White Water Walk at Niagara Falls

Stroll along a boardwalk at the very edge of one of the world's wildest stretches of whitewater!


At White Water Walk, we took an elevator down 230 feet, then walked along a tunnel that is 240 feet long. The Boardwalk beside the rapids is 305 metres (1,000 feet or ¼ mile) and stairs lead to two observation areas at the edge of the River.

Rivers are rated on a scale of 1 to 6 in eastern North America, and 1 to 10 in western North America. The Colorado River is the benchmark for white-water, where some sections are Class 5 and 6 and the flow is 60,000cfs.

**This was about the only part of our trip where I wished we had a leash on Reagan...pretty scarry!**

The water travels at different speeds along the length of the Niagara River. South of the Falls where the river is wide and slow, the maximum speed is about 40 km/h. Near the brink of the Falls, a speed of 109 km/h has been recorded. As the water travels through the Whirlpool Rapids at White Water Walk, it is traveling at about 48km/hr or 30mph, creating the Whirlpool Rapids - "Class 6 white-water rapids".

You probably can't see it but in this picture of the boys, there is a man and woman on the American side "enjoying" the water. This not only is very dangerous but against the law as well! We asked about this later of one of the employees at the attraction. He said that it happens alot. There used to be formal walking trais to get down to the bottom of the gorge years ago. These have since been abandoned due to unstable and shifting ground. People still find their way down. We were told the penalty is a minimum of one week in jail. Nice way to spend a vacation.

The White Water Walk features a photo gallery that reviews the stunters and daredevils from years past that tried to conquer Niagara's dangerous whitewater rapids.

For a short history of the White Water Walk and the rapids: http://www.niagaraparks.com/nfgg/whitewaterhistory.php

At this point on the boardwalk, there was this large rock with a perfect round hole in the center. We don't know why it had a hole or how / who formed it...we, just like everyone else, tried throwing coins in it. I think Devin was actually weighing the consequences of trying to go down there and getting rich. After about .87 cents in efforts, I, the Daddy, threw a coin in the hole.