Woodman Hollow Falls
If you're passing
Is it plungeworthy?
A short, pretty falls.
The details
- Coordinates
- 42.42021, -94.10561
About Woodman Hollow Falls
Woodman Hollow Falls is a 12-foot waterfall in Iowa.
It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.
Plungeworthy rates Woodman Hollow Falls 4.5/10 — if you're passing. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
A 12-foot falls that only exists when the water table says so — a spring near the preserve's western boundary spills over sandstone ledges during wet periods and heavy rain, and can vanish to a damp rock face in a dry spell. Time it right or don't bother.
The ravine itself is the constant: forested walls topping 100 feet, and one of Iowa's richest botanical pockets — 500-plus plant species including 13 kinds of fern. The preserve is locally more famous for the ferns than the falls.
This is the wild one in the Iowa batch. No maintained trail, no facilities, no crowds.
Getting there
- Trailhead
- Grassy pull-off about 6.5-7 miles southeast of Fort Dodge, Webster County — a satellite unit of Dolliver Memorial State Park
- Parking
- Room for about two vehicles
- Road
- Rural county roads
- Hike
- 1 mi round trip (Rough — an unmarked bushwhack along what amounts to a deer path, with downed trees and uneven footing)
- Heads up
- Best suited to hikers comfortable with unmarked routes. Managed remotely through Dolliver Memorial State Park (515-359-2539).
When to go
After rain or spring snowmelt — the falls is explicitly flow-dependent and can be dry otherwise.
Preserve open year-round, sunrise to sunset.
Rules & fees
- Fee / pass
- Free
- Dogs
- Leashed, 6-foot maximum
- Hours
- Sunrise to sunset
- Camping
- None — nearest is Dolliver Memorial State Park, 2 miles south
- Warnings
- No staff on site and no marked trail — bring a map and tell someone where you're going.
Researched from Iowa DNR — Woodman Hollow State Preserve · World Waterfall Database — Woodman Hollow Falls · Wikipedia — Woodman Hollow State Preserve. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Woodman Hollow Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.
Where it is
Planning a visit? We want your photo.
Woodman Hollow Falls doesn't have a photo yet. If you make the trip, send one to hello@plungeworthy.com and we'll publish it here with credit to you.
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
How tall is Woodman Hollow Falls?
Woodman Hollow Falls drops about 12 feet, in Iowa.
Where is Woodman Hollow Falls?
Woodman Hollow Falls is a waterfall in Iowa, at 42.42021, -94.10561.
Is Woodman Hollow Falls worth visiting?
If you're passing — Plungeworthy rates it 4.5/10.
Gear for the trip
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