Niagara Escarpment

You’ve seen the scenic rock formations that make High Cliff State Park and other natural areas in Wisconsin special.

But did you know that these rock ledges belong to a 1,000+ mile-long international geologic feature that connects Eastern Wisconsin with the grandly iconic Niagara Falls?

This is the Niagara Escarpment—also known as The Ledge—a globally unique feature that claims its beginnings in Wisconsin and connects us regionally and internationally to fascinating history, culture, and ecology, creating opportunities for tourism and learning.

Over 400 million years in the making, it’s a landscape feature like no other. The Niagara Escarpment forms a connecting “Great Arc” that extends through the tip of Door County and into Upper Michigan; across Ontario, Canada; and cascades down Niagara Falls, ending farther east in New York State.