A little different take on the well known waterfall. You are looking at a close up of the American Falls illuminated with colored lights at dusk. I enjoyed this more intimate view through the camera as a balancing act to the more known grand views. At the bottom, you can see a portion of the rocky pile up that lowers the actual waterfall height, as described below. The combination of falling water and the rocks provides a glimpse into the waterfall's past, present, and future.

The illumination of Niagara Falls lights up both the Canadian Falls and the American Falls (photographed here). Its timing varies throughout the year and usually starts at dusk. The colors vary among red, blue, purple, white, green, and possibly others. I've also seen a variety of colors at once long time ago but not on this occasion.

The American Falls are located fully in the United States, state of New York. Along with Horseshoe Falls and Bridal Veil Falls they form Niagara Falls. Only about 10% of the Niagara River goes over the American Falls. The height over the river below is about 180 feet (sources vary), however, the actual waterfall height is only about 70 feet due to a large accumulation of lose rock below. The 1969 survey to remove the rocks deemed that too expensive and a decision was made to let nature do its own. Continued collapse of the cliff may result in the waterfall turning into a series of cascades.

This wonder of nature is a good example of how much impact people can have - the volume of water is highly regulated by the two hydroelectric power plants, with the most volume going over in daytime during the peak of the tourist season.