The viewing area outside the Table Rock restaurant-o-junk:

And a typical view over the edge:

A Maid Of The Mist boat approaching the Falls. To give a sense of scale, it probably has about 200 people on board:

And below is the kind of view you get when you're actually on the boat. No photo can convey the awesome power of the water, or the sound, or the way the spray just hangs in the air and saturates everything in the vicinity. The boat does take you even closer, but photography then becomes pointless as the camera just sees a shapeless white/gray blur of spray: 

The view from the Skylon Tower observation platform:

And another (with a Maid Of The Mist boat en route):

Plus a view of the Falls at night, when they turn the water off:

In 2002, under pressure from environmental lobby groups, the Niagara Heritage Park Trust  voted to implement a water-conservation policy 'for a trial period'. For the first time, the Falls were switched off at 10pm each night, and only re-started for the tourists at 9am (10am on Sundays).

Conservationists welcomed this measure, arguing that the move would help to conserve water for industrial, agricultural and domestic purposes north of the Falls, and also decrease the rate of erosion along the rim of the 'horseshoe'. At the same time, they argued, it would not adversely affect the tourism industry to any significant degree.

Opponents of the scheme vociferously denounced the move, suggesting that it was a case of 'ecological correctness gone mad'. Protests were staged at the Trust's head offices, and local activists started petitioning for the 'switch off' to be abandoned. The trial period was due to last until November of 2003, at which time the Park Trust was supposed to instigate a policy review. Due to local elections, this review never took place. In July 2004 it was announced that a formal policy review will be conducted 'early in 2005'.