Do the Falls Really Freeze in the Winter?
The facts behind the ‘Frozen Falls’ — plus where to go to capture the Falls in all their frosted glory.
If you’re looking for a real-life winter wonderland, you’ll find no greater wow factor than the natural phenomenon known as the Frozen Falls! Each year, thousands of visitors descend upon Niagara Falls, New York in the hope of witnessing the awe-inspiring wonder. But do the Falls actually freeze over in winter and what are your chances of experiencing them? Here are five frozen facts to inspire your next Niagara Falls adventure!
![](https://niagara.imgix.net/images/main-images/NFSP_058.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=aefc1d60080d3f13183ff070d1d42695 320w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/main-images/NFSP_058.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=85b6c73af680bb2438793d8a3ece9da4 540w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/main-images/NFSP_058.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=935aa4b48d93cc1692b051234260bf6f 768w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/main-images/NFSP_058.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=ca05d3f668094e4d833b82c6028e740f 900w)
1. Yes, the Falls have really frozen over!
You’ll have to go back in time to find when the Falls truly froze over — to 1848, in fact. During a frigid snap that March, high winds shifted massive ice fields across Lake Erie causing millions of tons of ice to block the source of the Niagara River. With both the volume and speed of the water tanking (along with some polar temperatures causing a chill) the Falls were brought to an icy standstill and a frozen cascade was created over the Falls! The Falls remained frozen for 30 hours in total with reports at the time of people ice-skating and even riding horses over the basin. Once a shift in the ice dam allowed the weight of the water to break through, the Niagara gushed forward again and the Frozen Falls melted into a place in history.
![](https://niagara.imgix.net/images/archive/18225/csa-8026-dc-236lg.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=dc550aa7ef9cf0499f9d798876697bae 320w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/archive/18225/csa-8026-dc-236lg.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=112fec4f2ce956624b298ba5820f61c8 540w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/archive/18225/csa-8026-dc-236lg.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=16f3f4162dcbdba66969142424848759 768w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/archive/18225/csa-8026-dc-236lg.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=1986bc6c9c2e066b9ef3bde2f049fed8 1024w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/archive/18225/csa-8026-dc-236lg.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=8ba34d370238a15b1fbf1d6f9e567e45 1200w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/archive/18225/csa-8026-dc-236lg.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=12fda4d9717a8ebe4332ffdadf4b3f60 1440w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/archive/18225/csa-8026-dc-236lg.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=3c99fcf6d7941d23d21712374601c050 1920w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/archive/18225/csa-8026-dc-236lg.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=b31c0fbb5acbac8f1dfaa7d13bea6753 2400w)
2. However, they may not technically freeze again.
We may not experience the frozen Falls in a literal sense again. Historically, huge drifts of ice would float from Lake Erie along the Niagara River each winter, wreaking havoc to both power diversions and local infrastructure. But beginning in 1964, a massive floating device called an “ice boom” was created at the source of the river to not only to control any potential damage caused by floating ice, but also to put a stop to any more historic blockages along the river and the Falls. The 1.7-mile-long boom, which is located between Buffalo and Fort Erie (on the lake’s Canadian shores), is made of floating steel pontoons that all ensure the flow volume continues to rush down the Niagara River, preventing the likelihood of any epic big freeze at the Falls again.
3. The big freeze is all down to the flow.
Compared to a 50% flow during the summer, in the winter, 75% of the water flowing from Lake Erie along the Niagara River is diverted to hydro-electric stations before the Falls, flowing back into the lower Niagara downriver. But despite that decrease in volume, some 20 million gallons still swoosh over the Falls every minute — a phenomenal flow for Mother Nature to reduce to ice. Even when temperatures drop to 32 degrees, the kinetic energy created by the flowing water means the water stays fluid and would require an unprecedented temperature drop to truly freeze the Falls again.
![](https://niagara.imgix.net/images/archive/2266/winter2015take2-037.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=411209089847360fccb43c8ae55ee6bd 320w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/archive/2266/winter2015take2-037.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=bf3ce26578423dd9cbaf9608365dafdb 540w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/archive/2266/winter2015take2-037.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=416c64aceb8def083b0b1984e66b9bdf 768w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/archive/2266/winter2015take2-037.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=54a4eb72d0f99b900c4e8bff9a95b42f 800w)
Even when temperatures drop to 32 degrees, the kinetic energy created by the flowing water means the water stays fluid. It would require an unprecedented temperature to truly freeze the Falls again.
![](https://niagara.imgix.net/images/design/water-80.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=bb6160945cad69fa660f1fb1c534ba49 320w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/design/water-80.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=093e7eff3f137f305da801691b3d26e4 540w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/design/water-80.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=5a3853cf9b78066d9ebfcdf081b857e7 768w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/design/water-80.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=f7f2770a3f404904dfdfad5f0dd4f275 1024w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/design/water-80.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=c70bed419c1b6ea3b6a0ca73d6be7fbc 1200w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/design/water-80.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=9b7f24fd65e89abfad05cc544d01bedf 1440w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/design/water-80.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=a5cadd7288a3a4232dc2771b20ae33d2 1920w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/design/water-80.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=1a5dd836a89e5607ed0a49e605524649 2560w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/design/water-80.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=660a2caf6e305791a517b29780a8694f 3840w)
4. The American Falls are your best spot to view the wonder.
We may be biased, but the best spot to experience the Frozen Falls effect is at Prospect Point, offering a view of the American Falls. As they receive less volume of water than the Horseshoe Falls (their Canadian counterpart), the American Falls are more likely to see icicles dangle over the cliff’s precipice as a frozen mist from the gorge shrouds the whole panorama in white. While neither of the Falls truly freeze in winter, the American Falls also features a huge collection of rockfalls at its base (known as a talus), which, when covered in snow and ice, all build up the optical illusion of a magical frozen façade!
5. Head to Niagara Falls State Park for your best photos of the Frozen Falls.
With Niagara State Park’s trees shrouded in snow and the Falls themselves surrounded by icicles and frozen mist, it’s pretty difficult not to capture a spectacular shot of the frozen Falls. But for the best images: get up close! Head to some of the most dramatic viewings spots on the USA side of the Falls like the Observation Deck (weather permitting), Prospect Point, or the Cave of the Winds Gorge Trip, to see the Frozen Falls in all their glacial grandeur.
![](https://niagara.imgix.net/images/main-images/NFSP_054.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=b8d1283e3d769dd8b0265c1923ba9796 320w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/main-images/NFSP_054.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=8b6f446c448194822d32ec7ac4c0062c 540w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/main-images/NFSP_054.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=50c82d9edcaa854a11ce3c9f6f1fd8ff 768w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/main-images/NFSP_054.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=7eead664cde7d94099711e90018ce31f 900w)
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![](https://niagara.imgix.net/images/meta-images/35_Frozen-Falls_A.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=213&q=80&w=320&s=e5b1512972001a5a719139258839f59d 320w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/meta-images/35_Frozen-Falls_A.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=360&q=80&w=540&s=9048d8a247962e5f3a64fa67d0c4d6d9 540w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/meta-images/35_Frozen-Falls_A.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=512&q=80&w=768&s=7b6285743bc1c1bf8b806c1f2a19acbb 768w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/meta-images/35_Frozen-Falls_A.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=683&q=80&w=1024&s=cb43508574ae3a0062a2b297de67a948 1024w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/meta-images/35_Frozen-Falls_A.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=800&q=80&w=1200&s=8a183ede7f7e639f26337b9f10e19ebe 1185w)
Here’s how to spend your day in Niagara Falls if you’ve come for this winter…
![](https://niagara.imgix.net/images/meta-images/1_HERO_Cave-of-the-Winds-Photos-hi-res_1500x790.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=213&q=80&w=320&s=85c766a14f16fd637be6d54d32af35b8 320w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/meta-images/1_HERO_Cave-of-the-Winds-Photos-hi-res_1500x790.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=360&q=80&w=540&s=89d03485c4831717ab9f9a964a23c8cc 540w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/meta-images/1_HERO_Cave-of-the-Winds-Photos-hi-res_1500x790.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=512&q=80&w=768&s=d9c414a2ee33b1001ccea84cb31d00d1 768w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/meta-images/1_HERO_Cave-of-the-Winds-Photos-hi-res_1500x790.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=683&q=80&w=1024&s=473988ee47fbf111c6896733fa51c11a 1024w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/meta-images/1_HERO_Cave-of-the-Winds-Photos-hi-res_1500x790.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=800&q=80&w=1200&s=0722b5fcd3f47257b8810f3be87783bf 1185w)
You heard right — the decks that extend up to the base of Bridal Veil…
![](https://niagara.imgix.net/images/main-images/niagara_falls_state_park_snow_covered_park__large.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=213&q=80&w=320&s=f4792327c899f51bbae769f9fe7cb633 320w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/main-images/niagara_falls_state_park_snow_covered_park__large.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=360&q=80&w=540&s=139983e11d2fb536baea4e39f62d1d0e 540w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/main-images/niagara_falls_state_park_snow_covered_park__large.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=512&q=80&w=768&s=ea0a62185041220e321cf7c62af64f00 768w, https://niagara.imgix.net/images/main-images/niagara_falls_state_park_snow_covered_park__large.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=min&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=683&q=80&w=1024&s=99d7100a470fd3877a6b0a91a060bc37 991w)
With the recent snowfall and freezing temperatures, Niagara Falls State Park has transformed into a…