Ames Falls is a waterfall on Lake Fork San Miguel River in San Miguel County, Colorado, in the Southern Rockies region, with a total height of about 190 feet. It lies about 5 miles south of Mountain Village and roughly 90.5 miles southeast of Grand Junction as the crow flies.
At 190 feet it is taller than the typical Colorado waterfall of about 65 feet, ranking 42nd of 162 with a recorded height. The tallest single drop is 100 feet. The water comes down as a tiered waterfall, falling in several distinct steps one after another. It falls in 3 drops.
The Southern Rockies are high, rugged mountains with alpine peaks, spruce-fir and lodgepole forest, aspen groves and glacial valleys. Snowmelt drives strong spring flows over granite and volcanic cliffs. Lake Fork San Miguel River carries 2 recorded waterfalls, and Ames Falls is the tallest of them.
There are 13 recorded waterfalls in San Miguel County. Upper Ames Falls, a 35-foot horsetail waterfall, is under a mile away. Waterfall Creek Falls, 130 feet high, is about 3 miles away. Bilk Creek Falls, a 400-foot tiered waterfall, is about 3.7 miles away.
Ames Falls is located at 37.8625° N, 107.8846° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The exact position has not yet been verified on aerial imagery, so treat the map pin as approximate. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.