In North America, there are several sites that every human should witness before they die. The Grand Canyon, the Great Lakes, the giant sequoia trees of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Monument Valley in Utah, and—of course—Niagara Falls. You don’t have to throw yourself over the Falls in a barrel—as daredevil teacher Annie Edson Taylor did in 1901—but Niagara Falls should definitely be on everyone’s bucket list.
Here are five reasons why.
1. It’s a Natural Wonder of the World
There are few places that bring home the awesome power of Mother Nature quite like the breathtaking Niagara Falls. To give you some idea of the sheer power involved here, take into account that, every minute, 189,600 tons (tons!) of water flows over the Falls. That’s 750,000 gallons per second—which is why it has been a major energy source for both America and Canada for over half a century. In fact, Niagara Falls produces more electricity in New York State than any other source. Best of all, it’s clean hydroelectricity and kind to the environment.
There are few places that bring home the awesome power of Mother Nature quite like the breathtaking Niagara Falls. To give you some idea of the sheer power involved here, take into account that, every minute, 189,600 tons (tons!) of water flows over the Falls. That’s 750,000 gallons per second—which is why it has been a major energy source for both America and Canada for over half a century. In fact, Niagara Falls produces more electricity in New York State than any other source. Best of all, it’s clean hydroelectricity and kind to the environment.
2. It’s an American Institution
The 400-acre Niagara Falls site is the United States’ oldest state park and has viewing platforms in both Canada and the U.S.A. And while 140 acres of the Park are under water, the other 260 benefited from the landscape design of Frederick Law Olmsted—otherwise known as the visionary who designed Manhattan’s also-world-famous Central Park. The Niagara State Park was planned with the idea of immersing visitors in nature as much as possible and therefore has a multitude of footpaths and trails—one of which grants access to the Niagara Gorge.
The 400-acre Niagara Falls site is the United States’ oldest state park and has viewing platforms in both Canada and the U.S.A. And while 140 acres of the Park are under water, the other 260 benefited from the landscape design of Frederick Law Olmsted—otherwise known as the visionary who designed Manhattan’s also-world-famous Central Park. The Niagara State Park was planned with the idea of immersing visitors in nature as much as possible and therefore has a multitude of footpaths and trails—one of which grants access to the Niagara Gorge.
