Cataract Creek Falls is a waterfall on Cataract Creek in Summit County, Colorado, in the Southern Rockies region, with a total height of about 400 feet. It lies about 13 miles north of Vail and roughly 57.6 miles west of Boulder as the crow flies.
At 400 feet it is among the ten tallest of the 162 Colorado waterfalls with a recorded height, ranking 5th. The tallest single drop is 160 feet. The water comes down as a tiered waterfall, falling in several distinct steps one after another.
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. Cataract Creek carries 4 recorded waterfalls, and Cataract Creek Falls is the tallest of them.
There are 6 recorded waterfalls in Summit County. Boulder Creek Falls, is about 10 miles away. Upper Boulder Creek Falls, a 65-foot cascade waterfall, is about 10 miles away. Upper Pitkin Creek Falls, a horsetail waterfall, is about 10.4 miles away.
Cataract Creek Falls is located at 39.8257° N, 106.3289° 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 creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. The position was verified on aerial imagery. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.