I was traveling from Toronto to New York and wanted to see the falls on the way. There's a Canadian/US border crossing (called the Rainbow Bridge) right next to the falls, so I decided to brave it on foot despite the fact that my one-way border crossing would require dragging my suitcase with me.
It was raining when I arrived, so I opted to take a cab from the train station to the farther end of the falls (about $11). This meant I started walking from the Canadian "Horseshoe" Falls, with the border crossing at the end.
True to what I'd heard, the Canadian side was more spectacular...
I was surprised I could capture a crisp photo... the speed of the crystal clear water rushing over the side of the Canadian Falls was a staggering 2,271,247 litres per second!
Just a few minutes walk away, the American Falls were equally impressive for a different reason. They pass less than a quarter of the volume of water, so enormous ice floes gave the appearance that the waterfall had frozen. I contemplated ticking 'see a frozen waterfall' off my T-Shirt Bucket List, but decided I should wait until seeing a waterfall that had truly frozen in place.
Normally there are other paid activities at the falls, allowing you to go down on the water - but not in winter. However, I was really happy with what I got to see.
The American Falls on the left, and the Canadian Falls on the right
I crossed the border at the Rainbow bridge without an issue, then caught a bus to Buffalo for my flight to New York.
Overall I found it a very straightforward experience and would highly recommend it even for one-way travellers like myself who need to bring all their luggage with them. Despite the rain and the recent snow, the walk was easy, and well-paved.
My #1 tip is not to miss the Canadian Falls - the border crossing is efficient and it's well worth the effort, even if you're not planning to visit Canada as part of your trip.
