The Best Waterfall in Every U.S. State

The tall, the small, the powerful, and the pretty — these are America’s best waterfalls.

So often waterfalls are judged on their beauty or their brawn — the tallest, the most powerful, the most beautiful. All are valid superlatives. But what makes one the best? What about a waterfall makes you want to visit, to hike to its location, and stand in its spray? There’s no wrong answer, but perhaps — whether it’s the surrounding area, its historical or geographical significance, its aesthetics, or a combination of all three — we can concede that some are slightly more engaging than others.

Waterfalls have a somewhat mystical place in our psyche. Raw and enchanting, they make you feel small. And sometimes, the best ones are just fun to check off your travel list. America has more than 17,000 documented waterfalls. Here’s the best waterfall in each U.S. state.

1. Little River Falls, Alabama

Other waterfalls in Alabama might be considered more spectacular, or at least taller (here’s looking at you, DeSoto Falls), but Little River Falls in Little River Canyon is supreme. Why? Because the 45-foot falls flow into one of the best swimming holes in the country.

2. Horsetail Falls, Alaska

Horsetail Falls is a twofer: stunning in the summer and an exceptional ice-climbing destination in the winter when the cascade freezes. What’s more, the surrounding city of Valdez is the snowiest in the U.S., which translates to tons of spring waterfalls from all the snowmelt. Bridal Veil Falls, Gold Creek Falls, Horsetail Creek Falls (not to be confused with Horsetail Falls) — there’s a waterfall on almost every hike in the area.

3.Grand Falls, Arizona

The famed waterfall of Havasupai is, without a doubt, a spectacle, but permitted access is tricky. Grand Falls on Navajo Nation land in the Painted Desert is open to all and totally unique; the Little Colorado River’s silt-laden water gives the falls a rich chocolate color. “The first time I saw them, I cried. They were so beautiful,” says Marjorie Magnusson, Arizona Office of Tourism’s media relations manager.

4. Twin Falls, Arkansas

In Ozark National Forest, in the Richland Creek Wilderness, you’ll find Twin Falls. If you’re there shortly after a big rainfall, though, you might be treated to “Triple Falls,” when three cascades emerge rather than the usual two. Either way, the area is beautiful and offers prime hiking.

5. Burney Falls, California

A special shout-out to the beguiling Yosemite Falls, but McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park’s spring-fed Burney Falls is in a class all its own. Fern-cloaked and ethereal, the 129-foot cascades are perhaps the most striking in a region laden with fantastic-looking waterfalls. Phantom Falls on North Table Mountain in Oroville, the three-tiered McCloud Falls just south of Mount Shasta’s majestic slopes, Hedge Creek Falls — take your pick.