Best waterfalls in Kentucky

Kentucky rewards a waterfall chase. We've mapped 6 of its best — 2 you can reach from the car or a short stroll (easy for the RV and family crew) and the rest worth lacing up for. The tallest here is Yahoo Falls near Whitley City, dropping about 113 feet.

Yahoo Falls113 ftModerate hike · Whitley City · 1 miKentucky’s tallest, under a huge rock shelter in Big South Fork.Cumberland Falls68 ftShort walk · Corbin · 0.2 mithe "Niagara of the South" and one of the few places on earth with a moonbow.Bad Branch Falls60 ftModerate hike · Whitesburg · 2.6 mia fall in a pristine nature preserve in the eastern Kentucky mountains.Flat Lick Falls25 ftShort walk · Gray Hawk · 0.4 mia wide fall and swimming hole in Jackson County.Vanhook Falls20 ftModerate hike · London · 3 mia graceful fall on the Sheltowee Trace in Daniel Boone forest.Dog Slaughter Falls15 ftModerate hike · Corbin · 2.4 mia wide, mossy fall on a forest trail near Cumberland Falls.

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.