Waterfalls in California
368 named waterfalls catalogued · 292 with detail pages
Our database holds 368 named waterfalls in California. The tallest documented is East Snow Mountain Falls at 2,198 feet. 292 waterfalls have enough source data to support a dedicated page; the remainder are listed on this page with what we know.
This page lists the tallest by height; for trip planning, the city blocks below show which falls are reachable from each major California metro.
California waterfalls by height
| Waterfall | Height | Nearest city |
|---|---|---|
| East Snow Mountain Falls | 2,198 ft | Reno, NV (~1.1 hr) |
| Snow Creek Falls | 2,133 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.1 hr) |
| Sentinel Fall | 1,936 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Ribbon Fall | 1,612 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Horsetail Fall | 1,542 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Upper Yosemite Fall | 1,444 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.1 hr) |
| Wapama Falls | 1,286 ft | Stockton, CA (~2.4 hr) |
| Royal Arch Cascade | 1,247 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Chagoopa Falls | 1,201 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.3 hr) |
| Lehamite Falls | 1,181 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.1 hr) |
| Staircase Falls | 1,017 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Tueeulala Falls | 915 ft | Stockton, CA (~2.4 hr) |
| Middle Cascades | 676 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.1 hr) |
| Wildcat Falls | 623 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Bridalveil Fall | 617 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Nevada Fall | 594 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Pywiack Cascade | 591 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.1 hr) |
| Silver Strand Falls | 574 ft | Fresno, CA (~1.9 hr) |
| Feather Falls | 410 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.1 hr) |
| Illilouette Fall | 361 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Lower Yosemite Fall | 322 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Vernal Fall | 318 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Schirmer Cascade | 200 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Tehan Falls | 197 ft | San Jose, CA (~40 min) |
| Black Star Canyon Falls | 164 ft | Riverside, CA (~35 min) |
| Phantom Falls | 164 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.1 hr) |
| Ranch Falls | 157 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Panther Creek Falls | 154 ft | Fresno, CA (~1.8 hr) |
| Peppermint Creek Falls | 150 ft | Bakersfield, CA (~1.6 hr) |
| Crevice Twin Falls | 134 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Leontine Falls | 131 ft | Los Angeles, CA (~25 min) |
| Rancheria Falls | 131 ft | Fresno, CA (~1.5 hr) |
| Little Phantom Falls | 124 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.1 hr) |
| Western Falls | 120 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Burney Falls | 115 ft | Reno, NV (~4 hr) |
| Harding Canyon Falls | 115 ft | Riverside, CA (~35 min) |
| Huntington Falls | 110 ft | San Francisco, CA (~5 min) |
| Murietta Falls | 108 ft | San Jose, CA (~30 min) |
| Beatson Falls | 104 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Bonita Falls | 98 ft | Riverside, CA (~35 min) |
| Schirmer Falls | 96 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Thalehaha Falls | 79 ft | Los Angeles, CA (~25 min) |
| Ravine Falls | 76 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Paradise Falls | 70 ft | Oxnard, CA (~25 min) |
| Crevice Falls | 66 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Grand Chasm Falls | 59 ft | Los Angeles, CA (~25 min) |
| White Swift Falls | 59 ft | Oxnard, CA (~35 min) |
| Tamarack Falls | 52 ft | Fresno, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Ladder Falls | 47 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Ravine Twin Falls | 46 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Hollow Falls | 45 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Coon Falls | 41 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Lower Ravine Falls | 40 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Ortega Falls | 35 ft | Riverside, CA (~45 min) |
| Dorr Canyon Falls | 33 ft | Los Angeles, CA (~60 min) |
| Lower Switzer Falls | 33 ft | Los Angeles, CA (~25 min) |
| Rancheria Creek Falls | 33 ft | Fresno, CA (~1.3 hr) |
| Upper Switzer Falls | 33 ft | Los Angeles, CA (~25 min) |
| Crevice Falls | 30 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Ribbon Rocks Falls | 30 ft | Los Angeles, CA (~20 min) |
| Cooper Canyon Falls | 26 ft | Los Angeles, CA (~50 min) |
| Moss Grotto Falls | 23 ft | Los Angeles, CA (~20 min) |
| Suspended Boulder Falls | 23 ft | Los Angeles, CA (~25 min) |
| Diana Falls | 20 ft | Stockton, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Ladder Falls | 20 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Ravine Twin Falls | 20 ft | Sacramento, CA (~2.0 hr) |
| Roaring Rift Falls | 20 ft | Los Angeles, CA (~25 min) |
| Silver Falls | 20 ft | Reno, NV (~2.4 hr) |
| Historic Dam | 16 ft | Riverside, CA (~45 min) |
| Abrigo Falls | 15 ft | San Francisco, CA (~30 min) |
| Trillium Falls | 10 ft | Eugene, OR (~6 hr) |
| 33 Falls | — | Oxnard, CA (~40 min) |
| Adobe Falls | — | San Diego, CA (~10 min) |
| Africa Rocks Waterfall | — | San Diego, CA (~5 min) |
| Alamere Falls | — | San Francisco, CA (~40 min) |
| Alder Creek Falls | — | Fresno, CA (~1.7 hr) |
| Alder Creek Slides | — | Bakersfield, CA (~1.6 hr) |
| Andreas Falls | — | Riverside, CA (~1.3 hr) |
| Angel Falls | — | Fresno, CA (~1.2 hr) |
| Antelope Creek Falla | — | Sacramento, CA (~35 min) |
| Ash Creek Falls | — | Reno, NV (~5 hr) |
| Aztec Falls | — | Riverside, CA (~45 min) |
| Bailey Canyon Falls | — | Los Angeles, CA (~25 min) |
| Basin Falls | — | San Jose, CA (~30 min) |
| Bassi Falls | — | Reno, NV (~1.5 hr) |
| Bear Canyon Falls | — | San Diego, CA (~4 hr) |
| Bear Claw Fall | — | Los Angeles, CA (~45 min) |
| Bear Creek Falls | — | Reno, NV (~3.8 hr) |
| Berry Creek Falls | — | San Jose, CA (~40 min) |
| Big Falls | — | Bakersfield, CA (~2.4 hr) |
| Big Falls | — | Riverside, CA (~50 min) |
| Black Rock Falls | — | San Jose, CA (~30 min) |
| Blue Canyon Falls | — | Fresno, CA (~1.7 hr) |
| Bluff Falls | — | Reno, NV (~3.2 hr) |
| Bonfante Falls | — | San Jose, CA (~45 min) |
| Bridal Veil Falls | — | Sacramento, CA (~1.6 hr) |
| Brown Mountain Dam Waterfall | — | Los Angeles, CA (~25 min) |
| Buck Gulch Falls | — | San Francisco, CA (~40 min) |
| Bunnell Cascade | — | Fresno, CA (~2.1 hr) |
| Burnt Ranch Falls | — | Sacramento, CA (~5 hr) |
Showing top 100 by height. 268 more waterfalls in California in our database.
By California city
Pick a city to see waterfalls within a 75-mile drive.
Fresno
Waterfalls reachable within a day trip from Fresno.
San Jose
Waterfalls reachable within a day trip from San Jose.
Sacramento
Waterfalls reachable within a day trip from Sacramento.
Los Angeles
Waterfalls reachable within a day trip from Los Angeles.
Riverside
Waterfalls reachable within a day trip from Riverside.
San Francisco
Waterfalls reachable within a day trip from San Francisco.
Oxnard
Waterfalls reachable within a day trip from Oxnard.
San Diego
Waterfalls reachable within a day trip from San Diego.
About this list
RoamFound aggregates waterfall location and height data from OpenStreetMap (a worldwide volunteer-maintained map), the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System, the National Park Service, and per-state parks departments. We don't visit every waterfall ourselves — we cite the underlying public records so you can verify.
Outdoor conditions change. Always check current access, water levels, and seasonal closures with the relevant land manager before you go. See our methodology page for the full data sourcing approach.