Gildersleeve Falls is a 22-foot waterfall on Palouse River in Franklin County, Washington, in the Columbia Plateau region. It lies about 28 miles south of Ritzville and roughly 53.7 miles northeast of Pasco as the crow flies.
At 22 feet it is on the modest side for Washington, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 82 feet; it ranks 844th of 941. By form it is a segmented waterfall, splitting into two or more separate streams as it falls, combined with a plunge character.
The Columbia Plateau is a vast expanse of layered basalt flows covered by sagebrush steppe, grassland and dryland wheat. Waterfalls here drop over basalt cliffs in coulees and river canyons carved by ancient floods. Palouse River carries 3 recorded waterfalls; the biggest of them reaches 186 feet.
Franklin County holds 2 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Little Palouse Falls, a 15-foot block waterfall, is under a mile away. Palouse Falls, a 186-foot plunge waterfall, is about 4.9 miles away. Lower Cow Creek Falls, is about 11 miles away.
Gildersleeve Falls is located at 46.7350° N, 118.2302° 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 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.