Are There Really Waterfalls in Iowa?

There it is! A Waterfall. There’s a second. Wow, just upstream is a third. Three waterfalls in one Iowa stretch of stream! How can that be in such a flat state?

 

 

Waterfalls bring mental images of water tumbling down steep hillsides where it plunges hundreds of feet downward. We’ve marveled at tall falls in many states including Hawaii, Nebraska, Washington, Indiana, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and New Jersey. But Rich had discovered the waterfall trio in an unexpected state – Iowa – and in an equally unexpected part of the state.

Briggs Woods County Park Delight

Amid north central Iowa’s vast level corn and bean fields he discovered the three cascades after a short hike near Webster City. More than rushing water caught his eyes. Fish were trying to leap up the rushing torrent. “It brought back memories of salmon leaping Brooks Falls in Alaska. These were small fish of an unknown species. Watching them was great fun,” he said. The three falls are close together in Hamilton County’s Briggs Woods Park and all it takes to enjoy them is a short hike on an easy trail.

Driftless Area

Iowa isn’t flat. Mostly it’s rolling terrain, but the state’s northeast corner features downright steep slopes. It’s the Driftless area, where most of Iowa’s falls gurgle and tumble down into clear running trout streams.

Touring Iowa’s Waterfalls

Seeing the Briggs Woods falls gave us a waterfall bug, so a few weeks later we drove north from our Cedar Rapids home. A region of Karst topography, the Driftless boasts dozens of clear water trout streams and several impressive falls.

Decorah Area

Decorah is Iowa’s waterfall epicenter. Twin Springs bubbles quietly from the ground and flows down past a campground. Siewer’s and Dunnings Springs hurl an impressive amount of cool clear water over rocks close to downtown. (Note, the travel Iowa site uses an apostrophe (‘) for Siewer’s Spring but not for Dunnings). It’s easy to park close to all of these. Viewing nearby Malanaphy Springs is worth the mile walk. It’s the best known of several falls that send water to the Upper Iowa River.

Other Waterfalls

Other Waterfalls? Yup. Depending on who you ask and what you consider a waterfall, the Hawkeye state has dozens of them. Many aren’t natural waterfalls. Many are human-made cascades tumbling down a dam spillway, but the ones mentioned above are genuine nature-made falls. 

Benefits of Seeking Out Waterfalls

We love falls for their beauty. Visiting them has a side benefit. They are in Iowa’s most beautiful terrain. A waterfall viewing trip gives the opportunity to see these unexpected Iowa sights, hike challenging trails, enjoy local eateries, and overnight in nearby campgrounds or one of the dozens of bed and breakfasts scattered about rural and small-town Iowa.

Where to Find Waterfalls

A helpful resource for finding falls is Travel Iowa – 14 Wonderful Waterfalls in Iowa.