Niagara Falls Facts

Learn cool and interesting facts about Niagara Falls

Who was the last one to walk on a tightrope across Niagara Falls?

How long is the Niagara river?

The Niagara River is approximately 58 km (36 mi ) long and is the natural outlet from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.

Who was the first person to cross Niagara Falls walking a tightrope?

In 1859, Jean François "Blondin" Gravelet was the first person to walk a tightrope over Niagara Falls.

How far below the Horseshoe Falls brink does the Maid of the Mist get when stopped at the base?

The boat stops and lingers at the foot of the Falls, 170 feet (52 meters) below the brink.

Which big lake empties the Niagara River into?

Lake Ontario.

What is the volume of water flowing over the Niagara Falls?

3.160 tons of water flows through the Niagara Falls every second. This amounts to 75,750 gallons of water per second over the American and Bridal Veil Falls and 681,750 gallons per second over the Horseshoe Falls.

How old is Niagara Falls?

Approximately 5,500 years ago, the melted waters were again routed through Southern Ontario, restoring the river and falling to full power. The falls reached the whirlpool.

Why is the water so green?

The startling green color of the Niagara River is a visible tribute to the erosive power of the water. There are approximately 60 tonnes, each minute, of dissolved minerals. The color comes from the salts and "rock meal," a very fine ground rock that has mostly been obtained from the calcareous soil, but also possibly from the shales and sandstones under the calcareous cap in the falls.

What's the future of the Niagara Falls?

Today, the decline continues to deteriorate, but the rate has been greatly reduced as a result of flow control and diversion for the generation of hydropower. Recession for at least the last 560 years has been measured at 1 to 1.5 meters per year. The current rate of erosion is estimated at 1 ft per year and could likely be decreased to 1 ft every 10 years.
In view of everything, researchers speculate that America's Falls could perhaps dry up 2,000 years from now. It is a stationary function of the collapse of rockfalls and landslides, bearing less than seven percent of the flow before diversion; this bit of water is shallow and shallow and thus ineffective as a significant erosive force. It could seem like the Niagara Glen does today as a dry fall.

What is the length of brink?

1060 feet /323.08 meters

How high is Niagara Falls?

Height: 176 feet / 53.6 meters (due to rocks at the base actual fall is 70 feet/ 21.3 meters)

How far down is Niagara Falls?

167 feet = ~51 meters. According to Niagara Parks, the lowest point in the Niagara River is just below Horseshoe Falls, at 167 feet (51 m) deep — equal to the falls' height. The Niagara Gorge starts at the foot of the falls and ends at Lake Ontario, 7 miles (11 km) downstream

Can a fish be seen falling out of the Niagara Falls?

Fish from the upper Niagara River fall over the Falls and more than 90% of them survive the fall. In fact, some of the visitors to the Cave of the Winds were struck by falling fish!

Niagara River is not truly a river

The Niagara River flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, making it a straits in reality. A stretch is a naturally formed, typically navigable watercourse that connects two larger bodies of water; it is a watercourse that lies between two land masses. So, the 58-km Niagara River is actually a straits.

  • Niagara Falls State Park is America’s oldest State Park founded as the Niagara Reserve in 1885. More than 8 million visitors visit Niagara Falls State Park every year.

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