How far are the Niagara Falls moving back each year?

Retreat for the last 500+ years was between three to five feet per year; the rate now is estimated to be about one foot per year. Climate change models predict drier conditions in the Great Lakes watershed in the future, potentially slowing the rate of erosion and retreat of Niagara Falls.



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During the last 200 years the Falls have been moving steadily upstream. The Horseshoe Falls has receded 865 feet since 1764. Although much has been done in the last 100 years in the way of engineering, if left unchecked the river will eventually drain Lake Erie.

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From the time of the end of the last North American ice age, when the Niagara River began taking its current day path from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, the crest of The Falls has migrated about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) from its original location near Queenston-Lewiston to today's Horseshoe Falls crest location.

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The falls could be replaced by a series of rapids. 50,000 years from now, at the present rate of erosion, the remaining 20 miles to Lake Erie will have been undermined. There won't be a falls anymore, but there will still be a river at work.

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But no feat has attracted more visitors than a scientific survey conducted in 1969. That year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers turned off American Falls. The engineers wanted to find a way to remove the unseemly boulders that had piled up at its base since 1931, cutting the height of the falls in half.

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Quick Facts About Niagara Falls
  • The Falls at Niagara are about 12,000 years old.
  • Falls were formed when melting glaciers formed massive fresh-water lakes (the Great Lakes) one of which (Lake Erie) ran downhill toward another (Lake Ontario). ...
  • Currently, Niagara Falls wears its way back another approximately 1 foot/year.


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Nikola Tesla designed the first hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls, New York which started producing electrical power in 1895. This was the beginning of the electrification of the United States and the rest of the world.

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The lights by the Falls are turned off at midnight, though tourists can still be found walking around then. It's best to be on guard at all times and stay in well-lit areas in order to feel safe in Niagara Falls.

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From trophy trout and salmon to smallmouth bass and walleye, every species of fish that swims in the Great Lakes can be found in the waters around Niagara Falls USA. Book a charter, find a scenic stretch of shore or sign up for a derby — you're sure to find your own perfect watering hole.

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The verdant green color of the water flowing over Niagara Falls is a byproduct of the estimated 60 tonnes/minute of dissolved salts and rock flour (very finely ground rock) generated by the erosive force of the Niagara River.

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Since 1850, more than 5,000 people have gone over Niagara Falls, either intentionally (as stunts or suicide attempts) or accidentally.

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The water flow would concentrate in this notch like the blade of a buzz saw, and cut upstream at maybe 15 feet a year. That could create a big change in the next 1,000 years. Horseshoe Falls would retreat far enough to steal the water flow from American Falls. There could be only one fall left.

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All the Niagara Parks attractions, like Journey Behind the Falls and the Whirlpool Aero Car, and beautiful gardens like Oakes Garden Theatre are owned and operated by Niagara Parks.

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An area 12,300 years in the making, Niagara Falls is a natural wonder unlike any other. The history of Niagara Falls goes back thousands of years, to the Ice Age, when large torrents of water were released from the melting ice, draining into what is now known as the Niagara River.

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Angel Falls, Venezuela Beginning with the one that is the tallest uninterrupted waterfall, at the height of 3,200 feet, Angel Falls is the largest waterfall in the world.

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People do not recommend swimming in the Niagara River, nor is it allowed in most areas. The river has strong currents, turbulent rapids, and unpredictable undertows, especially in the Lower Niagara River below Niagara Falls.

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The fresh water that plunges over Niagara takes around 685,000 gallons (2.6 million litres) of water from four great lakes: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan Lake Huron and Lake Erie - in fact, ? of the world's fresh water is found in these four great lakes.

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That's the question so many people ask when they take the Niagara City Cruise to the base of the falls. The building is the abandoned Ontario Power Company's generating station built in 1905.

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