Pentax Spotmatic F35mm Film Camera While Niagara Falls are impressive all year round, I have always enjoyed visiting in winter. The colder, the better. Yes, maybe I am a little bit of a glutton for punishment but it's worth it.

In the cold temperatures of winter, the rising mist that falls on everything around and quickly turns into ice. First inches of ice, then feet of ice. Everything becomes white and shiny and clean and simple. Unlike the city snow and ice, nature keep the ice here pristine. There are no salt trucks mucking it up and as long as temperatures remain low fresh layers of ice constantly keep the view picturesque. Water and ice become a wonderful combination that lands itself very nicely to black and white photography.

It also does not hurt that there are barely any people in winter. The crowds of summer are exchanged for a handful of people and at times, one can have the viewpoints for themselves. I also like the more intense experience. Cold air feels fresh, and when the cold chills the bones the whole experience feels more rewarding.

For this visit, I came with a 35mm Pentax Spotmatic F loaded with Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 film that I later developed in Rollei Supergrain developer.

American Falls Plunging into MistNiagara Falls in Winter

American Falls Plunging into Mist, Winter at Niagara Falls
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 Black & White Negative Film

I love the walks through the Niagara Falls State Park on the American side of the gorge. While still in civilization one at least gets a hint of the natural wonder and can mentally disconnect from the nearby urban area, especially in winter when there aren't too many people as a reminder. I like to start the walk from the edge of the American Falls at Prospect Point and that's where the two opening views of this post are from. Can you feel the cold and the intensity?

Going over the American FallsNiagara Falls in Winter

Going over the American Falls, Winter at Niagara Falls
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 Black & White Negative Film

From there, I'll go up the river towards the Goat Island Rd bridge, which you can see in the next photo. During this winter visit, I really enjoyed the snow and ice covered sidewalk that added to the charm of the location. And of course on the right the wonderful Upper Niagara Rapids are showing of the power and volume of water rushing through.

The bridge is still the wonderful old stone bridge but the steel reinforcements across it limit picture taking opportunities from the bridge and also take a bit away from taking photographs of the bridge. Then, we find ourselves on Goat Island and can turn right and go towards another bridge, this time to Luna island.

Winter Perfect Sidewalk by the Niagara RiverNiagara Falls in Winter

Winter Perfect Sidewalk by the Niagara River, Winter at Niagara Falls
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 Black & White Negative Film

The beautiful lower sidewalk by the river is closed in winter and we have to stay on the upper walkway. The same is true about Luna Island itself too and looking at the below photograph it's not difficult to identify why. The whole island is covered in a thick layer of ice. You can see the narrow braid of water flowing under the bridge and going over as Bridal Veil Falls. Right past it where you can see a hint of a railing is the usual summer viewpoint but standing there at this point would probably be no fun.

Past Luna Island you can also see a barrier of ice protruding into the gorge at about 45 degree angle and then disappearing in the mist. In freezing temperatures, this ice barrier grows tall and covers the American Falls from view from the Canadian side. Media then tends to turn this into a sensation claiming that. Niagara Falls have frozen. And that usually generates more curious visitors to observe the site. But secretly, behind the barrier Niagara Falls keeps doing its thing.

Luna Island in White CoatNiagara Falls in Winter

Luna Island in White Coat, Winter at Niagara Falls
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 Black & White Negative Film

From that view we continue the walk along the gorge towards the next big vantage point. I really liked how these trees in the foreground provided additional context to the hole below. The gorge is deep and wide and the water there flows slower allowing it to freeze when it's really cold. This winter, we had a stretch of about 4 weeks of temperatures around 0ºF - 10ºF, which did it.

The Gorge behind TreesNiagara Falls in Winter

The Gorge behind Trees, Winter at Niagara Falls
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 Black & White Negative Film

Now we have arrived at another well knows vantage point by the Horseshoe Falls. The Terrapin Point allows visitors to be inches away from the horseshoe of the falls. Well, it does so in summer but in winter, it is down there on the frozen tip of the three feet of shiny ice. From the place I took this picture down to Terrapin Point and over it feels like one giant unstoppable toboggan. I am always in awe of the ever present and thick layers of ice. And the trees that appear to be in trouble are just fine. Come spring, they'll turn  wonderful green again. It's pretty amazing how resilient they are.

Ice-Wrapped Horseshoe FallsNiagara Falls in Winter

Winter Shelter, Hamburg Beach in Winter, NY
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 Black & White Negative Film

Trees Become SculpturesNiagara Falls in Winter

Trees Become Sculptures, Winter at Niagara Falls
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 Black & White Negative Film

The tour does not end at Terrapin Point. It continues up the river towards the cluster of small islands called Three Sisters Islands. It's an area I have always enjoyed as it's less known, there are fewer tourists even in summer, and mornings offer solitude at almost any time of the year. However, even there civilization and safety measures made their mark. There are more railings trying to keep out of the pictures and they also limit one's exploration. I treasure my memories when no railings were present.

Crossing to Visit Three Sisters IslandsNiagara Falls in Winter

Crossing to Visit Three Sisters Islands, Winter at Niagara Falls
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 Black & White Negative Film

The bridges here offer great views of the river both up and down stream. I always click the shutter here no matter how repetitive it feels. It never looks exactly the same anyway. The view below always strikes me with its forced combination of the natural world and that of humans.

Down the River between IslandsNiagara Falls in Winter

Down the River between Islands, Winter at Niagara Falls
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 Black & White Negative Film

From Three Sisters Islands one can finish the loop around the Goat Island, which offers additional views of Niagara River, cut through the island for a shortcut that does not offer much other than black squirrels running around, or return the same way. That was my choice on this winter visit. As the sun was getting lower and lower getting ready for a sunset I wanted another look at the Horseshoe Falls.

Braving the Elements, Terrapin Point LampsNiagara Falls in Winter

Braving the Elements, Terrapin Point Lamps, Winter at Niagara Falls
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 Black & White Negative Film

And yes, it was the lamps that captivated me this time just like the trees before. A solid 3-foot layer of ice all around Terrapin Point, however, the black lamps bravely towered over the area as if on guard. And in the next photo, the lamps were joined by mysterious balls of ice rolling down the icy toboggan towards the lower viewing area. And another view of some brave frozen tree sculptures, and another completely frozen sidewalk. This one was pure ice and skating would totally work here. A single pass of Zamboni would turn this section into a picturesque skating trail.

Ice Balls Rolling Down the HillNiagara Falls in Winter

Ice Balls Rolling Down the Hill, Winter at Niagara Falls
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 Black & White Negative Film

Trees in HibernationNiagara Falls in Winter

Trees in Hibernation, Winter at Niagara Falls
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 Black & White Negative Film

Skating Path by the FallsNiagara Falls in Winter

Skating Path by the Falls, Winter at Niagara Falls
Photographed with a 35mm Asahi Pentax Spotmatic F on Ultrafine Xtreme UXF400 Black & White Negative Film

Thanks for joining me on this frigid winter expedition to Niagara Falls. If you've never seen Niagara Falls or never visited in winter, hopefully this allowed for a stress-free virtual travel experience. Below this post, I've included a selection of Niagara Falls photos from the past.

Enjoy The Beauty That Surrounds You! #etbtsy

Do you enjoy reading my photography blog? Would you like to see more photographs from Buffalo and Western New York? Visit my Buffalo Cityscapes and Buffalo & Western New York Landscapes and enjoy! If you liked today's cold white post, the Winter Photo Collection has more. For a collection of black and white photographs, I carved out the World without Color page, and finally, there's a collection dedicated to Orchard Park, NY.

The CrashNiagara River Isolated Brave TreesNiagara River Winter RainbowNiagara Falls

Niagara Falls Mist on FireNiagara Falls Sunset Frosty Horseshoe FallsNiagara Falls