Vidae Falls is a 120-foot tiered horsetail waterfall on Vidae Creek in Crater Lake National Park, Klamath County, Oregon, right beside East Rim Drive. It is considered the most prominent waterfall in the park, and can be seen without leaving the road.
The falls
The creek spills in three horsetail tiers, the tallest about 50 feet, over a width of roughly 10 feet. Vidae Creek is short and spring-fed: its springs rise on the south shoulder of Applegate Peak about a sixth of a mile upstream, so it runs all year, though with less water late in the season. From the road the falls look foreshortened, and the full height is hard to judge. The World Waterfall Database, which surveyed the falls in person, gives 120 feet; earlier surveys listed 115 feet, while other park guides give 100.
Getting there
The falls sit where the rim road crosses Vidae Creek east of Munson Valley, about 3 miles along the rim drive past park headquarters, which is reached on SR 62 and SR 209. The Vidae Falls Picnic Area there has accessible picnic sites, parking and restrooms.
As of September 23, 2026, the Park Service reports East Rim Drive open for through travel. Its rehabilitation project is mostly complete, but drivers should expect traffic control near work zones, and some pullouts may stay closed until work ends for the season.
Admission is $30 per vehicle for seven days from May 22 to October 31 and $20 from November 1 to May 21. Payment is cashless, no reservation is needed, and America the Beautiful passes are accepted.
When to go
June to October is the recommended season. The rim drives close for the winter on November 1, or earlier after heavy snow. In winter the falls lie 3.1 miles along the unplowed East Rim route, which avalanche paths cross.
On site
The falls are a roadside view only. The park's compendium closes Vidae Falls and everything within 100 feet of it to public entry to protect fragile plants and soils, so stay at the road and picnic area.
Nearby
Upper Duwee Falls and Middle Duwee Falls on Munson Creek are about 2.4 miles away, Duwee Falls about 2.8 miles, and Plaikni Falls on Sand Creek about 3.1 miles.
Distances are straight-line.