Rifle Falls

Worth the drive

Is it plungeworthy?

70feet tall

A segmented on Rifle Creek.

Scale45/60

Documentation20/20

Character14/20

The details

Type: Segmented
Watercourse: Rifle Creek
Coordinates: 39.67777, -107.69857

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About Rifle Falls

Rifle Falls is a 70-foot segmented in Colorado, on Rifle Creek.

Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.

Plungeworthy rates Rifle Falls 7.9/10 — worth the drive. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

Colorado's only triple waterfall: three streams pouring side-by-side over a 70-foot travertine dam, with limestone caves burrowed into the cliff behind them. Fifty paved yards from the lot to the viewing bridge — the state's best waterfall-per-step ratio.

Getting there

Trailhead: Rifle Falls State Park, Highway 325
Parking: Small lot — on summer weekends arrive at the 6am opening or risk being turned away
Road: Paved
Hike: 1.5 mi round trip (easy)
Heads up: The Coyote Trail loop reaches the falls base and the caves and is ADA-accessible.

When to go

Any season — spring-fed flow persists year-round, biggest in May–June, and winter builds ice pillars worth the drive alone. The bottleneck is always parking, never the falls.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: State-park vehicle pass: $10 Colorado plates / $15 out-of-state (2026 rates)
Dogs: Leashed
Hours: 6am–10pm
Camping: 20-site creekside campground in the park ($22–36) — books out most weekends
Warnings: The park turns cars away on busy weekends; have a plan B.

Researched from CPW — Rifle Falls State Park · Wikipedia — Rifle Falls State Park. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Rifle Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.