Prospect Point - Brink of the American Falls

Photo: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)

A stop on Niagara Falls State Park Walk, a free self-guided tour.

Lean on the railing and you are a few steps from where the American Falls goes over the edge. The water racing past has just come through the rapids beside Goat Island, and here it drops onto a jumble of broken boulders.

That rock pile, called talus, is why the American Falls looks so different from the Horseshoe. Niagara is capped by a hard layer of dolomite sitting on softer shale. The river wears away the shale underneath, the hard cap loses its support, and slabs break off. A massive rockfall right here at Prospect Point in 1954 added to the pile, which in places has cut the open drop to about half.

Around 10,900 years ago the falls stood near today's Lewiston, nearly seven miles downstream. Erosion has walked them back to here, though the falls now retreat far more slowly than they once did, roughly a foot a year.

Watch how the water hits the boulders and shatters into spray instead of plunging cleanly.

Getting here: From the Welcome Center, follow the paths west through the park toward the sound of the water to the railing at the river's edge.

Did you know?: Measured all the way to the river, the American Falls drops about as far as the Horseshoe Falls; the boulder pile at its foot just hides much of the height.

Photo op: Shoot along the railing so the crest of the American Falls leads your eye toward Luna Island and the Bridal Veil Falls beyond.

Nearby: Restrooms and snacks are near the Observation Tower entrance, a minute's walk north.

More on Wikipedia: American Falls · Niagara Escarpment · Niagara Falls

Prospect Point - Brink of the American Falls

Stops on this tour