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Falling for the Falls
By ELLEN PERLMAN
Sheets of ice are forming on Lake Erie that will soon break up and flow toward the falls, crashing over the precipice. Ice turns rocks in the Niagara River into strange and mystical shapes. Mist rising from the cascading water freezes on nearby rock walls, trees and railings, creating fanciful designs. The water doesn't stop flowing over the falls, but everything around them is transformed. It's a world glazed by ice. The season of the deep freeze has been a local favorite for centuries. In the cold-weather equivalent of going over the falls in a barrel, winter visitors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries used to take daredevil walks across the ice bridge that would form in the river below the falls. "There were certain years when the ice stretched from shore to shore in a wild, rumpled mass," wrote historian Pierre Berton in Niagara, A History of the Falls. "When the bridge was pronounced solid, when all the small chunks of ice hurled over the Falls had congealed into a craggy expanse of hummocks and clefts -- men and women risked their lives in a race to be the first to cross." No one is permitted to cross the ice bridges anymore. It is not only safer to visit the frozen falls these days, it's warmer, thanks to a nearly universal feature of hotel rooms here: the hot tub. This is, after all, the honeymoon capital of the world. (Well, one of them.) After a day in the cold environs of the falls, a plunge into an in-room Jacuzzi is like a warm embrace, whether you are a newlywed or a solo tourist. Even better is when your Jacuzzi has a view, and with winter specials, you probably can afford one. I lucked into an executive suite with a panoramic, 28th-floor view of Horseshoe Falls, at half the regular price. In the morning, I took the "Journey Behind the Falls" tour, bypassing the empty maze of gates used to tame summer throngs and walking directly up to the ticket window. Summer visitors can wait up to two hours to go on the tour. Without the irritation of crowds, there is ample time to explore, in peace and from all sides, this natural wonder. Niagara Falls is not one place or one thing: It is two towns in two countries. It is also three separate falls, created from the waters of four Great Lakes pouring into the fifth, Lake Ontario. And it is a place of startling yin and yang. The falls are unequivocally magnificent. Yet a good portion of the Niagara River is lined with bright lights, ticky-tacky hotels and souvenir shops. The brute power and beauty of the falls incite reflection and awe. Yet the artificial surroundings assault the senses. It is like sampling fine wines and then cleansing the palate with lime Jell-O. Still, this geological marvel is worth pushing past the distractions. At their highest, the falls are 176 feet, the height of a 17-story building, and while about 50 other waterfalls are taller, only Victoria Falls in Africa is wider. I began my visit on the American side. The city of Niagara Falls, N.Y., felt rather desolate in late December, but it certainly is convenient to the falls. It took just a few minutes to walk from downtown to Niagara Reservation State Park, said to be the nation's oldest state park -- and designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who masterminded Central Park. Stepping onto a small bridge over the Niagara River, I looked down at the rapid current. White water was roiling so rapidly it made me woozy. Ahead I could see mist rising where the river tumbles over the edge. It was thick, like smoke from a fire, to the point that it obscured the sun, turning it into a grayish orb I could gaze straight into without squinting. I crossed the bridge onto Goat Island, a pretty piece of land in the middle of the river before it reaches the falls. This island has walking paths, exhibits and a 11/2-mile loop walk. The park rangers have to do battle with ice on these paths all winter. They usually win, except at Terrapin Point, the overlook to Horseshoe Falls. Some years, ice builds up to 10 feet high on that walk. At Bridal Veil Falls, I stood at the railing, thinking I was almost able to reach out and touch the rainbow arching over them. The falls were spitting distance away. I popped a quarter into one of those sightseers' telescopes and focused on a spot just before the brink. I felt like a sea gull aloft. But it felt dangerous there, as if I could be swept away in a flash. I moved the viewer around and my gaze settled on the casino and Planet Hollywood across the way, on the Canadian side. Yin dissolved into yang. I asked a ranger what the differences were between the American and Canadian sides. It turns out, not surprisingly, that New York State park rangers promote only the American side. But he did say he has found that people love either one side or the other: "No one's ever 50-50." The next day I visited Whirlpool State Park, Devil's Hole State Park -- both downriver from the falls -- and the New York State Power Authority's fun little museum on electricity and harnessing the power of the falls. Then I headed over to Niagara-on-the-Lake, a quaint town of small shops with a British feel. It was dark when I drove back to Niagara Falls, Ontario, for my stay on the Canadian side. I drove slowly down a Vegas-like strip of a main street, aflame with neon, wax museums and haunted houses. I passed block after block of flashing lights, marquees and signs until I reached a slightly calmer section of town, where I booked a room. In the morning, with the neon dimmed, the thundering water of the falls still mesmerized. Up close, Horseshoe Falls looked like a steaming, bubbling cauldron. A distinct rainbow graced the scene. Upstream, white water came rushing over the rocks toward the falls. Downstream, the water calmed and the Niagara looked like any other river -- only colder.
If you go:BEING THERE: Access to most views of the falls from the ground is free. Walk around Goat Island on the American side and Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. Rainbow Bridge connects the two countries, and it is possible to walk back and forth and view the falls from both sides in one day. The Skylon Tower on the Canadian side has an observation deck and revolving dining room (905-356-2651, www.skylon.com; admission $6.40). The International Winter Festival of Lights is on display on the Canadian side until Jan. 22 and includes motion light displays along the road by the falls. The Maid of the Mist boat tour on the river below the falls does not run in the winter, but the year-round Journey Behind the Falls on the Canadian side brings you not only behind Horseshoe Falls but to a lookout below the falls as well. Casino Niagara, Ontario, is open all seasons, 24 hours. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, is a quaint little town with a British feel and nice shops, a half-hour's drive away. Info: www.niagaraonthelake.com
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From the Times Travel page
From the AP |
- Ellen Perlman writes for Governing magazine in Washington, D.C.
