Upper Ames Falls is a waterfall on Lake Fork San Miguel River in San Miguel County, Colorado, in the Southern Rockies region, with a total height of about 35 feet. It lies about 5.2 miles south of Mountain Village and roughly 90.6 miles southeast of Grand Junction as the crow flies.
At 35 feet it is on the modest side for Colorado, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 65 feet; it ranks 109th of 162. The water comes down as a horsetail, where the water keeps some contact with the bedrock as it falls.
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. Lake Fork San Miguel River carries 2 recorded waterfalls; the biggest of them reaches 190 feet.
There are 13 recorded waterfalls in San Miguel County. Ames Falls, a 190-foot tiered waterfall, is under a mile away. Waterfall Creek Falls, 130 feet high, is about 3 miles away. Bilk Creek Falls, a 400-foot tiered waterfall, is about 3.7 miles away.
Upper Ames Falls is located at 37.8604° N, 107.8855° 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 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.