Cohoes Falls seen from Overlook Park (Skeat78 | Creative Commons via Wikipedia)

Before early New York settlers ever laid eyes on the roaring majesty of Niagara Falls, they encountered another mighty waterfall in the region, steeped in legend and destined to become an important part of the state's history.

Today, Cohoes Falls is the lesser-known sibling of Niagara, but its size and power rival parts of the American side of Niagara Falls and make it worth a trip during any visit to the Capital Region.

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Cohoes Falls (Courtesy of @abbottdg via Instagram)

30 more hidden waterfalls in Upstate NY that will take your breath away

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Early Illustration of Cohoes Falls from the book En Resa til Norra America by Pehr Kalm (Public Domain)

In the Iroquois oral tradition, Cohoes Falls was the site where The Great Peacemaker–a prophetic figure to the Iroquois–performed a feat of supernatural strength by surviving a plunge into the falls. This convinced the Mohawk tribe to found the Iroquois Confederacy.

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Early illustration of Cohoes Falls (Public Domain)

The waterfall's name originates from Ga-ha-oose, or "ship-wrecked canoe." It refers to another legend about a chieftain's daughter who fell asleep in a canoe at the river's edge. The canoe slipped from its mooring and glided toward the falls where it took the girl to her death. No remains were ever found.

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Cohoes Falls at high volume (Public Domain)

Apart from its revered and near-mythical status for Native Americans, the sheer power and size of Cohoes Falls make it a noteworthy landmark in Upstate New York. While the combined American and Canadian sides of Niagara Falls dwarf the Capital Region rival, Cohoes Falls is actually larger, and at times more powerful than the American Falls alone. Here's a side-by-side comparison to the the American side of Niagara Falls:

The American Falls are an impressive 830 feet across, but Cohoes Falls stretches about 1,000 feet across the Mohawk River.

Cohoes Falls' height ranges from 75 to 90 feet. The American Falls height ranges from 70 to 110 feet across its width.

Waterflow over Cohoes Falls can reach 90,000 cubic feet per second, while flow over the American Falls ranges from 5,000 to 21,000 per second.

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So if Cohoes Falls rivals and even occasionally trumps the American Falls, why does Cohoes Falls have little to no tourism industry while millions of people flock to Niagara Falls every year?

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Cohoes Falls runs dry (Public Domain)

Unlike Niagara's American Falls, which always have some amount of water flowing over them (the minimum is 5,000 cubic feet per second), Cohoes Falls can run completely dry. When seen during a dry season, it's considerably less spectacular to look at. Just take a look at the photo above.

Towns built dams and mills to harness the power of the falls for industry, but the mills closed during the Great Depression. City leaders never capitalized on the location's potential for tourism, despite once being considered one of America's most famous natural phenomenons by early explorers and colonists.

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Cohoes Falls in the Winter (Public Domain)

On the plus side, you'll never have to deal with the crowds or tourist traps if you pay a visit to Cohoes Falls. The area has seen the development of two lovely parks over the past 10-15 years which provide views of the falls and some recreation options.

Overlook Park mainly offers a beautiful view of the falls, as well as some nice spots for a picnic.

The newly renovated Falls View Park just down the road also offers a beautiful view, and has more opportunities for recreation including a fishing platform, panels with historical information, a pedestrian bridge spanning the canal, a small amphitheater and walking trails.

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Falls View Park

231-341 N Mohawk St

Cohoes, NY 12047

Overlook Park

Cataract St

Cohoes, NY 12047

See more photos of Cohoes Falls below.

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Courtesy of @abbottdg via Instagram

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Courtesy of @abbottdg via Instagram

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READ MORE: 15 gorgeous frozen waterfalls to see this winter in Upstate NY