Two of the most incredible waterfalls in the National Park System can be found in Yellowstone National Park. But it certainly doesn't have a monopoly on waterworks. Olympic National Park boasts the beautifully secluded Marymere Falls, Glacier National Park the towering Bird Woman Falls, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park the comparatively small but gorgeous-just-the-same Abrams Falls.
What other waterfalls in the park system deserve to be singled out for their beauty? No doubt there are thousands to choose from. Nevada and Vernal falls in Yosemite National Park (not to mention that big one, Yosemite Fall), in Sequoia there's Tokopah Falls, and even Acadia National Park has some beauties, such as the 40-foot cascade known as Hadlock Brook Waterfall.
Shenandoah National Park is cut with waterfalls, one of which, Overall Run, plunges 93 feet. Even Arches National Park, that red-rock gem that's normally talc dry, has some spectacular waterfalls ... that result from torrential downpours and quickly vanish.
So, where would you begin in building a list of the top 100 waterfalls in the National Park System?
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Personally I find Vernal Fall with a moderate water level (last July was almost ideal) to be perhaps the most perfect looking waterfall on the planet. It's like a sheer curtain of water with a straight edge. I've seen photos of it at maximum flow, and it was interesting but not my ideal.
Aren't there a ton of waterfalls in the Grand Canyon that aren't easily accessible?
I'm looking to check out Alamere Falls at Point Reyes NS. It may not be huge or dramatic like some other waterfalls, but it drops right onto a beach into the Pacific Ocean.
yosemite tops em all. vernal, nevada, yosemite, ribbon, wildcat are all great. my favorite is illiouette (hope i spelled that right). sentinal can be very pretty and for a little fall - silver strand is nice.
Upper Stevens Creek and Fairy Falls, Mount Rainier National Park.
(In fact a slow many stop drive along Stevens Canyon from Paradise is not to be missed..)
My favorite waterfalls in Great Smokey are those that require a half day of hiking to reach. There are many examples throughout the park. While many are small, it is still an unforgettable, and sometimes chilling, experience to wade or swim in the pools just below the falls.
I'm spoiled by Yosemite waterfalls. Most other parks' waterfalls are puny compared to Yosemite.
Beyond the obvious ones in the Valley, my personal favorites are: Staircase Falls behind Curry Village, because it's fun to trace the water; Ribbon Falls, when it runs, because it's such a long, thin, ephemeral fall; and Waterwheel Falls near Tuolumne Meadows, because it's unique.
We visited the NPs in Washington in May 2008 and although snow was still present, it was melting rapidly, making for prime waterfall season. I remember North Cascades and Olympic both having a great selection of falls. But Mt. Rainier did too, not only Narada Falls but waterfalls literally sprung up along the road. Pretty cool.
One of my favorites from North Cascades (well, Ross Lake NRA):
http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2024776370059461204jTyQmS
TOKOPAH Falls in SEKI is beautiful and has given us a once in a lifetime (and anxiety producing) experience of 2 black bear cubs crossing the trail in front of us!
The hike to VERNAL & NEVADA Falls in Yosemite is a favorite of ours, the overlook peering down over the brink is enough to curl my toes just thinking about it!
IRIS Falls and COLLANADE Falls in the Bechler River System backcountry of Yellowstone are 2 spectacular waterfalls as is UNION Falls. On our recent Christmas in Yellowstone trip I spoke with a Xanterra employee (Dave) who shared with me how he was the driver/guide for a small group celebrating an elderly gentlemen's 97th Birthday! He had always wanted to see the LOWER Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and his family had arranged this particular trip for his birthday. Dave spoke of reading aloud journal entries by some of the regions first explorers and their lack of words to adequately describe the majesty they had seen. Upon arrival they slowly made their way to the viewing area and the old gentleman stood there with tears streaming down his face, his life long dream had been fulfilled. No one could speak for what felt like an eternity.
Waterfalls are magical, mystical and evoke great power over the human spirit. It's in these waters tumbling over the precipice's edge that we somehow become transfixed and transported away from everyday cares and worries.
I have to say that I've encoutered very few waterfalls in my time. Working in the desert parks I was only able to see the rare waterfalls caused by heavy rains. But the two seasons I spent in Shenandoah gave me the chance to explore the falls and I hiked to everyone I could reach. My favorite had to be Rose River Falls. It isn't a large fall, more like a series of cascades, but I found them to be the most relaxing and peaceful falls there. It was always where I headed after a bad day at the office and I would sit by the falls for hours. There was just something special about them.