Niagara Falls is a popular tourist attraction all year round.  Over 14 million tourist visit the Canadian side of the falls each year.  As a result, we are able to offer our tour from Toronto everyday including public holidays and during cold winter days. There are three key sections that make up Niagara Falls. The American Falls is located between Luna Island and Prospect Point on the American side. Bridal Veil Falls is located between Luna Island and Goat Island on the American side. Horseshoe Falls is located between Goat Island and Table Rock on the Canadian side.

Make Niagara Falls your next vacation destination. Book tickets online and save or call toll free 1(877) 735-9110 for assistance with reservations and group bookings.

History of Niagara Falls

The Niagara River, as is the entire Great Lakes Basin of which the river is an integral part, is a legacy of the last Ice Age. 18,000 years ago southern Ontario was covered by ice sheets 2-3 kilometers thick. As they advanced southward the ice sheets gouged out the basins of the Great Lakes. Then as they melted northward for the last time they released vast quantities of meltwater into these basins. Our water is "fossil water"; less than one percent of it is renewable on an annual basis, the rest leftover from the ice sheets.

The Niagara Peninsula became free of the ice about 12,500 years ago. As the ice retreated northward, its meltwaters began to flow down through what became Lake Erie, the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, down to the St. Lawrence River, and, finally, down to the sea. There were originally 5 spillways from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. Eventually these were reduced to one, the original Niagara Falls, at Queenston-Lewiston. From here the Falls began its steady erosion through the bedrock.

Niagara Falls Frozen

Niagara Falls in 1898

Ice is Melting

How Tall are Niagara Falls

If you read several Niagara Falls  informational placards, books and visitor's guides, you're bound to notice that many of them have different values for the height of the Falls. Which one is correct? Actually, all of them. Since the water flowing over the Falls is highly variable, depending on how much is diverted for power generation as well as seasonal flow, the depth of the water at the crest of the falls, as well as the water level at the pool below can vary, affecting the overall size of the Falls.  During peak tourist season, when the Falls see high volumes of water, there is a slight bump in elevation, as the depth of water at the crest increases by several feet, but this is offset greatly by an increase of water in the pool at the base. So as the water flow increases, the height of the fall decreases.

Take a look at the diagrams below to get an idea of the size of the falls during a typical summer day: