"Niagara Falls, NY" a Niagara Falls Travel Page by Jimmy_Stimm

It wasn't until I was about 20 years old that I realized that I lived near a well known tourist attraction. Until then I assumed every po-dunk town had a massive waterfall located downtown. I mean, mine did. And so did the town next door, Niagara Falls, Ontario. So I figured if two neigboring cities had them, they all must have them.

The geographical location is great. It's about 20 minutes from Buffalo (home of the chicken wing), and and hour away from Toronto. Between the two cities you can always find something to do. Also about 20 minutes away is Niagara on the Lake. That's wine country. And a nice little village too.

Niagara Falls is a once great city that's fallen on hard times, economically speaking. We've had some nitwits in charge, but it's not all their fault. If you're a city in the state of New York and you aren't named after the state, you don't get too much attention from Albany. Niagara Falls State Park is the highest grossing state park in the New York, and gets the least back in return in terms of funding. Most of that money goes to NYC. But enough complaining...the immediate area around the falls is well kept and makes for great walks. There are plenty of walking trails that lead you around the park and to different views of the falls. Also, don't miss the Three Sisters Islands. My favorite part of the park.

The Niagara River is over 12,000 years old. About 150,000 gallons of water flow over the falls every second. This created a whole lot of erosion over the years. About seven miles worth (11km). Evidence of this erosion can be seen at the bottom of the American Falls where piles of rocks have broken off and landed below. The trail that the eroding Falls left behind is a great natural gorge. Miles of hiking and climbing can be done in the Niagara Gorge. It's nice down there. Pack a lunch and head down for a day of hiking. There are two or three sets of access stairways. This picture can be summarized in two words. Young and Stupid. The rapids that flow through the gorge are extremely powerful. I've read many o' newspaper articles about people trying to swim in the gorge and being sucked away. Which is why I have to question my reasoning of swimming out to this rock. This picture is of myself and some friends in the gorge. Actually, the water was quite calm and shallow in front of this rock so it wasn't all that dangerous. But I certainly wouldn't try it again. There are a few jet boat companies that offer boat rides through the rapids. It's both safe and fun.