The 10 Best Waterfalls in California

2,425 feet — the tallest in North America — with a paved mile to the base and a brutal optional climb to the brink. May is the show; late summer is a dry cliff. No park reservation needed in 2026.

129 feet of water erupting from the cliff itself, spring-fed to near-constant flow all year. New for 2026: summer weekends require an advance day-use reservation.

The Big Sur tidefall over a turquoise cove. Its overlook trail is closed for repairs, so it's a highway-shoulder view for now — still worth the pullout, and Highway 1 is finally open end-to-end again.

The Mist Trail's 317-foot drencher — 600 granite steps straight up through the spray. The most fun you can have getting soaked with boots on.

Vernal's 594-foot big sibling at the top of the Giant Staircase. Continue past the crowds, descend the John Muir Trail for the postcard angle.

The 620-foot veil at Yosemite's front door — swaying in wind, running all year, and a five-minute walk from its own lot.

A waterfall onto an ocean beach, thirteen wilderness miles round trip with a tide table in your pocket. Skip the crumbling 'shortcut' — the coastline is the point.

Rainbow Falls at Devils Postpile: 101 feet with a rainbow in the mist on cue, a shuttle ride and easy walk from Mammoth. Pair it with the basalt columns upstream.

Three falls on one flat river trail, with the fifty-foot middle curtain pouring into NorCal's best swimming hole. Free, easy, and allowed in the water.

A 410-foot plume above Lake Oroville, back open after a five-year post-fire rebuild — sixth-tallest in the lower 48, now hiked in full sun, so bring water.