Bitter cold turns Niagara Falls into winter wonderland

NIAGARA FALLS, United States - Niagara Falls is one place the nation's deep freeze is as much seen as it is felt.

Mist from the surging waters has been freezing instantly on everything it touches, coating trees, walkways, cliffs and overlooks in a dreamy, brilliant white. Visitors hardy enough to withstand the bone-chilling cold are treated to snapshots and selfies in a winter wonderland.

"It's outstanding. As cold as it gets, it's a year-round attraction," Paul Tabaczynski said during a visit to see the spectacle on Tuesday. A Buffalo native, he lives in Dallas now but remembered to dress in layers - flannel over a T-shirt and a lined sweatshirt that passes for his winter jacket in Texas.

Although everything around them freezes, the three waterfalls that make up the natural attraction between the United States and Canada continue to flow and churn up the frosty mist.