Coin Keeper

07/04/2021

Waterfalls in the U.S. Worth Traveling For
As spring blooms loom and snowpacks begin to melt, we’re entering what many nature lovers say is their favorite time of year: waterfall season. From thundering cascades to fairytale trickles, every waterfall has its own personality. Some are tall and skinny, streaming from precipitously high cliffs into churning whirlpools below. Others are gauzier, fanning out across staircases of rock and moss. You can walk behind some falls and climb on others when they’re frozen solid in winter. While you may have seen some of America’s best-known waterfalls already (we’re talking Niagara, Yosemite, and Havasu in the Grand Canyon), what follows are eight other favorites from coast to coast, all worth a stop on your next road trip.

07/04/2021

Wailua Falls in Kauai, Hawaii
These twin falls were made famous by the opening credits of the late ’70s/early ’80s TV show Fantasy Island. Running at the southern terminus of the Wailua River, the double falls spill from an 80-foot cliff into a 30-foot-deep pool, and sometimes merge into one raging cascade after heavy rains. (For rainbow spotting, drop by in the morning.) Whatever the weather, there is no need to pack hiking boots: This waterfall is viewable from the visitor parking lot, only 15 minutes north of Kauai's Lihue Airport.

07/04/2021

Dry Falls near Highlands, North Carolina
The U.S. Forest Service has designated a 61.3-mile stretch of roads between Almond and Highlands in North Carolina’s Nantahala National Forest as the Mountain Waters Scenic Byway. The route snakes through two river gorges and past two lakes, Wayah Bald, and Cullasaja Gorge before culminating at the majestic Dry Falls, a 75-foot beauty with a dedicated parking area. Though you can see the cascade from the overlook, plan to stroll the walkway that runs behind the falls. The cliff juts out far enough that you won’t get wet and the photo ops are phenomenal.

07/04/2021

St. Louis Canyon Falls at Starved Rock State Park, Illinois
Nestled amid rural cornfields, just two hours southwest of Chicago, Starved Rock State Park is catnip for waterfall chasers. Melting glaciers carved 18 sandstone canyons throughout the 2,800-acre park, and every spring they leap to life with waterfalls. This is a choose-your-own-adventure kind of place with 14 miles of hiking trails: You might trek behind the 25-foot veil of LaSalle Waterfall, make googly eyes at the 60-foot double falls in Tonty Canyon, or gawk at the park’s two 80-footers—one in St. Louis Canyon and the other in Wildcat Canyon. Feeling extra adventurous? Plan a winter visit, when the park permits experienced ice climbers to shimmy up three of its best known falls.

07/04/2021

Burney Falls in Redding, California
President Theodore Roosevelt Jr. dubbed Burney Falls, a 129-foot cascade in Northern California’s McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” When you observe it pumping 100 million gallons of spring-fed water per day, you get why: Not only is Burney a looker, it’s easy to access. Travelers have the option of hoofing a quarter-mile path to the base or taking the one-mile Burney Falls Loop Trail to ogle the waterfall from multiple vantage points. If you like what you see, block out a few hours to explore the dozens of other falls throughout the region, including Potem Falls, a 70-footer that tumbles into a deep swimming hole, and the triple-tiered McCloud Falls, both part of scenic Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

06/04/2021