Winter is finally loosening its icy grip and spring showers are coaxing the buds and blooms from forest trees and wildflowers. It’s the season when wild rivers, swollen with snowmelt and precipitation, run at their highest levels, turning the tamest of waterfalls into frothing show-stoppers.
A refreshing waterfall can be the highlight of a hike in any season, but this is especially true as you stand in the bracing springtime mist of Yosemite’s Vernal Falls, soak in the blue-green pools under Arizona’s Havasu Falls, or splash up the river trail in Zion’s Narrows. Nothing else in nature offers quite the same combination of untamed exhilaration and near-mesmerizing calm, capturing the sense of renewal that comes from a day on the trail at the end of winter.
Experience the grandeur of waterfalls in springtime on a hike to these 13 cascades.
1. The Narrows
Zion National Park, Utah
Where to Camp: Kolob Reservoir Campground
Any level of hiker can experience the imposing beauty of Zion’s Narrows and slot canyon hiking on the bottom-up hike from the Temple of Sinawava. It’s a flat 10-mile round trip into Orderville Canyon, but you can turn around at any point to shorten the trip. You’ll be hiking the classic Narrows trail on through the shallow waters of the Virgin River to Big Springs cascade, but keep an eye out for wispy falls trickling over the 1,000-foot high sandstone cliffs along the route.
2. Kaaterskill Falls
Elka Park, New York
Where to Camp: North-South Lake Campground
Towering 260 feet above Spruce Creek, the dual cascades of Kaaterskill Falls combine to make it one of the tallest waterfalls in the state. Once a scared place to the Native Mohicans, the falls are accessible by a strenuous, 2.6-mile out-and-back hike that starts at 71-foot Bastion Falls. From the cascade less than half a mile from the trailhead, it’s a steady climb along the creek to the base of the falls and over 150 stairs leading to an observation platform perched over the valley.
3. Vernal Falls & Nevada Falls
Yosemite National Park, California
Where to Camp: Yosemite Ridge Resort
A strenuous hike along the Merced River starts on a paved path from the Yosemite Valley floor to two of the park’s most famous waterfalls. It’s 2.4 miles round trip to a giant natural rock staircase soaked in plumes of mist from 317-foot Vernal Falls. Continue the climb on a sandy, rock-strewn trail to a granite plateau above 594-foot Nevada Falls for double the distance.
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4. Spray Falls
Pictured Rock National Lakeshore, Michigan
Where to Camp: Otter Lake Campground
The trek along Isle Royale National Park’s 10.4-mile Lakeshore Trail is flat, but the 10.4-mile distance makes this a trek for experienced hikers only. First you’ll reach the base of 60-foot Chapel Falls and the swimming hole below Mosquito Falls, but the highlight is 70-foot Spray Falls, which you’ll see plunging over a cliff into Lake Superior from your vantage point on Chapel Beach.
5. South Falls
Sublimity, Oregon
Where to Camp: Silver Falls State Park
Stand behind a curtain of water 177 feet high on the 7.2-mile Trail of Ten Falls in Silver Falls State Park. You’ll come to nine more cascades along the intermediate hiking trail as you gradually climb through thickly forested canyon in the picturesque Cascade Mountain range. Spur trails give beginners the option to shorten the loop to just over three miles.
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6. Russian River Falls
Cooper Landing, Alaska
Where to Camp: Chena River State Recreation Area
An easy, two-mile hike on the Russian Lakes Trail follows a wide gravel path through spruce-birch forest to waterways teeming with sockeye salmon migrating upriver to spawn in late spring. If the swarms of salmon aren’t enough to catch your attention, you can also watch brown and black bears congregating in the falls to scoop a meal from the churning water.
7. Havasu Falls
Supai, Arizona
Where to Camp: Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
It’s a strenuous desert trek to the turquoise waterfalls in Havasupai tribal lands on the edge of Grand Canyon National Park. You’ll pass four waterfalls on the way to a refreshing swim under the incredible 100-foot high Havasu Falls. Expert backcountry hikers have the option to extend the trek another seven miles round trip to the terraced pools at Beaver Falls. Permits are required for access.
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8. Ganoga Falls
Benton, Pennsylvania
Where to Camp: Ricketts Glen State Park
The 7.2-mile Falls Trail in Ricketts Glen State Park leads you to an astounding 21 waterfalls. The trail is rated intermediate for rocky terrain, with 94-foot Ganoga Falls as its centerpiece. For novice hikers, a 3.2-mile loop packs in most of the waterfall viewing without the distance.
9. Ramsey Cascades
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Where to Camp: Roamstead
At an incredible 100 feet, Ramsey Cascades is the tallest waterfall in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Hike the challenging eight-mile round trip trek through lush old-growth forest and enjoy a picnic break on the boulders surrounding the cascade. The expert-level trail, part abandoned logging road, climbs an intimidating 2,000 feet from the trailhead to the falls.
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10. Elk Falls Overlook
Outside Denver, Colorado
Where to Camp: Staunton State Park
The newest state park in Colorado, Staunton State Park is an outdoor recreation wonderland, with soaring granite cliffs and 30 miles of scenic trails lined with pines, spruce and aspen trees. Trailblazers seeking waterfall views should opt for the Elk Falls adventure, a moderate 10 mile round trip trek. Hikers will pass meadows, rock formations and pine forests on the way to Elk Falls, the highest waterfall near the Denver region, rising at 75 feet. Keep an eye out for moose and black bear sightings.
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11. Hooker Falls, Triple Falls & High Falls
DuPont State Forest, North Carolina
Where to Camp: Blue Ridge Falls RV Resort
Three miles of easy, family-friendly trails follow the Little River to cascades pouring over slabs of exposed granite in the mountains of western North Carolina. Warm up with an easy .75-mile out-and-back walk to Hooker Falls and the swimming hole below, before returning to the trailhead to start the two-mile round trip to 120-foot Triple Falls and 150-foot High Falls.
12. St. Mary Falls & Virginia Falls
Glacier National Park, Montana
Where to Camp: Leaning Tree Cafe & Campground
The three-mile round trip hike to triple-tiered St. Mary Falls and 50-foot Virginia Falls in Glacier National Park is a trek that any hiker can enjoy. Look for American dippers bobbing in and out of the blue water. Advanced hikers can continue on the Piegan Pass Trail to Florence Falls for over 12 miles total.
13. Cummins Falls
Cookeville, Tennessee
Where to Camp: Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park
A family-friendly, 1.1-mile loop trail follows the Blackburn Fork State Scenic River to a rocky amphitheater surrounding a sandy beach and inviting swimming hole in Tennessee-favorite Cummins Falls State Park. The falls tumble in several chutes over the cliff overhead to cascade down stair-step ledges, creating a natural splash zone at the bottom of the falls.
