Photo: Knizzle17 at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Upper Cataract Falls
If you're passing
Is it plungeworthy?
A 2-tier tiered on Mill Creek.
The details
- Tiers
- 2 drops
- Type
- Tiered
- Watercourse
- Mill Creek
- Coordinates
- 39.43481, -86.81327
About Upper Cataract Falls
Upper Cataract Falls is a tiered in Indiana, on Mill Creek. The water falls in 2 distinct tiers.
It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.
Plungeworthy rates Upper Cataract Falls 5.2/10 — if you're passing. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
Upper Cataract Falls is Indiana's largest waterfall by volume — Mill Creek coming down about 45 feet in a broad, powerful staircase, with the 1876 Cataract Falls Covered Bridge standing directly above it. The bridge is Owen County's only covered bridge and one of six Smith-truss survivors in the state.
Where most Indiana falls are trickles by August, Mill Creek keeps this one working — it's the state's most reliable big-water show.
The Upper and Lower falls are about a mile apart; a short trail and a drivable road connect them, so see both.
Getting there
- Trailhead
- Cataract Falls State Recreation Area (Lieber SRA), Cataract Road, Owen County
- Parking
- Lot at the falls
- Road
- Paved to the lot
- Hike
- 0.75 mi round trip (Easy — the Covered Bridge Nature Trail is a stone path with benches, wheelchair-accessible)
- Heads up
- Lieber SRA on Cagles Mill Lake has 120 electric and 96 primitive campsites.
When to go
March and April, when Mill Creek swells, are the classic months — but this is the Indiana falls most worth visiting in any season.
Rules & fees
- Fee / pass
- $7 per vehicle Indiana plates; out-of-state day rate differs (local sources say $9, the statewide schedule says $15) — bring the larger figure to be safe
- Dogs
- Leashed
- Camping
- Lieber SRA, 216 sites
- Warnings
- Stay on the marked trail — posted, and the wet limestone earns it.
Researched from Wikipedia — Cataract Falls (Indiana) · Putnam County Visitor's Bureau — Cataract Falls · Indiana DNR — Cagles Mill Lake / Lieber SRA. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Upper Cataract 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.
Common questions
Where is Upper Cataract Falls?
Upper Cataract Falls is a waterfall in Indiana, at 39.43481, -86.81327.
Is Upper Cataract Falls worth visiting?
If you're passing — Plungeworthy rates it 5.2/10.
Gear for the trip
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