Trip Report: Niagara Falls

Planning Flights to Toronto, ON
LAX-DFW on a 767-300, or not
DFW-YYZ on new AmericanAir A319
Prince of Wales Hotel
Niagara Falls
YYZ and American Air 737-800

This was my first time seeing Niagara Falls and nothing could have prepared me for it.  From miles (or kilometers, if you prefer) away, the spray from the falls can be seen like a dense mist that hangs in the air.  The drive from Niagara-on-the-Lake was along the Niagara River and I have no doubt that it is quite beautiful at certain times of the year.  When I went, it was a typical Winter day.  Even though it wasn’t snowing or raining, it was very overcast which made everything a cold gray color with very little contrast.

We found parking slightly north of the falls, almost directly across the river from the American side of Niagara Falls.  The falls are separated by a small island, which also separates Canada from the United States.  On one side is Canada and is where “Horseshoe Falls” is.  On the other side of the island is the United States and the falls are much less spectacular.

While we were walking over towards the main part of the waterfall, the wind was blowing in such a manner that the spray was low and blowing across the walkway.  If I didn’t have respect for Niagara Falls before, I certainly did walking through the spray.  It was like nothing I experienced before.  It was very dense but also fine.  The temperature was below freezing so the water was probably at least partially frozen.  I wasn’t able to get a good picture of it as it just looked like a big fog-like cloud.

What I wasn’t prepared for was how frozen everything was.  There was literally a layer of ice on everything.  It actually had a sense of beauty to it. I also realized that I’m very happy I don’t live someplace where I’d have to deal with this kind of weather.

Not only was the sight of the falls amazing but the sound of it was overwhelming as well.  It’s a constant low roar.  I don’t usually post videos but I think this time is appropriate as ever.

You have to be there to realize how much power Niagara Falls has.  I experienced this in the late Fall when the water volume is near the lowest.  I would love to go back in the Spring or perhaps early Summer to see how much more water is flowing.