You hear it from the car park: a deep, endless roar. Then you reach the railing and the river simply drops away, white water crashing into a cloud of spray that drifts across the gorge.

The falls

Niagara Falls State Park in Niagara Falls, New York, contains the American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls and part of the Horseshoe Falls. Horseshoe Falls, which straddles the border with Canada, is about 57 m high and 790 m wide, the most powerful waterfall in North America by flow. The American Falls drops between 21 and 30 metres because of the giant boulders at its base. Goat Island separates Bridal Veil Falls from Horseshoe Falls, and Luna Island separates it from the American Falls.

Olmsted's park

Before the park, private interests controlled the land around the falls and public access was limited. The landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted campaigned for their protection from the 1860s, and on 30 April 1883 Governor Grover Cleveland signed the law that created the Niagara Reservation in 1885. It is recognised as the oldest state park in the United States. Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed it to keep the scenery natural and free of commercial attractions. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1963.

Visiting

Entry to the park is free and it is open every day of the year. The Prospect Point lot, closest to the Welcome Center and the Maid of the Mist, costs about $10 to $15 a day; the Goat Island lot is best for the Cave of the Winds. The Maid of the Mist boat runs from about mid-April to early November, ponchos included. At the Cave of the Winds, the Hurricane Deck is rebuilt every season beside the Bridal Veil Falls.

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  Prospect Point Edge of the American Falls.
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  Goat Island Between the falls.
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  Maid of the Mist Boat to the foot of the falls.
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  Cave of the Winds Decks beside Bridal Veil Falls.