The United States is home to thousands of named waterfalls — from the colossal Niagara on the Canadian border to the misty cascades of the Pacific Northwest, the high-elevation drops of the Rockies, and the Appalachian sheet-falls of the East. This interactive US waterfalls map plots 2,567 named falls drawn from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), the federal authority on physical place names. Use it to discover waterfalls near you, plan a road trip, or compare regional density across all 50 states.

How to Use the Waterfalls Map

• Search: Type a waterfall name (e.g. “Multnomah”) to jump straight to it, or enter any city, address, or ZIP and the map will geocode it.
• State filter: Use the dropdown to narrow the view to a single state. The list is alphabetized with waterfall counts in parentheses.
• My location: Click to centre the map on your current GPS position so you can find falls within driving distance.
• Click any marker for the waterfall’s name, state, county, exact GPS coordinates, a Google Maps driving-directions link, and a deep link to the USGS GNIS record.
• Basemaps: Toggle between Light (default), Topographic (great for spotting valleys and ridges), and Satellite via the layers control.
• Share: The Share button copies a permalink that preserves your zoom level, centre, and active state filter.

Where Are America’s Waterfalls?

Waterfalls are not evenly distributed across the United States. Their density follows the country’s topography: where steep terrain meets year-round rainfall or snowmelt, falls cluster. Oregon leads the nation with 240 named waterfalls, followed by New York (226), Michigan (194), Washington (180), and California (178). All five states pair high relief with abundant precipitation. By contrast, the flat, dry interior plains have very few named falls — Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota each have fewer than 25 between them.

The wettest, steepest corner of the contiguous US — the Cascade and Olympic ranges of Oregon and Washington — packs more falls per square mile than anywhere else. Hawaii, despite being one of the smallest states, ranks ninth with 99 named falls thanks to its volcanic cliffs and tropical rainfall. Montana, Maine, and North Carolina round out the top ten — three states where the combination of glacial geomorphology, the Appalachian Blue Ridge, or the high northern Rockies produces dramatic drops.

About the Data

This map is built on the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) — the federal standard for U.S. place names, maintained by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names since 1890. GNIS contains coordinates, state, and county for every officially named geographic feature in the country. We filtered the database to feature class Falls, which yields 2,567 records across 54 states and territories.

GNIS does not include waterfall height. Many famous falls have well-documented heights, but smaller cascades are not consistently measured. The dataset also reflects only named falls — unnamed cascades, seasonal falls, and falls on private land without local recognition won’t appear here. For the most comprehensive height-tagged catalog (including unnamed and international falls), see the World Waterfall Database.

Iconic American Waterfalls

• Niagara Falls (New York): The most-visited waterfall in North America, straddling the US–Canada border. Three falls (American, Bridal Veil, Horseshoe) combine to push roughly 3,160 tons of water per second over the brink.
• Yosemite Falls (California): At 2,425 feet, the tallest waterfall in North America and the fifth-tallest in the world. Three drops; spring snowmelt is peak flow.
• Multnomah Falls (Oregon): A two-tier 620-foot cascade in the Columbia River Gorge and Oregon’s most photographed natural feature.
• Shoshone Falls (Idaho): Known as the “Niagara of the West” — 212 feet tall and wider than its eastern namesake, on the Snake River.
• Tahquamenon Falls (Michigan): The largest waterfall east of the Mississippi by water volume, famous for its tannin-stained root-beer-coloured water.
• Havasu Falls (Arizona): A 100-foot turquoise plunge inside the Havasupai Reservation in the Grand Canyon, fed by a calcium-carbonate-rich spring.

Find Waterfalls by State

For richer detail on a single state — including the top counties for waterfall density, notable named falls, and local hiking access — use the state filter in the map above, or visit one of our state-specific waterfall pages (links below as those state pages are published).

Frequently Asked Questions

How many waterfalls are there in the United States?

The USGS Geographic Names Information System lists 2,567 officially named waterfalls in the US. Counting unnamed cascades, the true number is far higher — the USGS Waterfalls and Rapids dataset (which includes lesser features linked to the National Hydrography Dataset) identifies 10,780 falls in the contiguous 48 states.

Which state has the most waterfalls?

Oregon, with 240 named falls. It edges out New York (226) and Michigan (194). All three pair steep terrain with abundant year-round water — the Cascades, Adirondacks, and Upper Peninsula respectively.

What is the tallest waterfall in the US?

Yosemite Falls in California, with a total drop of 2,425 feet across three tiers, is generally considered the tallest by overall plunge. By single uninterrupted drop, the contest is closer — candidates include Colonial Creek Falls (Washington) and Hawaii’s sea-cliff falls like the seasonal Olo’upena.

When is the best time to visit a waterfall?

Late spring is peak flow for most US waterfalls — snowmelt in the West and Northeast, rainy-season runoff in the Southeast. Early autumn often gives lower but clearer flow with fall foliage. In the desert Southwest, time visits with monsoon storms (July–September) to see ephemeral falls; in winter, many high-elevation falls partially freeze into spectacular ice climbs.

Are these waterfalls accessible to the public?

Most named falls fall on public land — National Parks, National Forests, BLM land, state parks, or county/municipal lands — but some sit on private property or on tribal reservations with separate access rules. Always check the relevant land manager’s rules before visiting. The directions link in each popup will get you to the nearest road; the last mile may require a hike.

Where does the underlying data come from?

The USGS Geographic Names Information System, queried via The National Map’s ArcGIS REST service in May 2026. GNIS is the federal authority on geographic names; the data are updated regularly as the U.S. Board on Geographic Names processes name proposals and corrections.

Explore Related US Maps

• US Lakes and Rivers Map — every major waterbody and stream in the country
• US Wild & Scenic Rivers Map — the 209 federally protected river segments
• US Springs Map — hot springs and freshwater springs nationwide
• US National Parks Map — many of the country’s most famous waterfalls sit inside National Parks
• US Public Access Areas Map — check which falls are on publicly accessible land
• US Campgrounds Map — find a basecamp near your target waterfall