These Are The 35 Most Beautiful US Waterfalls

The natural world is full of amazing things. Some of them are obvious and easy to see, and others have to be found. Sometimes, we forget that they are even there.

The national parks, state parks, and other natural areas of the country are full of amazing things to see and do. Waterfalls have always attracted people, and if you know where to look, you can find some incredibly beautiful ones.

There is something amazing about the sound and feeling of water rushing over huge cliffs and rock faces. It reminds us that nature is wild and aggressive but also soft and beautiful at the same time. It makes us feel alive and helps us connect with the world around us.

These 35 waterfalls can all be found in the United States. Some of them are big, and some of them have a long history surrounding them. If you ever get a chance to check out any of these magnificent waterfalls, be sure to take advantage of it.

1. Cascade Falls

Cascade Falls is a beautiful waterfall located in Rocky Mountain National Park. At the bottom of the falls, the water collects to create a pool where people like to swim. There are many trails around, and you can hike to the falls from many adjoining trails. A pine forest teeming with wildlife surrounds the scenic falls.

2. Cumberland Falls

Cumberland Falls is located in Corbin, Kentucky, in Cumberland Falls State Park. The park is a great place to visit for a picnic or a hike. Kayakers often paddle up to the falls from the river below, and there are plenty of trails and attractions around.

3. Eternal Flame Falls

This unique waterfall is located in located in the Shale Creek Preserve, a section of Chestnut Ridge Park in Western New York. There is a small grotto behind the falls that is full of natural gas. It creates a light that can be seen shining from the outside as the water washes down over the rocks.

4. Fulmer Falls

Fulmer Falls is located in the George W. Childs Recreation Site in Dingmans Ferry, Pike County, Pennsylvania. It’s close to numerous other falls, as well as many trails. It’s a beautiful waterfall that cascades over rocky cliffs. The forest around is full of wildlife that sometimes visit the falls, as well.

5. Horsetail Falls

Horsetail Falls is a beautiful waterfall that is worth the hike to see. Thousands of people visit Yosemite National Park to see it each year. It’s a seasonal waterfall that only flows in the winter and the early spring.

6. Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls is located in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. It’s a two-tier waterfall, which makes it all the more beautiful. It’s also fairly easy to get to, so the site gets plenty of visitors every year.

7. Niagara Cave

The Niagara Cave waterfall is an amazing site to see. It’s located inside a cave, which makes it extra-special. The scene is so beautiful that many people choose to have their weddings there. It’s something that everyone should see one in their lives.

8. Opaekaa Falls

Opaekaa Falls is located along Ōpaekaʻa Stream in Waialua River State Park on the eastern side of the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The waterfall reaches more than 150 feet tall and flows over basalt left behind from a volcano eruption. The waterfall is surrounded by a forest, and it’s a very peaceful place to visit.

Kridsada Kamsombat
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Kridsada Kamsombat

9. Ramsey Cascades

This popular waterfall is located just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It’s visited by thousands of people every year. Visitors hike a trail to get to the falls. The trail is actually a difficult one to hike and stretches more than seven miles up and back. The views are worth the challenge, though.

10. Toccoa Falls

Toccoa Falls is located in Georgia and has a drop of 186 feet. This waterfall is big and beautiful. The falls is a part of many stories associated with the Native Americans who once lived in the area. It’s one of many large waterfalls in Northern Georgia.

11. Ruby Falls

Ruby Falls is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. What makes this waterfall so popular is the fact that it’s underground. It can be found in a cave on Lookout Mountain. Lookout Castle is situated near the cave that houses the waterfall and is a popular tourist attraction, as well.

12. Burney Falls

Burney Falls is a waterfall situated along Burney Creek within McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park in Shasta County, California. The water comes from underground springs above and on the falls. The waterfall has a 129-foot drop.

13. Myrtle Falls

Myrtle Falls in one of the amazing sights you can check out inside Mt. Rainier National Park. The views are amazing, and they can distract you away from the 73-foot waterfall that is nearby. It’s a photographer’s dream, and the mountain behind it makes the perfect backdrop.

14. Snoqualmie Falls

Snoqualmie Falls is one of the most popular attractions in the state of Washington. The waterfall is an impressive 272 feet high, and there is also a park and lodge located nearby. It’s a wonderful place to spend the afternoon, and it attracts outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world.

15. Minnehaha Falls

This mighty waterfall is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It’s easy to find, and there is a bridge above the falls for hikers. There are also plenty of attractions around, including picnic areas, trails, and a sculpture.

16. Elakala Falls

Elakala Falls is located in Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia. It’s one of the four waterfalls of Shays Run. The waterfall is easy to find, and many people make the trek to see it every year. Many photographers use the falls as a backdrop for photos.

17. Shoshone Falls

Shoshone Falls can be found in Idaho. It’s often called the Niagara of the West. It was formed by glacier ice and is more than 200 feet tall. It was once an important fishing and trapping spot for Native Americans and is now a popular tourist attraction.

18. Burgess Falls

Burgess Falls is located in White County, Tennessee. It flows into a large limestone gorge, and it’s a popular place for hikers to visit. It’s located within the Burgess Falls State Park.

19. Havasu Falls

This lovely waterfall is located in the Grand Canyon, Arizona. It’s also within Havasupai tribal lands. It drops more than 100 feet and has one main chute. Other chutes also empty nearby but are shorter. This is a popular picnic area for locals and tourists.

20. Palouse Falls

Palouse Falls can be found along the Palouse River in Washington. It’s 198 feet tall and has a lower drop of about 20 feet. It has been called the official falls of Washington state and is surrounded by trails for hikers to enjoy.

21. Dry Falls

Dry Falls is just as its name suggests, a dried-up waterfall. It’s still worth the visit to get an idea of how massive this falls once was. It’s estimated that the falls were five times the width of Niagara, with 10 times the flow of all the current rivers in the world combined. The river that once flowed over the falls is now several feet beneath it.

Wikimedia Commons
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Wikimedia Commons

22. Kaaterskill Falls

Kaaterskill Falls is a double-decker waterfall that is 260 feet high. This waterfall is one of the oldest attractions in the United States and still attracts tourists. It’s a popular place for sightseers and photographers.

23. Tower Falls

Tower Falls is located in Yosemite National Park. It drops 123 feet into the Yellowstone River. The waterfall was named by Samuel Hauser, a member of the Washburn party that explored Yellowstone. It attracts thousands of visitors every year.

Yellowstone Park
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Yellowstone Park

24. Bond Falls

Bond Falls is located in Michigan. It’s a small waterfall and only drops about 50 feet. However, the water flows over a beautiful rock face. There are trails all around the falls and many picnic areas scattered throughout the area, as well.

25. Bushkill Falls

Bushkill Falls is one of eight private waterfalls that are located in Pennsylvania. It reaches more than 100 feet tall and is the tallest of the eight. It’s a popular spot for hikers to stop and rest. It’s also a beautiful place for bird watching and picnicking.

The Constant Rambler
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The Constant Rambler

26. Vernal Falls

Vernal Falls is located in Yosemite National Park in California. It gets its name because as summer ends, the amount of water that flows over the falls decreases. It sometimes splits into multiple strands of water instead of one big one.

Chicken Smoothie
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Chicken Smoothie

27. Upper Mesa Falls

This waterfall is located in Idaho. It’s 114 feet high and 200 feet wide. The falls was created by an ancient volcanic super-eruption. You can drive to the falls and even picnic nearby.

28. American Falls

American Falls is described as the American side of Niagara Falls. It’s much smaller than the falls on the Canadian side, but it’s still very impressive. More than 75,000 gallons of water flow over American Falls per second.

29. McWay Falls

McWay Falls is a beautiful waterfall located in California. It can be found in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Big Sur. At one time, the waterfall landed right in the ocean. A landslide changed that, but it’s still beautiful and a popular tourist attraction.

30. Willamette Falls

Willamette Falls is a natural waterfall in Oregon. It’s the largest waterfall in the American Pacific Northwest by volume and the 17th widest in the world. It stands 42 feet high and 1,500 feet wide.

31. Mystic Falls

Mystic Falls is a cascade-type waterfall on the Little Firehole River. It’s in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and reaches 70 feet tall. It can be accessed by a one-mile trail that leads to the top of the falls. It’s a wonderful place to snap some photos and enjoy nature.

Avenue of Day Dreams
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Avenue of Day Dreams

32. Linville Falls

Linville Falls is a rather small waterfall located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. It’s 45 feet high and surrounded by beautiful trees and scenery. It’s a beautiful place to observe wildlife and a favorite spot for photographers.

33. Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls is located in Yosemite National Park and is a hiker’s dream. This large waterfall is 620 feet high and surrounded by large mountains and cliffs. It’s a spectacular site. Numerous hiking trails lead to it, and it has an amazing splash that can reach up to a quarter-mile away.

34. Celilo Falls

Celilo Falls was once a popular hunting and fishing spot for Native Americans. In fact, they once set up camps near the falls. The waterfall only drops about 12 feet, but it’s a teaming with many species of fish, and the area is frequented by wildlife. There are several other small falls nearby.

35. Saint Anthony Falls

Saint Anthony Falls was once the only natural major waterfall on the Upper Mississippi River. It partially collapsed in 1800s and was replaced with a concrete overflow spillway. The waterfall is much smaller than it once was, but it’s still nice to look at.

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USA Today

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