All language subtitles for Worlds Most Scenic River Journeys Series 1 Part 1 Niagara 1080p

Escape with us on an epic journey

along one of North America's
legendary rivers,

world-famous for its majestic
Niagara Falls.

A million bathtubs full of water
are rushing past here

every single minute.

As we venture up close,
we find a waterway

churning with discoveries...

...ancient and spiritual
landscapes...

Every time I paddle, I feel
that energy from the spirits

from my ancestors.

...places of unspoiled beauty
and adventure.

We'll ride some of the most
extreme rapids in the world...

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...and dangle precariously
over a hypnotic whirlpool...

It's breathtaking.

You're not going to get this
kind of view anywhere else.

...alongside the people most
connected to these waters.

There's just a lot of power
and magic in the Niagara River.

This is one of the most scenic
river journeys in the world.

The Niagara River.

The Niagara River is a legacy
of the last ice age...

...dramatically carved out of
the landscape 18,000 years ago.

A remarkable three-quarters
of North America's surface water

passes through this 36-mile river,

making it a formidable barrier

and not just because of
the 40 mile per hour rapids.

These waters also serve
as an international border.

All clear!

So, for the first leg
of our journey,

we've arranged for a special
escort - the US Coast Guard,

who is taking us downriver
from Buffalo, New York.

2690. We're just about at
the Peace Bridge. Ops normal.

I'm always fascinated
by bodies of water.

You know, hence I'm in
the Coast Guard.

But certainly the Niagara River
is special.

It is part of a greater system

and that greater system
being the Great Lakes.

It's just an amazing
amount of water.

Oceans inside of the United States
and Canada.

To me, that's what's mind boggling.

All of that has to flow out
to the sea

and this is the choke point
for that to happen.

The mouth of the Niagara River.

Do you see the current wrapping
around the abutment of the bridge?

That is an incredible
amount of flow.

It's probably seven to eight knots.

And, you see, it's taking us
past here in mere seconds.

This is the Peace Bridge,
the first of six border bridges

over the Niagara River between
Canada and the United States

and one of the busiest border
crossings in all of North America.

The name symbolises the peace
between our two nations.

The Niagara River is a part
of the longest stretch

of peaceful border
anywhere in the world,

where there is absolutely
no conflict.

We realise between our two
countries that it's on us.

This is a joint effort
to keep this waterway going

and flowing in the way
that we want it to.

Being a part of that
is really special to me.

Connecting Lake Erie
to Lake Ontario,

the Niagara River is a short
but vital cog

in the Great Lakes waterway,

and our journey will be packed
with attractions.

From the Peace Bridge, we travel
north through the Chippawa Channel,

pass the International Control Dam
and a shipwrecked scow,

and on to Niagara Falls.

Then, travelling through
a seven-mile gorge,

we pass a whirlpool and a glen,

tackle the Devils Hole Rapids
and finish our journey

with a visit to New York's Stella
Niagara and Canada's wine country.

Four miles downstream
from the Peace Bridge,

the waters have slowed.

Avoiding an international incident,

we hop over to the Canadian side
to catch a stunning sunrise.

Enjoying it are a raft of ducks...

...a retiring fox...

...and a lone paddler on the water.

This is the shoreline
of the Chippawa Channel,

named for some of the First Nations
who populated these river banks.

"Nibi" means water
in Anishinaabemowin,

and water is life.

Knowing that my ancestors
paddled the same river...

...5,000 years ago, 10,000 years ago,
it's incredible.

Every time I paddle, I feel
that energy from the spirits

from my ancestors.

It's just magical.

We join Michele-Elise Burnett
in a traditional birch bark canoe,

much like the ones her Metis
Algonquin ancestors would have used.

She is paddling downriver
past Grand Island

towards Niagara Falls.

I'm telling you, my ancestors...

...they were engineers.

This birch bark canoe, it's a one
man canoe for hunting and fishing,

but they did make different
canoes for different waters.

It was something that the whole
family did together

as a collaborative, and then
they would pass that tradition

on to their children.

The canoe was very, very important
to us

and we held it with
very high respect

because, really, the canoe was
our means of hunting and fishing

and transportation.

At this point in the river,
we must come in to shore.

Just like Michele-Elis's ancestors,

we cannot navigate the Niagara
the entire way.

Downstream, the Falls
must be bypassed by land.

But a little portaging
didn't stop this from being

a superhighway for indigenous
peoples for hundreds of generations.

Niagara was a crossroad.

It was an area that our indigenous
people would come from the north

and then they would come down here
and then cross over

and meet with other indigenous
nations and do trades.

The function of the river changed
dramatically once North America

was colonised.

The Niagara quickly took on
a new role as a border,

but it's a role that Michele
and many others

with indigenous heritage
refuse to recognise.

It's an imposed border
from our point of view

because our ancestors

basically roamed all of this area.

Once a year, we go across
the Niagara Falls Bridge

with flags and march.

As indigenous people, we're proud
to walk across the border and say,

we don't recognise borders.

I look at this river and I see
that it binds us together.

Water is something that
we are all connected by

and it unifies us
and it brings us together.

This river...

...is our lifeline, it really is.

The next stop on our river

will bring us to the brink
of Niagara Falls...

...and the engineering
that controls it.

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16 miles into ourjourney
along the Niagara River...

...the water restlessly rushes us
towards its famous midpoint.

Niagara Falls.

A breathtaking sight, Niagara Falls
is a wonder of the natural world.

For millennia, almost 18%
of the world's fresh water

has thundered over
the 180-foot drop.

But what many don't know
is that for the last 70 years,

the water going over the Falls
has been meticulously controlled.

This impressive structure
just under one mile upstream

determines whether the water gushes
or trickles over the Falls.

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We take a moment here to explore
the International Control Dam,

built by Canada and the US

to regulate the flow
of the Niagara River.

Jim is showing us around.

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The sheer power of a portion
of the water here

is harnessed ancl diverted to
two large hydroelectric plants

further downriver.

On the Canadian side,
enormous underground tunnels

carry the diverted water down
under the city of Niagara Falls

so that it can be used
to generate power

for 3.8 million homes.

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This is exactly why the dam
was put in place.

The international treaty mandates
that during tourist season,

a minimum of 100,000 cubic feet
per second of water

must be sent over the Falls.

But after hours and off season,
the flow is reduced to half that.

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It's just under one mile from
the Control Dam to the Falls...

...which the raging torrents travel
in just two minutes...

...so we certainly aren't
boarding any vessels

on this part of the water.

But just above the thunderous Falls
is a surprising sight -

the rusting hulk of a wreck.

It's the relic of
a century-old rescue story

where the stakes were high.

188 feet high, to be precise.

In the river behind me
is what's left of the scow,

which was a boat.

It was towed by a tug
and it was working on a project

on the American side
for a hydro canal.

And there was two men on board.

And on August 6th, 1918,
it broke away from its tug

and started heading for
the Great Horseshoe Falls.

As the scow was swept downstream
towards the Falls,

the two unfortunate souls on board
managed to open the doors

and flood its compartments,
slowing its progress.

You want to know how much water
is going over the Falls?

The best way to picture it is
picture a bathtub full of water

and multiply it by one million.

So a million bathtubs full of water

are rushing past here
every single minute.

And the fact the scow grounded
about 600m from the brink,

these guys didn't have a lot of time
to react, and it would have been

just a few more seconds
and they would have gone over.

The scow got caught on a rock shoal
in the middle

of the Canadian Channel
near the edge of the Falls.

The men were marooned there,
knowing that any second

the torrential water
could knock them loose

and plummet them over the Falls.

Back then, nobody had a helicopter,
so they had to rescue these guys,

and the United States Coast Guard
brought over a cannon,

which doesn't sound very friendly,
but it was a rescue cannon.

They put it on top of
a big hydroelectric plant here

and fired a line out to the guys
on the Scow.

But the lines became tangled,
and it was another 12 hours

until a local hero managed to travel
along the line in a canvas sling

and rescue the men.

The Scow has sat in the middle
of the river for over 100 years,

stubbornly refusing to be tossed
over the falls -

a reminder of the heroics
of those involved in the rescue.

People care about the story
of the Scow, I think,

because it has a happy ending.

It's a great good news story
on our river.

Everybody survived and there was
some nice international cooperation.

We have arrived at the
Niagara River's piece de resistance,

Niagara Falls.

With upwards of 20 million visitors
per year,

this is one of the most popular
sites in the world.

People flock here to take in
its immense power

and stunning beauty.

And today, we're getting
up close and personal

to appreciate the pure thrill of it.

Below the falls in Canada, we board
the Hornblower cruise ship.

During peak season, more than 25,000
people a clay take this journey

to the bottom of the falls.

But be warned - this experience
might just leave you

a little misty-eyed.

Guests that come to Niagara Falls,
they're going to experience

one of the most iconic boat rides
in the world.

You'll board a catamaran
with open-deck, 360-degree view.

You'll have your iconic red
Canadian rain poncho

that will keep you mostly dry.

There are dry zones. 50 if you don't
want to get wet, you can stay dry.

The catamaran's two 450-horsepower
engines take us to

within 28 metres of Niagara Falls -
no small maritime feat.

And here, in the wheelhouse,
we meet the expert helmsman

who takes on this challenge
every day.

My name is Sam Neale.

I am a captain with
Hornblower Niagara Cruises.

This is my sixth year
working with the company.

Manoeuvring a boat down here
is a very unique experience.

The water dropping from
such a height

and striking the water down here
in such great volumes

really makes for a strange
and interesting current.

Sometimes it's really easy,
it feels like you drift right in,

and sometimes it does take
a little bit of effort.

You have to use some engine power
to get up there.

As we reach the climax of the tour,
the Canadian Horseshoe Falls...

...those red ponchos
are put to good use.

It's something that really gets
the hair in your arms standing up,

once you get into the Horseshoe
and pause there.

You try and take your pictures
as best you can,

but, really, it's about
enjoying the moment,

enjoying that experience
as it's happening.

The world is constantly changing,

and sometimes it takes
a place like this for people

to come and realise that this has
been here for thousands of years,

unchanging.

It's hard to imagine
a more exhilarating way

to experience Niagara Falls
than by cruising underneath it.

But over the years, there have been
a colourful collection of characters

who took the thrill of the Falls
to new heights.

To the locals, they are known
as the Daredevils.

Blondin, really, he's the first.

He's an accomplished acrobat,
comes here in 1858,

gets mystified by Niagara Falls
and says,

"Something has to happen here."

This is when tightrope walking
became the thing of Niagara Falls.

Blondin makes many passes
and does lots of crazy things.

He makes an omelette on
the tightrope at one point,

he walks backwards, he carries
his manager across the rope.

And this is where
he really got fame.

And after that, we have all these
people that start imitating him,

and all of them just try
and one-up themselves.

This is really the era of
the daredevils at Niagara Falls.

People come from all over the world
to take on the danger of the Falls.

They tightrope, they go over
the Falls in barrels and in tyres.

But one of Clark's favourite
19th-century daredevils

was Canadian tightrope walker
Stephen Peer,

who we can learn more about with
a visit to the local history museum.

So, I've got a few things in here
that I'd like to show you.

We have the costume
from Stephen Peer.

This is actually the wire
from his tightrope walk.

Blondin was using a real rope.

And Peer was one of the first ones
to use wire.

And the neat thing about Peer
was that he was using a wire

that was that small, about
seven-eighths of an inch wide.

You're walking across
the Niagara Gorge on something

that is that thin, like it's
a Sunday walk in the park.

Peer successfully completed his walk
across the Niagara River

just downstream from the Falls
in 1887,

but his victory was short-lived.

Three days later, he was
mysteriously found dead

at the bottom of the gorge.

The family believe that
somebody jealous of him -

jealous of his fame and fortune
and what he is able to accomplish -

actually murdered him.

The police report it as suicide, but
at this stage, we will never know.

As we continue our river journey,
we'll switch our watercraft

and take to the air
above a giant whirlpool.

It's breathtaking.

You're not going to get
this kind of view anywhere else.

We are just over halfway along
our journey on the Niagara River,

the fast-flowing border river

between Canada and
the United States.

And as we leave the timeless site
of Niagara Falls,

we see that time has taken its toll
on the landscape around it.

12,500 years ago,

the Falls was more than
six and a half miles downstream.

Slowly receding upstream,
eroding the limestone riverbed,

it has left a spectacular scar
on the landscape -

the Great Gorge.

We reach an unnavigable part
of the river,

funnelling frantically through
the top of the gorge

as Class VI whitewater.

From the banks, we can admire
the Himalaya waves named for -

you guessed it - their height.

These are some of the largest rapids
on Earth.

And the gorge has another
dramatic effect on the river.

Just three miles from the Falls,
it makes a sudden, sharp turn,

creating a mesmerising natural
phenomenon - a giant whirlpool.

Here, in lieu of getting on
the water, we'll float above it,

hitching a ride on
the antique Aero Car.

Good afternoon, everyone.
My name is Lori...

We've been running since 1916,
so way over 100 years.

It was built and designed
by a Spanish engineer

by the name of
Leonardo Torres Quevedo.

The Aero Car itself
was built in Spain,

and then they brought it over
and they assembled it

on our SOO-metre cables.

Powered by a 50-horsepower
electric motor

and suspended 250 feet above
the river on six sturdy cables,

the Aero crosses the gorge
directly over the whirlpool.

You can hear the power of
the water here.

170 million litres of water
comes through this per hour.

Right now, the whirlpool is going in
a counterclockwise direction -

that's its natural direction -
but between 12-8am,

it'll actually change direction
to a clockwise direction

because more water is diverted
to our power plants.

We cross the international border
four times

during our eight-and-a-half-minute
trip on the Aero Car.

But no need to pack a passport -

our trip begins and ends on
the Canadian side of the border.

Believe it or not, I've worked here
for 31 years.

Never get sick of it. Never.

Oh, you're welcome...

Let me get the gate for you.

It's the beauty of it.

Fall is my favourite time here,
with the coloured trees.

It's breathtaking.

You're not going to get
this kind of view anywhere else.

From its source at Lake Erie,
we have followed the Niagara River

on its short but tumultuous 20-mile
journey so far through a channel,

a dam, over a waterfall
and a whirlpool to the Niagara Glen.

Here, the current almost seems
to pause to appreciate the view

as we pass through
a very special landscape.

We leave the water for a moment
to explore this pocket

of pristine Carolinian forest.

The tree species here
is stuff we will find

in the Carolinas
of the United States.

The topography, the river
have created this microclimate

that creates temperatures
that sustain these trees.

With two and a half miles of hiking
trails, over 400 species of birds,

rare plants and endangered animals
and 600-year-old trees,

this is a naturalist's paradise.

And don't get Corey started on these
prehistoric geological formations.

The boulders behind us
are interesting because

they actually show you about 400
million years of natural history.

We have evidence of a seabed
about 200 million years ago.

We have fossilised coral
and different sea creatures,

such as trilobites and crinoids.

Long after the ancient sea receded,

these gigantic boulders formed part
of the Niagara riverbed.

They would have been pummelled
by the falls that once stood here

8,000 years ago.

And now ghosts of those falls,
they provide one of the most unique

recreational activities
on the Niagara River.

The line I'm working on right now
is called Black Eagle.

It's rated V9, which is just
a difficulty grade for bouldering.

Misty and Efix have driven
14 hours from Quebec

to go bouldering here.

HE GROANS

There's a technical section
where I need to invert

and try to get my feet above my
head, to escape the roof of the cave

and be able to finish the boulder.

So...that's where I'm stuck at
right now.

F

I'll try from the bottom.

F

F

F

Mm-hm.

Just downhill from the climbers,

the Glen has attracted
some other hobbyists.

The Niagara River is home to
some 90 species of fish.

And this time of year, it's a
popular spot for king salmon fishing

since they are migrating
up the river.

My name is Breno, I'm from Brazil,

and today I came here to fish.

We're fishing for salmon...

...but no luck so far!
HE LAUGHS

The Niagara Falls - we always
seen it on TV, cos in Brazil,

you have pretty big waterfalls, too,
Iguazu Falls.

But I never thought about
the Niagara River being so big.

Look at this. It's, like, huge!

Being next to the river,
you can feel it,

almost like...it's alive.

Just downstream from
the Niagara Glen,

we are back on the water.

Our pilot today is John.

He takes us under another
international border bridge

at Queenston-Lewiston, and we find
ourselves at a part of the river

ominously called The Devil's Hole.

Named for its extreme depths,

this is where the Falls
originally stood 12,000 years ago.

Water depths here, 210 feet, the
deepest part of the entire gorge,

because that's where the original
plunge pool of Niagara Falls was

12,000 years ago.

Here, we are going to interrupt
our journey downstream

and go against the flow
for a moment...

...quite literally.

We are going to take a ride back up
some of the most powerful rapids

in the world, because why not when
you have jet power on your side?

This is just a big vacuum cleaner
of water.

That's what a jet boat is -
it sucks water up into it,

the engine pressurises it
and shoots it out the back,

and that gives you both your
propulsion and your steering.

Today, we are riding on one of
John's fleet of nine jet boats

that he designed specifically
to take on the Class V rapids

of the Devil's Hole and
carry visitors up the gorge

to the great Niagara Whirlpool.

If you're looking for big waves,
big whitewater,

the Niagara Gorge is certainly
one of the world's foremost.

There's just so few places
in the world

that water is channelled into
such a tight area like that,

and that's what we have here
in the gorge.

Going up the rapids, it's so smooth.

But when you come back down river,
the waves crash back upriver,

onto the nose of the boat,

and that's where the water
starts to fly.

And everybody on the trip
gets very, very wet.

SCREAMING
WOMAN: Oh, there we go!

It's certainly refreshing
to get back on the water.

SCREAMING

All right, folks! Thumbs up!
How we feeling?

THEY CHEER
Perfect!

Irina and Ruslan are from Russia.

It's their first time
on the Niagara River.

It was wonderful and it was
exhilarating, I would say.

Immensely enjoyed it. Yes. Terrific!
THEY LAUGH

Did you like being soaked?

It's fun.

In the next part of our journey,

we'll visit the little miracle
chapel that survived the power

of an ice jam on the Niagara.

Ice surrounded the chapel,
water level kept rising.

Docks, homes started
getting destroyed along the river.

After a rip-roaring ride
on the rapids of the Niagara River,

the calmer waters on the leisurely
approach to Lake Ontario

are a welcome change.

We start seeing charter and pleasure
boats for cruising and fishing.

And the river and its banks here
are a destination for sport, play

and enjoying nature.

I'm a bird watcher,

and the Niagara River is one of
the most interesting places

to come watch birds.

You get flocks of thousands
and thousands of gulls and ducks

in the winter, migratory warblers
in the spring and fall,

herons, bald eagles.

Even in the winter, this
quarter mile of American shoreline -

known as the Stella Niagara
Nature Preserve -

is a destination for congregations
of waterfowl ancl gulls.

The Niagara River stays open
year-round, it doesn't freeze,

so you have open, fresh water
where you can't find that

for hundreds or thousands
of miles around this area.

The Niagara River doesn't freeze
because it's so fast-flowing

and its climate uniquely mild.

But Lake Erie at the top of it
does freeze.

And before booms were installed,
it meant that, on rare occasions,

ice flows from Lake Erie
would travel down the river,

sometimes with devastating results.

ARCHIVE:

F

In 1955, there was a storm
in Lake Ontario

pushing the ice upstream.

There was a storm on Lake Erie
breaking up the ice,

sending the ice downstream.

Ice dam formed,
water level kept rising.

All the ice started jamming up.

Docks, homes started
getting destroyed along the river.

On the banks of the Nature Preserve
sits a small historic chapel

built by the Sisters of St Francis.

It's known as the "Miracle Chapel"
because in 1955,

it was right in the flow of
the ice jam.

Sister Maura Fortkort witnessed
the events and remembers them well.

There was a rumble, and then the ice
just jumped up in the air.

The ice was 40 feet thick in places.

There was talk of dynamiting it
to break it up,

but that was deemed useless...

...so people watched helplessly
as it caused the river to rise

by up to 15 feet,
flooding freezing water

and huge chunks of ice
over its banks.

The water came over what would
have been the shoreline,

and normally that would have been
like 10 to 12 feet down.

And the ice had built
around the chapel.

Everybody was praying for the chapel
to survive

and asking Our Lady's protection
for the chapel and for all of us.

The jam lasted a week
and caused quite a stir

across western New York
and the globe.

There was a steady stream of cars
along here.

I read one newspaper article
that said

it was the highest volume of traffic
that they've ever had

on the River Road. You know,
that was pretty exciting.

I mean, we were just excited
to know that

we were really witnessing history

and that we were there.

And they may have been witnessing
something else, too,

because once the water receded,
the nuns discovered that

their beloved chapel
was somehow still standing.

We do believe it was a miracle
that it survived.

Everybody felt that it was
our prayers to Our Lady

that saved the chapel.

The ice took out docks and homes
all along the river, not the chapel.

You know, I can't really explain it
myself, but I know

there's just a lot of power and
magic in the Niagara River here.

We are almost at the end of
our incredible journey

along the Niagara.

As the river flows into
Lake Ontario,

we arrive at its most affluent,
lush region.

Here, the river and the lake
work together

to physically influence the climate.

They create mild temperatures,
extending the season

and making this an attractive
destination for tourists,

whether exploring by boat
or on land.

And at the centre of it, nestled
between the lake and the river,

is one of the most picturesque towns
in Canada,

best visited by
horse-drawn carriage.

Once the capital of
British Upper Canada,

Niagara-on-the-Lake is famous
for its historic buildings,

quaint bed and breakfasts
and theatre festival.

Coming up on the right is
the first provincial courthouse

in Upper Canada. This is used for
live theatre by the Shaw Festival.

It's known as
the Courthouse Theatre also.

Visitors flock here to enjoy
carriage rides, fine dining,

to soak up the culture and to sample
a refined local speciality -

ice wine.

No-one knows ice wine
better than this man.

Klaus is a 13th-generation winemaker
whose family emigrated from Germany

to establish a vineyard here on
the banks of the Niagara.

Klaus prefers fancy cars
to riverboats,

but the waterway is vital
to his wine business.

The Niagara River, for me,
means life.

It provides water for my plants,

it provides winter protection
for my plants.

It's a very important part
in our winemaking process

and our growing process.

We have actually our own terroir,

which is a combination of soil
and climatic conditions,

and which gives a very specific
characteristic to our wines.

What a sweet way to end our river
journey, amongst the vineyards

of the largest ice wine-producing
region in the world.

Klaus grows 16 varieties of grape
here - and much of the crop

is being harvested right now,
before the winter...

...unless it's destined for ice wine.

Those grapes need special treatment.

Ice wine is made from frozen grapes.

You leave the grapes until it's
cold enough, -10 degrees Celsius.

The water in a grape is a solid now,

so you squeeze it and
you have this liquid, you know,

which is almost like honey-like.

Just follow me!

That's an excellent winepress we use
for our ice wine-making.

They do look antique, but actually,
they are new

and the best and most modern
technology right now

to press ice wine.

In a regular wine,
out of 1kg of grapes,

you get about 700ml
of grape juice.

On ice wine, out of 1kg of
ice wine grapes,

you end up with about 70ml,

so it's a factor to ten.

Hence, ice wine is very expensive
and we call it "liquid gold".

Hm! Tasty.

People ask me, "So how do you like
your work?

"How do you like your job?"

Then you realise - I never
worked a day in my life.

It's a lifestyle, it's a passion,
what you do.

Living here on the Niagara River,
it's just so stunning.

I could live anywhere in the world,
but I choose to live here.

It's been an enlightening and
awe-inspiring 36-mile journey

along the Niagara.

From border river to natural wonder,

through waters spiritual and fierce,

we have witnessed a larger-than-life
river teeming with surprises,

unforgettably unique
and full of adventure.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media