Waterfalls in Iowa

Iowa's waterfalls, tucked into the northeast's driftless bluffs

Iowa's waterfalls sit almost entirely in the state's northeast corner, in the Driftless Area, where thin soil, karst sinkholes and deeply cut river valleys survived the last glaciers. Springs draining that limestone and dolomite feed most of the state's 8 named waterfalls; one more cuts through a sandstone gorge farther west, near Fort Dodge.

Where the waterfalls are

Winneshiek County, around Decorah, has 3 of the 8 listings: Malanaphy Spring Falls, Black Falls on Silver Creek and Madison Falls. Clayton County, along the Mississippi River bluffs, adds 2 more, Beulah Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Farther south, Johnson County's Cou Falls drops on Swisher Creek and Linn County's Horseshoe Falls sits near Central City, both well outside the driftless bluff country. Webster County's Woodman Hollow Falls, southeast of Fort Dodge, is the state's lone waterfall cut through a sandstone gorge rather than fed by a limestone spring.

Waterfalls worth the trip

• Malanaphy Spring Falls, 20 feet by survey, ends a run of spring-fed cascades over tufa deposits in Malanaphy Springs State Preserve, about a mile's walk from the parking lot; the preserve's own page describes that last drop alone as ten feet.
• Woodman Hollow Falls is one of several small cascades, 10 feet high, cut through a sandstone and dolomite gorge whose ravine walls top 100 feet in places; the preserve holds over 500 plant species, among them some of Iowa's largest fern colonies.

Access and safety

Neither preserve charges a fee. Woodman Hollow's parking area holds only two vehicles, off a narrow gravel road, and bans both hunting and camping. Malanaphy Springs allows hunting in season and cross-country skiing on the trail in winter, and its algific talus slopes, fragile ground that shelters a stand of Canada yew, are off-limits to foot traffic.