroelectric generation station was built. It generated direct current electricity and ran mills and lit the streets of the nearby villages.  Currently, however, there are a number of hydro-energy power plants and Niagara is the largest electricity producer in New York State.
Ontario, Niagara Falls, and New York are connected with the help of three bridges - the Rainbow Bridge, the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge and the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge. Despite being an illegal act, there have been a few people who have intentionally jumped over to cross the falls and very few of them have survived.

Niagara Falls is the favorite spot for honeymooning, and an enormous tourist attraction. After the Marilyn Monroe and Joseph Cotten starrer film ‘Niagara' was released in 1953, the visits recorded at Niagara Falls were all time high, and have been so ever since. Most visits are during summer. On the Ontario side, there are floodlights which illuminate the foot of the falls well after dark, during the night hours.

For tourists, there are various walkways, also featuring a Prospect Point Park Observation Tower, and a boat dock. From the Goat Island, there are more views that are quite accessible with help of auto transport. Cave of the Winds are made accessible with help of an elevator reaching them to the point underneath Bridal Veil Falls. A lot of attractions are located within the Niagara Falls State Park such as the Power Portal, walking paths with the view of the gorge, Niagara River, rapids, and all falls. There are Helium Balloon Rides and Helicopters are offered, to a get a panoramic view aerially.

There is also the Niagara Gorge Discovery Centre which showcases the local history of the fall and the Niagara Gorge. There is a casino and luxury hotel in New York in the place where there was the Niagara Falls Convention Centre earlier. On the Canadian side, the Queen Victoria Park has gardens, platforms for clear views of the fall, walkways even underground to the observation rooms offering overhead (illusionary) view of the falls.

Niagara enjoys springs, summers, fall and generally harsh winters with moderate snow. There are mixed weather patterns seen here. The temperatures are increasing year after year and the rainfall is decreasing.

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