Canada Travel
Sightseeing in
Niagara Falls is a year round event. Specialized winter
tours, winery tours, and tours of Niagara-on-the-lake make for
terrific all season adventures. Niagara's Tour Operators offers
exclusive, private "Niagara Adventures", to business and leisure
travelers, schools, corporate and community groups.
American Falls
- At 56 meters (180 ft) high, the American Falls
is slightly higher than its Canadian counterpart. Its crestline
is 328 meters (1075 ft) wide. The American Falls looks
spectacular at night, when it is lit with various combinations
of colored lights. Over the last century the American Falls has
undergone a dramatic face lift due to natural forces of erosion.
The natural bedrock is composed of soft shale and limestone.
Over the years the continual flow of water causes large sections
of bedrock to fall and remain at the base of the cataracts.
Geologists predict that eventually the American Falls will
transform into a succession of descending rapids. The diversion
of water above the falls has slowed the forces of erosion. It is
estimated that 75,000 gallons of water flow over the American
Falls each second, amounting to only 10% of Niagara's total
water flow.
Canadian Falls - About
12,000 years ago,
Niagara
Falls was 11 kilometers (7 miles) downstream from its present
location. Until the early 1950s, the Falls eroded at the average
rate of one meter (39 inches) per year. Since then, major water
diversions have spread out the flow more evenly, slowing the
rate of erosion at the Falls. These include the Sir Adam Beck #2
Generating Station (1954) on the Canadian side of the border,
the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant (1961) on the American side
of the Niagara River, and the International Control Works
(1954-1963).
About 30 million visitors cross
the border every year from the United States into Canada and an
additional 18 million visitors arrive by boat or airplane from
the USA and every other nation on earth.
Customs & Duties
- To enter into Canada, Americans are not required to have
passports. However, you must have personal identification that
proves citizenship, such as a birth certificate. Some country's
residents require visas. If you are unsure about any of these
requirements, it is best to check with the nearest Canadian
Consulate office before your trip to Canada.
