Best waterfalls in California
California swings from the tallest waterfall in North America — Yosemite Falls, which roars in May and vanishes by August — to a Big Sur tidefall and hidden cascades in the San Gabriels above L.A. Timing is everything here: the Sierra giants are a spring-snowmelt show, while the coast and southern canyons peak after winter rain.
the tallest waterfall in North America; roars in spring, dries by late summer.
glows like lava at sunset for a few February evenings — the famous "firefall".
the first great fall you see entering Yosemite Valley.
a powerful Mist Trail fall on the way to Half Dome.
the tallest year-round fall in Southern California, near Big Bear.
one of California’s tallest, in the northern Sierra foothills.
climb the Mist Trail’s granite steps right alongside the falls.
a "lost" fall rediscovered in 2004 in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.
spring-fed and constant, called the "Eighth Wonder" by Teddy Roosevelt.
a high-Sierra fall that throws rainbows over the San Joaquin.
a rare tidefall dropping onto a turquoise Big Sur cove.
spring water pours from a mossy wall along the Sacramento River.
a shaded canyon fall in the San Gabriels above Los Angeles.
a rare tidefall dropping straight onto a Point Reyes beach.
an easy, popular canyon walk to a fall minutes from Los Angeles.
a fall you can walk behind near Mount Shasta.
Flows change with the season and recent rain — many falls roar at spring snowmelt and slow by late summer. Check conditions and any permit or reservation rules before you go.