A trickle, a stream or a cascade -- water in motion provides a special thrill. Sunlight sparkling in rainbows of mist, thunderous torrents, or the chill of spray can be a refreshing treat whether hiking through verdant forests or scorching deserts. From east, west, and many places in between, America's Byways have outstanding scenery in their cascading falls.
One of Washington State's most popular natural attractions is Snoqualmie Falls. The falls are just east of Seattle, on the Mountains to Sound Greenway - I-90. Set 300 feet above the Snoqualmie River, an observation platform provides you with an outstanding view of the falls as they plunge 270 feet into a 65-foot deep pool.
While you're in Washington, drive along the scenic countryside until you reach Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway, and see a real feat of nature. Here you'll find the 3.5 mile-wide and 400 foot-long Dry Falls. Once ten times larger than Niagara Falls, the waterfall now stands as a silent testimony to the power of the Ice Age floods. When cataclysmic changes reshaped most of the world with the Ice Age, Dry Falls is an obvious sign of what came before. An overlook situated near the falls gives a wide view of the small lakes below -- quiet reminders of what was once a colossal waterfall.
When you drop down to Oregon, stop by Multnomah Falls, located along Historic Columbia River Highway. Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States. Hiking up the steep trail will lead you to a platform above the two-tiered, 620-foot falls, a great place to enjoy the sound of rushing water. Also be sure to drive Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway, the site of majestic Watson Falls. The highest waterfall in southwestern Oregon, it plunges 272 feet over the edge of a basalt lava flow. Stand on the bridge for an ideal view of the water tumbling over volcanic rocks.
As you start traveling east, take a break in Utah to see Lower Calf Creek Falls in Escalante Canyons. This desert waterfall, which drops 126 feet among multicolored sandstone cliffs, greets hikers at the end of a winding canyon trail. It is one of many picturesque stops along Scenic Byway 12.
Continuing your journey to the Midwest, pause in Minnesota to see the famous Minnehaha Falls on the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway. These 53-foot falls inspired Longfellow's poem "Song of Hiawatha" and are located in Minnehaha Park, a large city park on the banks of the Mississippi River. Have a picnic in the park, tour a few of the trails, or take a walk on the bridge that spans above the falls. A nearby trail leads down the gorge surrounding the falls.
A trip to America's waterfalls wouldn't be complete without a stop at Niagara Falls in New York on the Seaway Trail. Niagara Falls is actually comprised of two waterfalls. The United States' American Falls, dropping 184 feet into the river, is the taller of the two waterfalls, but Canada's Horseshoe Falls is a mammoth 2,200 feet wide. Together, these waterfalls form a grand spectacle of misty water and foamy whiteness that all ages can enjoy.
Virginia, the next stop on your continental waterfall tour, is home to several stunning waterfalls. Enjoy the tumbling waters of the Great Falls on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, which are more of a 3,500 foot-long cataract than a waterfall. Hemmed in by the narrow Mather Gorge and positioned near the Potomac River, these falls show a violent beauty during high water periods. A little further west and a few miles off Virginia's half of the Blue Ridge Parkway is Crabtree Falls, which features a series of five major cascades and a number of smaller ones over a distance of 1,200 feet. This is the largest vertical-drop waterfall east of the Mississippi River. You’ll have waterfalls in your sight the entire time you are hiking up the trail that leads to the first overlook.
Continue south along the Blue Ridge Parkway and into North Carolina to see Linville Falls, a beautiful series of dramatic falls that drop into a deep gorge. You can access the falls by a trail lined with rare virgin stands of white pine and hemlock. In the spring, take pictures of rosebay, Catawba, and Carolina rhododendron growing side by side, as this area around the falls is one of the few places in these mountains where they grow.
Pause in Georgia to take in several striking falls, such as Blue Hole Falls and High Shoals Creek Falls, which are stops along a trail through tall trees and rhododendrons on the Russell-Brasstown National Scenic Byway. Further south along the byway is Anna Ruby Falls. As Curtis and York Creeks flow down Tray Mountain, they come together to form this twin waterfall, with Curtis Creek plummeting 150 feet and York Creek tumbling 50 feet to the ground. Anna Ruby Falls is not the only set of combined waterfalls near this byway. Raven Cliff Falls on the southern half of the byway is actually a series of three waterfalls. Cascading a total of 100 feet down Dodd Creek, the middle section of these dazzling falls flows through a split in a solid rock outcropping. To round off your day of exploring this byway's waterfalls, spend some time at Duke Creek Gorge, where you'll see Duke Creek Falls drop 250 feet down a steep granite canyon.
From small trickles tumbling over rocks to massive land formations dating back to the Ice Age, nature provides stunning visuals of thundering waters that have carved their way through the earth. America's Byways showcase the best of these cascading streams, assuring any visitor of sensory delights to spare as they travel across America.
