Four Elite Waterfalls for Your Enjoyment (that you've never heard of)

Feel the Rush.

1. Minnewaska State Park (NY)

Could it be? You’ve never heard? Yes, Minnewaska State Park has a sick waterfall. Located about an hour and a half north of the NYC, you have some of the most excellent geologic formations around, a mountain lake, and of course the focal point of this article:

this waterfall. Not grand and raging, like some you may have seen.

And yet, look at that thin curtain of water falling down. The blue sky. The jagged rock. If this doesn’t bring you back to a time before civilization, we got issues. A zen place like this calls to mind forest spirits and ancient forces of nature. The kind of thing to make you appreciate the world around us.

From the top.

Look at the brook dribble over the edge of the staircase-esque rocks into the pond below. The deep forest and the mountain stream. These places, simply put, make the needle move. Nature is calling your name.

2. Falls on Mount Katahdin (ME)

It’s unclear if this waterfall has a name, but it’s located on the slope of Mount Katahdin in Maine near the bottom. If you’ve read enough of my articles you know I’m addicted to Mount Katahdin and Maine in general.

The deep wilderness brings out an energy you can’t find elsewhere on Earth.

Katahdin stands tall like a guardian of the south against the northern cold at the top of the 100 mile wilderness. There are natural springs at the top, creating incredible waterfalls and streams further down.

Experience it.

Imagine the volumes of water which spill down that thing daily. Look at the way it snakes through the deep green forest on top of ancient stone. The water’s been carving this path for a long time. Only in person do you hear the roar.

I can make top 6 nature lists about the benefits of getting outside all I want.

But only experiencing the true power of it will get you bought in.

3. Jemez Springs (NM)

This one’s a little different, in the sense that it’s less about the actual waterfall. You’ll see what I mean. You could find a waterfall of this intensity in a lot of places, but you can’t quite find one…of this shape.

Here she goes.

We were talking about cool rocks before. What about these rocks? Not jagged like in Minnewaska — more so smooth like jazz. Look at that dome shape.

Formed by lava, centuries ago.

Volcanic formations like this get the mind racing. When was this formed? What was the world here like at the time of the eruption? How the hell did it cool off in this shape?

Now all that remains is a raging stream through the formation. Go out west and witness these incredible sights for yourself. The world was cut from a different cloth out that way.

4. Croton Gorge (NY)

This waterfall once again differs from the others. In two ways. First, by far the most water is falling on this one compared to the others. Second, it’s a man made waterfall. It’s actually coming down from the reservoir.

It’s a sight to behold.

A literal wall of water, falling down, adjacent to a river of water flowing to the bottom. Here she is again from a different angle.

Estimates suggest that 2,000,000,000 gallons of water a day flow over this incredible, man made contraption. Built over 100 years ago at this point. Described in a local newspaper at that time as “Niagara Falls by Man’s Own Hand.”

And it’s fair to say it lives pretty damn close to that expectation.

The final picture from the bottom brings it full circle, with a faint rainbow in the air. There are some truly incredible waterfalls out there, both natural (obviously) and with the assist from humans like us.

The goal of this blog, as I always say, is to get people outside and enjoying nature. I could list off benefits of time outdoors all day, but the truest benefit is experiencing the sheer power of these amazing locations. Go out there and see it for yourself. Nature in action. Force in motion. It’s beautiful.

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