The Best Waterfalls in the United States

Arizona and California

Havasu Falls drops 90 to 100 feet over red cliffs into plunge pools in the Grand Canyon. Reaching it takes an 8 to 10 mile hike, or a helicopter or mule. Mooney Falls, also in Havasu Canyon, falls about 190 to 200 feet into a turquoise pool. The hike from Hualapai Hilltop is about 11 miles. Burney Falls in California pours 129 feet from cliff springs into a deep pool. Vernal Fall drops down a granite wall in Yosemite, reached by a paved path and steep stone steps.

Northwest and Idaho

Panther Creek Falls is a 130-foot cascade that splits into two tiers over moss-covered rock in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. A short, steep trail leads from a gravel pullout to upper and lower viewpoints. Shoshone Falls drops 212 feet where the Snake River pours over basalt cliffs, about 900 feet wide. It lies about six miles from the Twin Falls Visitor Center. Upper Mesa Falls drops about 114 feet over a basalt cliff on the same river, and a paved boardwalk reaches the viewing platforms in about ten minutes.

Michigan and Tennessee

Bond Falls is a wide cascading falls on a river, with smaller falls and rapids above it. The woods around it lie near a reservoir in Paulding, Michigan. Visitors park in a lower lot for a short boardwalk, or walk down stairs from the top. Twin Falls pours from cliffs above a rocky river in a wooded gorge on Rock Island, Tennessee. A short walk from the parking lot leads down stairs or a dirt trail to the base. The lot fills up fast.