Rito Blanco Falls is a waterfall on Rito Blanco in Archuleta County, Colorado, in the Southern Rockies region, with a total height of about 60 feet. It lies about 12.3 miles east of Pagosa Springs and roughly 121 miles northwest of Santa Fe as the crow flies.
At 60 feet it is on the modest side for Colorado, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 65 feet; it ranks 85th of 162. The water comes down as a plunge, where the water drops vertically and loses contact with the rock face.
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. Rito Blanco carries 2 recorded waterfalls, and Rito Blanco Falls is the tallest of them.
There are 19 recorded waterfalls in Archuleta County. Upper Rito Blanco Falls, a tiered waterfall, is under a mile away. Nipple Mountain Falls, a 50-foot fan waterfall, is about 1.6 miles away. Hondo Creek Falls, a 230-foot plunge waterfall, is about 1.8 miles away.
Rito Blanco Falls is located at 37.2990° N, 106.7900° 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.