Waterfalls in California

Where the waterfalls are in California

California has the tallest well-known waterfalls in the lower 48, most of them in the Sierra Nevada, where glaciers carved deep granite valleys and left side streams hanging high above them. Yosemite Valley is the famous example. The Cascades and Klamath Mountains in the north and the coastal ranges add many more.

Southern California has falls too, mostly short seasonal drops in the San Gabriel and San Jacinto mountains that run after winter storms.

Well-known waterfalls in California

Yosemite Falls

Usually given as 2,425 feet from top to bottom in three sections, one of the tallest waterfalls in North America. Lower Yosemite Fall is a short walk from the valley floor. Falls near Yosemite Falls.

Bridalveil Fall

A 617-foot fall that sways in the wind at the entrance to Yosemite Valley, a short walk from the road. Falls near Bridalveil Fall.

Vernal Fall

A 317-foot fall on the Mist Trail in Yosemite, which climbs granite steps beside it, drenched in spray in spring. Falls near Vernal Fall.

Burney Falls

A 129-foot spring-fed fall that runs all year, in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park. Falls near Burney Falls.

McWay Falls

An 80-foot fall that drops toward a cove on the Big Sur coast, seen from an overlook trail in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. The beach is closed. Falls near McWay Falls.

Feather Falls

A tall fall in the Plumas National Forest at the end of a long loop trail. Falls near Feather Falls.

Rainbow Falls

A 101-foot fall on the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River near Devils Postpile National Monument. Falls near Rainbow Falls.

When to go

Sierra falls peak with snowmelt in May and June, and some, like Yosemite Falls, often dry up by late summer. Coastal and southern falls run best after winter rain. See the best time to see waterfalls for how flow changes by region.

California by the numbers

The map shows 382 named falls in California. 182 of them are in the USGS Geographic Names Information System, the federal register of official place names, and 200 more are named falls mapped only in OpenStreetMap. 66 have a height recorded by OpenStreetMap mappers, which is what the height filter above uses. MariposaCounty has the most, with 23.

Tallest recorded waterfalls in California

Heights as recorded in OpenStreetMap, converted to feet. Guidebooks may list different figures, usually because they count every tier of a fall or only the biggest drop. Why heights differ.

Counties with the most waterfalls

From the USGS record, which gives each fall's county.

Every named waterfall in California

Alphabetical within each county. Tap a name to centre the map above on it.

Alameda County (1)

Tehan Falls (60 ft)

Alpine County (2)

Carson Falls, Llewellyn Falls

Butte County (2)

Curtain Falls, Feather Falls (410 ft)

Del Norte County (1)

Loretta Falls

El Dorado County (5)

Bassi Falls, Eagle Falls, Horsetail Falls, Salmon Falls (historical), Sawyier Falls

Fresno County (6)

Blue Canyon Falls, Garlic Falls, Mist Falls, Roaring River Falls, Silver Spray Falls, Triple Falls

Humboldt County (1)

Pepperwood Falls

Imperial County (2)

Bear Canyon Falls, Carrizo Falls

Inyo County (5)

Darwin Falls, First Falls, Fossil Falls, Manly Fall (historical), Second Falls

Lassen County (1)

Young Falls

Los Angeles County (2)

Sturtevant Falls, Wolfskill Falls

Madera County (8)

Angel Falls, Camino Falls, Corlieu Falls, Lower Rainbow Falls, Minaret Falls, Rainbow Falls, Red Rock Falls, Whisky Falls

Marin County (4)

Alamere Falls, Cataract Falls, Dawn Falls, Kent Falls

Mariposa County (23)

Bridalveil Fall (617 ft), Bunnell Cascade, Chilnualna Fall, Chinquapin Falls, Foresta Falls, Illilouette Falls (361 ft), Lehamite Falls (1,181 ft), Little Nellie Falls, Lower Yosemite Fall (322 ft), Nevada Fall (594 ft), Pywiack Cascade (591 ft), Ribbon Fall (1,612 ft), Royal Arch Cascade (1,247 ft), Sentinel Fall (1,936 ft), Silver Apron, Silver Strand Falls (574 ft), Snow Creek Falls (2,133 ft), Staircase Falls (1,017 ft), The Cascades, Upper Yosemite Falls (1,444 ft), Vernal Fall (318 ft), Wildcat Falls (623 ft), Yosemite Falls (676 ft)

Mendocino County (1)

Mill Creek Falls

Modoc County (1)

Mill Creek Falls

Mono County (7)

Cascade Falls, Horsetail Falls, Horsetail Falls, Leavitt Falls, Sardine Falls, Silver Falls (20 ft), Twin Falls

Monterey County (3)

McWay Falls, Pfeiffer Falls, Pine Falls

Napa County (1)

Linda Falls

Placer County (2)

Codfish Falls, Hidden Falls

Plumas County (2)

Fern Falls, Indian Falls

Riverside County (4)

Andreas Falls, Hidden Falls, Hidden Heart Falls, Tahquitz Falls

San Bernardino County (7)

Big Falls, Bonita Falls (98 ft), Middleman Falls, Monkeyface Falls, Red Rock Falls, San Antonio Falls, Silverwood Falls

San Diego County (6)

Cedar Creek Falls, Green Valley Falls, Maidenhair Falls, Mildred Falls, The Falls, Washtub Falls

San Francisco County (2)

Huntington Falls (110 ft), Rainbow Falls

San Luis Obispo County (2)

Islay Falls, Three Troughs Falls

San Mateo County (1)

Butano Falls

Santa Barbara County (4)

Nojoqui Falls, Sisquoc Falls, Tangerine Falls, Wellhouse Falls

Santa Clara County (4)

Basin Falls, Black Rock Falls, Triple Falls, Upper Falls

Santa Cruz County (6)

Berry Creek Falls, Castle Rock Falls, Fiver Finger Falls, Golden Falls, Maple Falls, Silver Falls

Shasta County (13)

Bear Creek Falls, Burney Falls (115 ft), Clover Creek Falls, Crystal Creek Falls, Hatchet Creek Falls, Kings Creek Falls, Kinner Falls, Lion Slide Falls, Lion Wash Falls, Montgomery Creek Falls, Pit River Falls, Potem Falls, Whiskeytown Falls

Sierra County (3)

Frazier Falls, Hackmans Falls, Loves Falls

Siskiyou County (14)

Ash Creek Falls, Coquette Falls, Faery Falls, Horsetail Falls, Ishi Pishi Falls, Johnson Creek Falls, Lower Falls, Maple Falls, Middle Falls, Mossbrae Falls, Ponytail Falls, Upper Falls, Whitney Falls, Wilderness Falls

Solano County (1)

Green Valley Falls

Sonoma County (1)

Haraszthy Falls

Stanislaus County (1)

Finnegan Falls

Sutter County (1)

The Falls

Tehama County (5)

Bluff Falls, Deadhorse Falls, Deer Creek Falls, Lower Deer Creek Falls, Mill Creek Falls

Trinity County (4)

Burnt Ranch Falls, Canyon Creek Falls, Gray Falls, Kickapoo Waterfall

Tulare County (9)

Chagoopa Falls (1,201 ft), Cholollo Falls, Ella Falls, Marble Falls, Salmon Creek Falls, South Creek Falls, Tokopah Falls, Tufa Falls, Volcano Falls

Tuolumne County (10)

California Falls, Jawbone Falls, Le Conte Falls, Preston Falls, Rancheria Falls, Tueeulala Falls (915 ft), Tuolumne Falls, Wapama Falls (1,286 ft), Waterwheel Falls, White Cascade

Ventura County (3)

Jackson Falls, Rose Valley Falls, The Punch Bowl

County not recorded (201)

33 Falls, Abrigo Falls (15 ft), Adobe Falls, Africa Rocks Waterfall, Alder Creek Falls, Alder Creek Slides, Antelope Creek Falla, Aztec Falls, Bailey Canyon Falls, Bear Claw Fall, Beatson Falls (104 ft), Big Falls, Black Star Canyon Falls, Bonfante Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Brown Mountain Dam Waterfall, Buck Gulch Falls, Burstarse Falls, Canogas Falls, Canyon Falls, Canyon Falls, Carlon Falls, Cascade Fall, Cascade Falls, Cascade Falls, Chamberlain Creek Waterfall, Chilnualna Creek Cascades, Clark Creek Falls, Coon Falls (41 ft), Cooper Canyon Falls (26 ft), Cottonwood Creek, Crevice Falls (30 ft), Crevice Twin Falls (134 ft), Dana Point Seasonal Waterfall, Devil's falls, Diana Falls (20 ft), Dorr Canyon Falls (33 ft), Dry fall, Dry Falls, Dry Falls, Eagle Creek Falls, East Snow Mountain Falls (2,198 ft), Eaton Canyon Waterfall, El Salto Falls, Escondido Falls (Lower), Escondido Falls (Upper), Etiwanda Falls, Fairy Falls, Fern Fall, Fern Falls, Ferndell, Firehose Falls, Fish Canyon Falls, Five Finger Falls, Florence Falls, Frog Jump Falls, Fuller Mill Creek Falls, Gavilan Mountain Waterfall, Gerow's Waterfall, Glen Camp Falls, Grand Chasm Falls (59 ft), Granite Creek Falls, Granuja Falls, Grey Fox Creek Fountain, Grizzly Falls, Grizzly Lake Falls, Harding Canyon Falls, Hatchet Falls, Hedge Creek Falls, Helen Markt Falls, Hermit Falls, Hesperia Falls, Highbride Falls, Historic Dam, Hollow Falls (45 ft), Holly Jim Falls, Horsetail Fall (1,542 ft), Horsetail Falls, Hot Springs Falls, Jewel Falls, Kitchen Creek Falls, Ladder Falls (47 ft), Laguna falls, Laurel Dell Falls, Leete Falls, Leontine Falls (131 ft), Lewisia Falls, Line Creek Falls, Lion Canyon Falls, Little Carson Falls, Little Falls, Little Hollow Falls, Little Phantom Falls (124 ft), Los Penasquitos Waterfall, Lower Adobe Falls, Lower Barker Valley Falls, Lower Buck Creek Falls, Lower Cathedral Creek Falls, Lower Chilnualna Falls, Lower Cliff Creek Falls, Lower Double Falls, Lower Eagle Falls, Lower Evolution Creek Falls, Lower Falls, Lower Gardiner Falls, Lower Jenny Creek Falls (15 ft), Lower Picket Creek Falls, Lower Ravine Falls (40 ft), Lower Switzer Falls (33 ft), Manning Falls, Mayberg Waterfall, Metrolink Bridge, Middle Canyon Creek Falls, Middle Fork Falls, Midway Falls, Millard Falls, Modjeska Falls, Monkeyface Creek, Moose Lodge Falls, Moss Grotto Falls (23 ft), Mud Creek Falls, Murietta Falls (108 ft), Nobe Young Falls, Ortega Falls (35 ft), Owl Falls, Pacheco Falls, Panther Creek Falls (154 ft), Paradise Falls (70 ft), Pecker Falls, Peppermint Creek Falls (150 ft), Peter's Creek Falls, Phantom Falls (164 ft), Pico Blanco Falls, Pinto Creek Falls, Quaking Aspen Falls, Ranch Falls (157 ft), Rancheria Creek Falls (33 ft), Rancheria Falls (40 ft), Ravine Falls (76 ft), Ravine Twin Falls (46 ft), Reservoir Creek Falls, Ribbon Rocks Falls (30 ft), Roaring Rift Falls (20 ft), Robison Falls, Rock Creek, Rock Creek Falls, Root Creek Falls, Roy's Riffles, Royal Falls, Salmon Creek Falls, Santa Ynez Falls, Schirmer Falls (96 ft), Schweitzer Falls, Scott Creek Falls, Sempervirens Falls, Seven Falls, Seven Sisters Waterfall, Seven Teacups, Slippery Falls, Sonoma Creek Falls, Stairstep Falls, Stevenson Creek Falls, Storybrook Falls, Suspended Boulder Falls (23 ft), Sycamore Falls, Tamarack Falls (52 ft), Tassajara Creek Falls, Temescal Falls, Tenaja Falls, Tenaya Creek Waterslide, Thalehaha Falls (79 ft), The Cascades, Three Chute Falls, Three Falls, Three Sisters Waterfalls, Tip Toe Falls, Trail Canyon Falls, Trillium Falls (10 ft), Twin Falls, Upper Barker Valley Falls, Upper Buck Creek Falls, Upper Canyon Creek Falls, Upper Cascades, Upper Cathedral Creek Falls, Upper Cliff Creek Falls, Upper Double Falls, Upper Eagle Falls, Upper Evolution Creek Falls, Upper Gardiner Falls, Upper Jenny Creek Falls (40 ft), Upper Picket Creek Falls, Upper Salmon Creek Falls, Upper Switzer Falls (33 ft), Viola Falls, Washout Falls, Weber Falls, West Fork Falls, West Fork Waterfall, Western Falls (120 ft), White Swift Falls (59 ft), Whitney Canyon Waterfalls

Before you go

The map shows where falls are, not whether they are open or safe to reach. Check the land manager, usually a state park or national forest, for closures, fees and permits, and stay on the trail near the water. Our waterfall safety guide covers the hazards, and waterfall hikes near me explains how to pick a trail.

Waterfalls near cities in California

Every named fall within driving range of the city, nearest first: waterfalls near Sacramento, waterfalls near San Francisco, waterfalls near Los Angeles, waterfalls near San Diego.

Waterfalls in nearby states: Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Arizona. Or see waterfalls in every state.