13 spectacular waterfalls worth trekking to in Colorado
You usually hear the destination first, rumbling like thunder even though there’s not a cloud in the sky.
Then you come up over a ridge or around a corner and see the stream of water pouring in thick threads before pounding into a frothy spray against the rocks and water surface below.
No matter how dry, hot or long the trail behind, when hiking to a waterfall you arrive at a lush oasis worth the trip — especially during the dead of summer.
Sure, there are Colorado falls you can drive to — like North Clear Creek Falls between Lake City and Creede, Treasure Falls between South Fork and Pagosa Springs, and Helen Hunt Falls near Colorado Springs — but the water is a much more refreshing reward when you have to work for it.
With that in mind, here are some Colorado waterfalls worth the walk.
Little walks for little legs
Every parent knows that there’s no motivation like a waterfall for young hikers.
Fish Creek Falls, about 5 miles east of Steamboat, is a great first “hike.” The shortest of two trails is only a quarter mile long and provides a view of the entire 283-foot falls, but kids will probably want to put in the extra few steps on the lower trail to scramble on the giant boulders in the creek below. Not far past the point where the waterfall crashes to its end, the water flow mellows enough for child’s play.
Adams Falls is an easy ¾-mile round-trip hike on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. Leaving from the East Inlet
Trailhead, hikers travel through conifer and aspen and up natural stone steps (not many of them, the total elevation gain is just shy of 80 feet) before reaching a series of waterfalls that pour through a narrow, boulder-lined gorge. On the way back, be sure to stop to take in the view of Grand Lake.
You’ll know you are near Crested Butte, the wildflower capital of Colorado, when you’re on the trail to the two-tiered Judd Falls. The magenta spires of Fireweed were as tall as my young daughters as we made our way along the mellow, mile-long trail to the falls one July.
Jawdropping vertical drops
Some Colorado falls are so iconic they demand a visit.
Enter the box canyon that is home to Telluride and prepare to be in awe of Bridal Veil Falls at its southern end. The misting wall of water drops 365 feet, making it the tallest free-falling waterfall in the state. It’s a steep (1,650foot elevation gain) 1.8 mile to the top, but there are gorgeous views every step of the way. In the spring and early summer, the road up to the falls is lined with several smaller falls.
For a more solitary waterfall experience, head to the end of Telluride’s Pine Street and get on Bear Creek Falls Trail. Named the “greenest hike around” by locals, the valley hike rises gently through the woods before ending at a set of waterfalls that make a perfect picnic backdrop.
Its ethereal beauty puts Hanging Lake Falls on everybody’s must-see list. But the beauty of this tealgreen lake that seems to impossibly cling to the mountainside is also its curse. Plan a visit during the less-busy shoulder seasons, preferably during the spring runoff when cascades from the cliffs surrounding the lake are at their most powerful.
Visitors to Seven Falls outside of Colorado Springs will take in its beauty one step at a time on the 224-step staircase alongside the water drop. The falls tumble 181 feet down the canyon in seven distinct segments of cascades and pools. At night, the falls are bathed in different colors to bring out their beauty.
Most water for the walk
When hiking to Ouzel Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park, you’ll get two bonus water features along the way. Hikers will be treated to Copeland Falls and Calypso Cascades before reaching Ouzel, a 40-foot drop through a crack in the dark rock wall surrounding it. Keep an eye out for the water-dipping birds that the falls are named after.
Established in 2009, the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness southeast of
Grand Junction is the largest BLM roadless area in Colorado. During a canoe trip on the Gunnison River, we hiked up a canyon that drains the northeastern corner of the Uncompahgre Plateau. In addition to ancient petroglyphs, we also found water “basins” and a major waterfall to cool off in. Although remote, you don’t have to float to these falls; just start at the Dominguez Canyon trailhead outside Whitewater.
The waterfall at Snow Mountain Ranch doesn’t have a name, but it does have its own trail. The 1¼-mile, aptly named “Waterfall Trail” ends in a cool, shady glen where a 20-foot waterfall fills a shallow, mossy pool. The trail was recently revived with a fresh layer of peagravel that makes it easily accessible for all hikers.
Way out there
To get to the trailhead of Big Creek Falls first requires a drive to remote Walden in Jackson County. From there you head north until you are almost to Wyoming, hang a left at Cowdrey, and then drive 24 miles on a dirt road to Big Creek Lake Campground. Take the Seven Lakes Trail about 3 miles through the forest of black and white burned tree skeletons and carpet of wildflowers until you hear the sound of falling water. The cold pool and sunbathing-ready boulders are worth the journey.