Waterfalls in Illinois
40 named waterfalls catalogued · 17 with detail pages
Our database holds 40 named waterfalls in Illinois. The tallest documented is Burden Falls at 102 feet. 17 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 Illinois metro.
Illinois waterfalls by height
| Waterfall | Height | Nearest city |
|---|---|---|
| Burden Falls | 102 ft | St. Louis, MO (~3.2 hr) |
| Bjork's Falls | 98 ft | St. Louis, MO (~2.8 hr) |
| Sawmill Creek Waterfall | 10 ft | Chicago, IL (~35 min) |
| Canyon Creek Falls | 8 ft | Chicago, IL (~40 min) |
| Canyon Creek Cascade | 3 ft | Chicago, IL (~40 min) |
| Apple Canyon Waterfall | — | Madison, WI (~1.7 hr) |
| Arch of the Gods Cascade | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.5 hr) |
| Avery Hollow South Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.5 hr) |
| Battery Rock Alcove Waterfall | — | Nashville, TN (~3.4 hr) |
| Beaver Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~35 min) |
| Blue Blaze Cascade | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.7 hr) |
| Boulder Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.3 hr) |
| Cascade Falls | — | Chicago, IL (~2.4 hr) |
| Cedar Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.2 hr) |
| Cedar/Pakentuck Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.2 hr) |
| Colorful Bluffs Waterfall | — | Nashville, TN (~3.5 hr) |
| Creek Trek Waterfall | — | St. Louis, MO (~35 min) |
| Dixon Springs Waterfall | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.5 hr) |
| Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~50 min) |
| Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~45 min) |
| Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~45 min) |
| Falls-Shelter Bluff | — | St. Louis, MO (~1.7 hr) |
| Ghost Dance Canyon Boulder Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.5 hr) |
| Great Falls of the Illinois River | — | Chicago, IL (~2.0 hr) |
| Homan Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.3 hr) |
| Jackson Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.3 hr) |
| Kinkaid Lake Spillway Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~2.1 hr) |
| Lake Falls | — | Chicago, IL (~2.4 hr) |
| N37 24.465 W88 35.372 | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.5 hr) |
| Ottawa Canyon Waterfall | — | Chicago, IL (~2.3 hr) |
| Panther Cascade | — | Nashville, TN (~3.5 hr) |
| Panther Falls | — | Nashville, TN (~3.5 hr) |
| Ripple Canyon Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.7 hr) |
| Rosemont Waterfall | — | Chicago, IL (~25 min) |
| Saint Louis Canyon Waterfall | — | Chicago, IL (~2.3 hr) |
| Sierra Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~50 min) |
| Spillway Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.2 hr) |
| Thunder Bay Falls | — | Madison, WI (~1.9 hr) |
| Upper Burden Falls | — | St. Louis, MO (~3.2 hr) |
| Wildcat Canyon Waterfall | — | Chicago, IL (~2.3 hr) |
By Illinois city
Pick a city to see waterfalls within a 75-mile drive.
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.