Yahoo Falls

Worth the drive

Is it plungeworthy?

113feet tall

A plunge on Yahoo Creek.

Scale50/60

Documentation15/20

Character14/20

The details

Type: Plunge
Watercourse: Yahoo Creek
Coordinates: 36.77321, -84.5189

Get directions →

About Yahoo Falls

Yahoo Falls is a 113-foot plunge in Kentucky, on Yahoo Creek.

It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.

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

What you'll find

Kentucky's tallest: 113 feet of Yahoo Creek free-falling past a rock-shelter amphitheater you can walk behind, deep in Big South Fork country. A steel staircase drops you into the gorge; Yahoo Arch waits up-trail for dessert.

Getting there

Trailhead: Yahoo Falls Scenic Area, off the Alum Ford road, McCreary County
Parking: Lot with picnic tables and restrooms
Road: Paved all-weather access road
Hike: 1 mi round trip, 190 ft of climb (moderate — steep steel stairs)
Heads up: Managed by Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area; no entrance fee.

When to go

Spring or within days of rain — the creek is small and the curtain thins to lace by August.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: None
Dogs: Leashed, 6-foot max
Hours: Day use
Camping: Alum Ford primitive campground nearby
Warnings: Rattlesnakes and copperheads live in the gorge; the stairs ice in winter.

Researched from Wikipedia — Yahoo Falls · NPS — Big South Fork camping. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Yahoo 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.