In The News: Frozen Niagara Falls Drawing Tourists

Not enough snow, ice and cold for you? You say, you STILL need some more "Frozen" references in your life?

Well, this ought to quench that need for freeze: Ice has suddenly blossomed across the Great Lakes, with the ice pack nearly doubling in just a little more than a week. The lakes are now more than 85% iced over, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, with Lake Erie leading the way at more than 98%.

For the first time in (not quite) forever, Niagara Falls looks pretty much frozen, too.

And here's the thing ... people are really going there! These folks are going voluntarily, despite the cold and the wind.

Niagara Falls has been doing steady business in recent days.

It's a stunning sight: Niagara Falls, the world's most famous waterfall, apparently frozen in place. The icy spectacle, brought on by weeks of severe cold, has drawn a steady flow of intrepid tourists. But is it really frozen? Not exactly. Here's a brief explanation of what really happens when the mighty Niagara River appears to form a crystalline cascade:

For the second straight winter, the frigid weather in western New York state and lower Ontario has frozen vast sections of the U.S. side of Niagara Falls, known as the American Falls, and the Canadian side, known as the Horseshoe Falls because of its shape. But the water never actually stops flowing underneath.

That is no accident: the Niagara River is an important source of hydropower, so a long ice boom made of steel catches any icebergs, while ice cutters work around the clock to prevent the Falls from jamming up. Once, in March 1848, a large ice jam upstream stopped the flow of the river.

Even then, he said, the Falls did not freeze over. There is simply too much water, and too much continuous movement, for that to happen.

If it's cold enough for long enough, an ice bridge forms along the river, connecting the U.S. and Canada. Day-trippers once enjoyed sledding and drinking on the ice bridge until 1912, when it broke up and three people died. A Canadian couple who became stranded on a piece of ice and an American teenager who tried to save them. Their story is the subject of an online graphic novel, Hecock, named for the Cleveland teen who died. Walking anywhere on the ice has been strictly banned ever since. An exception was made last month for a pair of Canadian ice climbers, Will Gadd, 47, and Sarah Hueniken, 34, who became the first to scale the Falls, climbing a 30-foot section of the Horseshoe Falls.

Let Rawhide Travel and Tours help you with all your reservation needs. Call us at (602) 843-5100 or visit our website: rawhidetravel.com.

Presented By:
Rawhide Travel and Tours Inc.
6008 West Bell Rd # F105
Glendale, Arizona 85308-3793
602-843-5100
rawhidetravel.com