From small to gigantic, I’ve seen LOADS of waterfalls in the United States.
These waterfalls were from all over the place — from the Smoky Mountain National Park to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and to the Washington coast.
From coastal landscapes to woodland forests, this article is a roundup of my very favorite waterfalls that I’ve seen around the United States.
Let’s jump into it!
(I’ve organized these waterfalls, not by location, but by size. This seemed to be the most interesting way to distinguish the waterfalls from each other.)
The largest and loudest
Waterfalls can be many things – and powerful is absolutely one of them!
When the water flows, it’s loud and violent. You wish to keep your toes dry around these waterfalls.
We visited Sable Falls in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in June, where the spring rainstorm was still feeding it. This mighty waterfall was fast, and obviously brown from rain, so it was pretty rapid. It was also epic and powerful.
Next up on large and loud was Yellowstone River Falls, where we visited this waterfall in July.
Even in the middle of summer, this waterfall was fast and furious. With both an upper and a lower waterfall, the river kept tumbling at every turn.
The tall and majestic
Next category, these waterfalls are tall and majestic with sky-reaching heights. Some of these waterfalls are even the highest in the United States!
Also from Yellowstone National Park, Tower Falls, which really was a tower of water, dropping to astonishing depths into a deep, deep canyon.
This waterfall plunges at an impressive 132 feet to the bottom.
Sol Duc Falls in Olympic National Park is next up on the list of semi-tall and majestic.
It might not be as tall as Tower Falls, but it was majestic with its multi-water tumbles, averaging at around 50 feet each.
In the same park, Marymere Falls was a tall AND majestic favorite (90 feet). This waterfall stood out as unique because of its surroundings.
It’s nestled in a coastal rainforest with mossy, green rock walls.
If you want to be wowed by majestic and tall waterfalls, then the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon is the place to visit. Waterfalls in this area are plentiful (where you can visit a handful within a twenty minute drive!)
They really are that close together.
I wouldn’t describe these waterfalls as mighty, but absolutely, they would be majestic.
Latourell Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Multnomah Falls (620 feet!!), and Horsetail Falls make the list.
To roundup this epic post of waterfalls, I do have to mention Rainbow Falls in the Smoky Mountain National Park.
It’s very different from the waterfalls in Yellowstone and the Pacific Northwest. Also within a rainforest, the hike to this waterfall is beautiful and the waterfall itself is majestic.
Many great hikes end with a beautiful waterfall at the finish line. After five months of traveling to my country’s national parks, I’ve visited several waterfalls of all shapes and sizes.
(But all of them were beautiful and epic!)
It’s important to travel in a sustainable and respectful way towards local communities and natural places. I love writing about the places that I see, but I recognize the negative impact that travel has on our planet. I’m not perfect, but I put considerable effort into reducing my impact from my travels. If you love this topic, I’d love to discuss it with you!
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