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.

Since the end of the last Ice Age approximately 12,500 years ago, Niagara Falls has receded roughly 11 kilometers (7 miles) southward from its original location at the Niagara Escarpment (between Queenston, Ontario, and Lewiston, New York). As the glacial meltwaters carved through the bedrock, the falls eroded at a natural rate of about 1 meter per year. However, this geological retreat slowed significantly in the mid-20th century. Due to the diversion of massive volumes of water for hydroelectric power generation and the implementation of remedial engineering works to preserve the crestline, the current rate of erosion has been reduced to only about 10 centimeters (4 inches) per year. At this slowed pace, scientists estimate it will take another 50,000 years before the falls reach Lake Erie and effectively disappear into a series of rapids.