Spectacular waterfalls within the USA

While spring temperatures continue to play cat and mouse with much of the country, the weather is indeed warming, and with the warmer weather comes snow melt. This spring, the melt from above average snow falls is rewarding us with spectacular sights at waterfalls around the USA.

Alaska

With more than 27 feet of average snowfall a year, Valdez has become known as the “Land of Waterfalls” when all of that snow begins to melt in the spring and into the summer. One of the waterfalls to stop by is Bridal Veil Falls in Keystone Canyon off of the Richardson Highway.

California

One of the tallest waterfalls in North America with a drop of 2,425 feet, Yosemite Falls is putting on quite a show this spring at Yosemite National Park. Take a look at the Yosemite Falls webcam to see how it’s flowing right now!

Colorado

Three waterfalls that are worth checking out this spring in Colorado are Fish Creek Falls near Steamboat Springs; South Mineral Creek Falls near Durango and Silverton; and Seven Falls near Colorado Springs. The gentle spray from Fish Creek Falls will cool you after the trek to see them, and the landscape around South Mineral Creek Falls, with its turquoise pool and red and grey peaks, and the Great Plains beyond Seven Falls make the views even more stunning.

Connecticut

In Connecticut, two waterfalls worth seeing are Kent Falls in the town of Kent, from which the waters plunge 70 feet in a cascade, and Wadsworth Falls, accessible via a 1.5-mile hike within Wadsworth Falls State Park.

Idaho

You’re in for a spectacular show if you visit Shoshone Falls near Twin Falls. A surplus of water in the Upper Snake River and deep snowpack means that water releases will be required below the Milner Dam through April, and more water flowing over the 212-foot falls.  

Maine

White water rafting enthusiasts are looking forward to an exciting season with the amount of water flowing at Moxie Falls in The Forks region. The 90-foot high falls are one of the tallest in the state, and its water plunges into a 17-foot pool at the bottom of its vertical drop.

Maryland

Muddy Creek Falls, the state’s tallest waterfall, is found in Swallow Falls State Park in Western Maryland.

Minnesota

Within the heart of Minneapolis, and with the snowiest April ever recorded in the area, Minnehaha Falls within Minnehaha Regional Park is flowing well, and is expected to continue long into the spring. Elsewhere in Minnesota, it’s easy to spot one of the 15 waterfalls in Cook County’s Cross River, off of Highway 61. But bring a raincoat – the spray from the snow melt (88 inches fell in the county this winter) may get you.

Montana

Record snowfall in Montana means that the mountain creek that feeds Skalkaho Pass Falls are overflowing with melted snow, which makes for lots of water tumbling over the 150-foot falls. The falls are found within Bitterroot National Forest on Skalkaho Pass off of Highway 38.

New York

With 3,160 tons of water flowing over Niagara Falls every second – that’s 75,750 gallons per second over the American and Bridal Veil Falls, and 681,750 gallons per second over Horseshoe Falls – it’s impossible to imagine that the falls can freeze. But that’s just what happened this winter when air temperatures dropped, and the water plummeting over the falls froze in Niagara Falls State Park.

North Carolina

The Dry Falls near Highlands aren’t so dry this spring, with water flowing heavily over the falls.

Oregon

In Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, the water that flows over Sahalie Falls plunges 100 feet over a lava dam, and then another 40 feet in a series of, well, cascades. Sahalie is a Chinook Jargon word that means "heaven," and the views here are quite heavenly.

Tennessee

Rather than snow melt, a wet and cold winter, as well as heavy rains this spring, have resulted in lots of water flowing over Tennessee’s waterfalls, including Fall Creek Falls in the aptly-named Fall Creek Falls State Park, which stands at 256 feet and is one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States; and Greeter Falls and Savage Falls, both within South Cumberland State Park.