Plungeworthy

The 10 Best Waterfalls in Colorado

Colorado's waterfalls run from a 365-foot free-fall crowned by a working powerhouse to a triple curtain over travertine you can walk behind a cave to see. These ten balance icons, drives, and honest effort — each researched against current park, forest, and permit sources, which matters in a state that added new reservation systems and reopened its most famous trail this very year.

Colorado's tallest free-fall, 365 feet over Telluride's box canyon with the 1907 powerhouse still humming at the brink. Hike it or 4x4 it.

Directions, season & rules for Bridal Veil Falls

Hanging Lake, reopened June 2026 after a $4.7M rebuild — the turquoise shelf lake with its waterfall, permit-only ($12), and worth every hoop.

Directions, season & rules for Hanging Lake Falls

Steamboat's 283-foot hometown giant with a wheelchair-accessible overlook — mind the annual spring bridge closure that guards the upper trail.

Directions, season & rules for Fish Creek Falls

The state's only triple falls, pouring over a travertine dam with caves behind it, fifty paved yards from parking. Beat the tiny lot.

Directions, season & rules for Rifle Falls

Seven cascading steps in a granite cleft, Broadmoor-polished with a 224-step staircase and an elevator alternative. Ticketed, shuttle-only, closed in winter.

Directions, season & rules for Seven Falls

Three waterfalls on one Wild Basin trail, Ouzel's dark-rock fan the headliner — RMNP's quiet corner, timed-entry 9am–2pm in season.

Directions, season & rules for Ouzel Falls

The park's busiest cascade, under a mile from Glacier Gorge — note Bear Lake Road's stricter 5am–6pm permit window.

Directions, season & rules for Alberta Falls

Wade into a slot canyon and find a waterfall roaring in the dark — with the Great Sand Dunes filling the view outside. Water shoes mandatory.

Directions, season & rules for Zapata Falls

A meadow creek dropping a hundred feet into a volcanic box canyon, ADA-accessible off the Silver Thread byway. Zero effort, maximum surprise.

Directions, season & rules for North Clear Creek Falls

A 105-foot plume at the foot of Wolf Creek Pass, fed by Colorado's deepest snowpack — the roadside stop that outperforms its size every June.

Directions, season & rules for Treasure Falls

Rankings reflect our research, not a verdict on your trip — every spot page takes community ratings and conditions reports, and that's where the real answer to "is it worth it?" lives.

More worth the drive in Colorado