Block Waterfalls in the United States
218 block waterfalls across the United States. Wider than it is tall: a sheet of water over a broad ledge. All waterfalls.
Browse by state 47
- Alabama 97
- Arizona 66
- Arkansas 280
- California 1,039
- Colorado 345
- Connecticut 79
- Florida 3
- Georgia 298
- Idaho 249
- Illinois 20
- Indiana 24
- Iowa 8
- Kansas 24
- Kentucky 65
- Louisiana 6
- Maine 175
- Maryland 13
- Massachusetts 37
- Michigan 294
- Minnesota 43
- Mississippi 8
- Missouri 11
- Montana 252
- Nebraska 14
- Nevada 25
- New Hampshire 264
- New Jersey 5
- New Mexico 20
- New York 879
- North Carolina 495
- North Dakota 1
- Ohio 26
- Oklahoma 30
- Oregon 1,342
- Pennsylvania 274
- Rhode Island 5
- South Carolina 22
- South Dakota 10
- Tennessee 427
- Texas 71
- Utah 76
- Vermont 229
- Virginia 127
- Washington 2,596
- West Virginia 13
- Wisconsin 83
- Wyoming 267
- On Niagara River
- 1 mi from Niagara Falls
- On Falling Water River
- 8 mi from Baxter
- Tallest drop 35 ft · 3 drops
- On Middle Branch Ontonagon River
- 29 mi from Ontonagon
- On Lewis River
- 31 mi from Carson
- On Granite Creek
- 18 mi from Jackson
- On Bechler River
- 28 mi from Ashton
- On Laurel Fork
- 6 mi from Roan Mountain
- 2 mi from Malmstrom Air Force Base
- On Lewis River
- 30 mi from Carson
- On Willamette River
- Under 1 mi from Oregon City
- On Muddy Creek
- 7 mi from Oakland
- Tallest drop 12 ft · 4 drops
- On Little Stony Creek
- 5 mi from Pembroke
- Tallest drop 20 ft · 3 drops
- On Crumpton Creek
- 5 mi from Manchester
- On Firehole River
- 12 mi from West Yellowstone
- On Tahquamenon River
- 19 mi from Newberry
- On Cane Creek
- 9 mi from Spencer
- On Lewis River
- 36 mi from West Yellowstone
- On Falling Water River
- 8 mi from Baxter
- On Baltimore River
- 17 mi from Ontonagon
- On Bower Creek
- 2 mi from Bellevue
- On Coginchaug River
- 3 mi from Durham
- On Spring Creek
- 4 mi from Dodson Branch
What is a block waterfall?
A block waterfall is wider than it is tall: the river pours over a broad, straight ledge in a single sheet. Blocks form where a wide river crosses a resistant rock layer, so they are typical of big rivers in flat or gently rolling country rather than mountain creeks. Niagara Falls is the best known block fall in the United States; Burgess Falls in Tennessee and Koosah Falls on Oregon's McKenzie River are smaller examples of the same shape. The catalogue lists 219 block falls, with Tennessee and Michigan leading. Their heights are modest, usually 20 to 150 feet, but their volume is often the largest of any type, and they tend to sit close to towns, roads and state parks.
Tallest block waterfalls
- Niagara Falls167 ftNiagara County, New York
- Middle Genesee Falls107 ftWyoming County, New York
- Burgess Falls101 ftPutnam County, Tennessee
- Gooch Falls80 ftLinn County, Oregon
- Koosah Falls74 ftLinn County, Oregon