Lit up at night, the American Falls (at right) offer a spectacular view. The Rainbow Bridge connects the American and Canadian cities of Niagara Falls. Photo credit: Ellie Hilferty ©

By John Hilferty

NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario---First of all, my barrel would have a tiller and a rudder to steer me away from the treacherous American Falls, where a descent of any kind would meet with boulders the size of my hotel room.

Far better to tumble over the Horseshoe Falls, where water meets water, and where the crowds of falls-watchers could "ooh and ahh" from many angles. I might even get picked up by the Maid of the Mist, one of the small tug-like boats containing slicker-clad sightseers which sneaks up to the falls in 15-minute intervals.

If I survive the 170-feet plummet, which is a genuine crap shoot regardless of the choice of route, I wouldn't escape being arrested by the falls police, because what was a great daredevil thrill in the 1800s has become illegal a century and more later.

All of these thoughts flooded my mind after I had decided, like the thousands of other tourists who visited this fabled place on that hot August day, that after a half-hour of walking back and forth on the beautifully landscaped Niagara Parkway, snapping photos from every possible angle, the picture in front of me was not going to change.

The Niagara Falls are a one-trick pony. "There it is," I said to myself, turning away from the mist that threatens to soak the curious who get too close. Turning back several seconds later, I said, "There it is again, same as before, the same as yesterday, almost the same as a millennium ago!"

So why are we so mesmerized by falling water? Some of the tourists had come from halfway around the world to see this. What is it? It's 35 million gallons a minute spilling over a rocky cascade on the 35-mile long Niagara River flowing south to north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.

It is rainbows and mist, a low, steady roar that vibrates in your head. Nobody can stare for long at this powerful surge without feeling the knees quake a little. And from 531 feet higher than the base of the falls in the Minolta Tower at night, when the river goes ink-black and the mighty flood of water is illuminated by colored spotlights, you feel your tummy tumble, as if drawn into the abyss.

The falls are beautiful, for sure, but what compels you to stare is the power and fury, the shower of fine mist hurled up like a fisherman's net that soaks you through if you get too close. So let's get closer, like a boat ride on the Maid of the Mist ($9.55 U.S. for adults, $5.90 children aged 6-12). Or closer yet, the "Journey Behind the Falls" ($4.00) through 620 feet of man-made tunnels. You are in the midst of a maelstrom, a violent storm, the hurricane's roar, but observing from safe, though wet, platforms.

To appreciate the area to your best advantage, a little geography is in order. The Niagara River flows south to north and divides the U.S. from Canada. The falls plunge toward the Canadian side, then the river bends sharply north. The best viewing is from Ontario with the falls coming right at you. On a bluff overlooking the scene are several hotels. To see the falls from your hotel room, consider the Oakes Inn ($87 to $266 per person, phone 905-356-4514), the Marriott Falls View, 888-501-8916, $160-333;
Sheraton Fallsview ($99 to $209, 905-374-1077), Renaissance Fallsview ($159-349, 905-357-5200) and the Hilton Niagara Falls Inn, $173-243, 1-800-263-7073).

There are several hotels with misleading "Falls View" applications, the Best Western on Murray Street where we stayed being one of them. Though only a short walk down the steep hill to the falls, in no way were the falls visible from the highest floor of the hotel. The best advice is to ask the hotel of your choice to guarantee a room with a view.

If you wish to drive around to see all the tourist attractions, beware that traffic is heavy and street parking is not permitted near the falls. Use one of the parking lots adjacent to the parkway and ride the People Mover. The buses travel 20 minutes apart and stop at all of the attractions. You may get on and off at will with one all-day ticket, costing $4, or you may park your car in the main People Mover Terminal just south of the falls on the parkway for $11, a fee that includes use of the People Mover for each occupant of your vehicle. (905-357-9340)

OTHER SIGHTS WORTH SEEING:

Falls Incline Railway, a funicular overlooking the falls and the Table Rock House restaurant and gift shop, it travels the 165-feet bluff between the Niagara Parkway and the hotel area. (70 U.S. cents).

Goat Island, approached by foot or a vehicular bridge on the
U.S. side. It has drives and walkways offering totally different views of the falls, some of them spectacular. The Cave of the Winds is on the island, with walkways to within 25 feet of the falls, plus an elevator ride in a tunnel through the rock, permitting falls views from the bottom. ($4.50, $4.00 for children 6-12, 716-278-1730)

Imax Theatre's six-story tall screen shows dizzying sights of the falls on film, plus the Daredevil Gallery featuring various barrels and other crafts used over the years to descend the falls by thrill-seekers. (905-358-3611)

Great Gorge Adventure, located two miles downstream of the falls,
features a 1,000 feet boardwalk at river level where you see waves 10 feet high as they slip through a narrows no more than 100 feet wide. It's where the great Blondin was the first person to walk a tightrope across the river, in 1859, a feat witnessed by Edward Prince of Wales, who declined a piggyback ride on the rope. It was probably a wise choice by a man whose life of philandering was no doubt on the same risk level. ($4.50 and $2.25, 905-374-1221)

The Niagara Spanish Aero Car, an open-air big basket ride 1,800 feet by cable across the river overlooking a monstrous whirlpool three miles down river from the falls. ($4.75 US, $2.40 children aged 6-12, 905-356-2241).)

Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, the Floral Clock of 15,000 plants, Centennial Lilacs Gardens, Butterfly Conservatory and Niagara Glen Nature Preserve are part of the elegant parks system that parallels the river on the Canadian side. (905-371-0254)

Niagara-on-the-Lake, a beautifully-kept town of Victorian homes, shops, hotels and restaurants at the mouth of the Niagara River as it enters Lake Ontario, only a half-hour drive north of the falls. Home of the famous Shaw Festival. (905-641-8788)

For a visitors guide to the Niagara Region, contact Niagara Economic & Tourism Corp., 2201 St. David's Road West, P.O. Box 1042, Thorold, Ontario, Canada L2V 4T7, phone 800-263-2988. Also, visit the web site of the city of Niagara Falls, which has links to tourism information sites. The site is www.niagara.com/city.niagara-falls/

A Maid of the Mist sightseeing boat cautiously advances toward the surge of falling water. Photo credit: Ellie Hilferty ©

Printed in The Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday, May 14, 2000 and The Sunday (Newark) Star-Ledger on Sunday, October 8, 2000.