Niagara Falls, one of the most spectacular natural wonders on earth, is a massive cataract on the Niagara River, which joins two of the Great Lakes, Erie and Ontario. It poses the only obstacle to freight ships traveling down the St. Lawrence Seaway destined for the other Great Lakes of Huron and Michigan, with the intent of facilitating trade to the Midwest United States and Canada. This problem was circumvented by way of the Welland Canal, which uses a series of locks to navigate ships over the nearly 175 foot drop created by the falls.

The Niagara River lies on the border of the United States and Canada, and the falls themselves straddle the border as well. There are three separate falls composing Niagara Falls, the American Falls and smaller Bridal Veil Falls, which both lie on the American side of the border, and the Horseshoe Falls, the largest of all, is on the Canadian side.

The cities of Niagara Falls Ontario and its American counterpart Niagara Falls New York lie across the Niagara River from each other. According to Ginger Strand, author of "Niagara: Beauty, Power and Lies" the two cities "wink at each other from across the gorge". The Canadian city of Niagara Falls, however, has maintained its natural beauty, surrounding the Falls area with beautifully landscaped parks and gardens while still offering top notch accommodations, dining and attractions to visitors.