Waterfalls in the United States: what it takes to see each one
56 tour listings across Kauai, Maui and the Columbia River Gorge, from under 30 to more than 500 EUR, typically 120 to 250 EUR, plus a table of the famous falls that need no tour.
The 56 listings behind these waterfalls in the United States run from under 30 to more than 500 EUR, and the spread has little to do with how good the waterfall is. The cheapest, under 30 EUR, is an audio app for driving yourself around Kauai. The dearest, above 500 EUR, is a Portland city tour with a half day in the Columbia River Gorge, and, like every other price on the page, it is per person. In between sit three places, Kauai, Maui and the Gorge, and a country whose waterfalls differ less by height than by what it takes to see them: regulated water, a snowmelt season, a permit, a storm. This page compares American waterfalls that way, including the ones we sell nothing for, and sends you to a page of tours for each of the three places where we do.
Niagara, the other waterfall every American knows, has its own tour pages, and they sit under Canada on this site because the falls straddle the border. Start at Niagara Falls or go straight to the American side tours. Nothing about Niagara is repeated here beyond a paragraph, so the rest of this page is about the places with no Canadian twin: three islands and a gorge that sell tours, and a handful of famous falls that sell none. If you only have time for one section, read the table of eight waterfalls and the paragraph on permits and closures that follows it, because those are where a booking goes wrong, and every date in them is the one we read on 22 October 2026.
Choose a destination in the United States
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Kauai Waterfall Tours
Kauai waterfall tours read one by one: 16 listings from under 30 to more than 500 EUR, what Hurricane Lowell closed, what stays open, and which kayak, flight…
16 experiences -
Maui Waterfall Tours
Maui waterfall tours compared: 20 listings at roughly 120 to 500 EUR, Road to Hana drives against hikes, what the park fees and closures add, and who picks…
20 experiences -
Columbia River Gorge Waterfall Tours
Multnomah Falls and Columbia River Gorge waterfall tours from Portland, 20 listings from under 60 to more than 500 EUR: how the parking permit worked, the…
20 experiences
Waterfalls Travel Experiences in the United States
Aloha Sunshine Tours Road to Hana: Hotel Pickup, Picnic Lunch at the Black Sand Beach
Hotel or resort pickup anywhere on Maui, a picnic lunch at the black sand beach and park entry fees are all included in this eight-hour Road to Hana day.
Anahola Private Jungle Waterfall Hike with Charlie the Hawaiian Dundee, 4WD Jeep Transfer
One guide, one Jeep Gladiator and a secluded pool: a fully private jungle hike near Anahola, with the site chosen to match your activity level and the weather.
Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Flight: West Maui Waterfalls, 'Iao Valley and Molokai Sea Cliffs
A pilot who is a State of Hawai'i Certified Tour Guide narrates the flight in an Airbus EC 130, from 'Iao Valley across the Pailolo Channel to Moloka'i.
Columbia Gorge Waterfalls and Hood River Wine Tasting Afternoon Tour, Portland
Hotel pickup in downtown Portland, naturalist-led waterfall walks, then a flight of Columbia Gorge wines at Stave and Stone Winery with all fees covered.
Columbia Gorge Waterfalls and Vista House Tour from Director Park, Portland
Starts at Director Park and takes the Historic Columbia River Highway to Vista House, Latourell, Multnomah and Horsetail Falls, then back downtown by van.
Columbia Gorge Waterfalls, Hood River and Timberline Lodge Day Tour, Portland
One day covers Multnomah Falls, an hour of free time in Hood River for lunch, then the Fruit Loop and Timberline Lodge at about 6,000 feet on Mt. Hood.
Duke's Kayak Adventures Wailua River Kayak and Secret Falls Hike with Guide, 5 Hours
Guide-led paddle and forest hike with Hawaiian myths and history, a swim at the falls and a snack stop. Ages 13 to 69, with check-in at a Kapaa plaza.
Eight-Hour Waterfalls and Wine Tour: Multnomah Falls, Hood River, Vineyards
Eight hours with Vista House, Latourell and Multnomah Falls, lunch in historic downtown Hood River and vineyard stops at Anie Che Cellars and Cathedral Ridge.
Epic Maui Hikes: 2-Mile Jungle Waterfall Hike from Kahului, 3 Hours
A mild to moderate 2-mile round trip through bamboo groves and fruit trees to waterfall pools. Guided in English, Spanish or Filipino, starting in Kahului.
Family-Run Columbia Gorge Waterfall Tour: Multnomah, Latourell, Vista House
A small family-run company covers Vista House, Multnomah, Latourell and Horsetail Falls, all within 30 minutes of Portland, with salmon spawning in autumn.
Full-Day Gorge Waterfalls, Hood River and Mt. Hood Loop with Local Guide
Led by a fifth-generation Oregonian, this day runs from Oneonta Gorge and Multnomah Falls to Hood River lunch, Fruit Loop orchards and Timberline Lodge.
Full-Day Narrated Road to Hana Drive with Breakfast, Lunch and Black Sand Beach, 7 Hours
Breakfast, lunch, water and chips come with this 7-hour narrated drive in an air-conditioned vehicle. Meal choices are texted to the operator when booking.
Full-Day Portland City and Columbia Gorge Waterfalls Sightseeing Tour
Portland's Pearl District, Pioneer Courthouse Square and the Rose Garden, then Vista House, Latourell Falls and Multnomah Falls, all in one full-day tour.
Half-Day Columbia Gorge Waterfall Hikes with Local Legends, Portland Pickup
Short hikes to Latourell and Wahkeena Falls with a van from Portland, plus tales of gods and a Beaver princess. Runs rain or shine, at least three falls.
Half-Day Gorge Waterfalls Tour with Snacks, Drinks and Van Transfer, Portland
Four or five waterfalls with Multnomah Falls, short forest walks and the 1918 Vista House, with snacks, drinks, van transport and hotel pickup included.
Half-Day Historic Highway Waterfalls Tour: Multnomah, Latourell, Horsetail
Guided half day with Benson Bridge at Multnomah Falls, Wahkeena and Horsetail stops and the 1917 Vista House, though the long climb to the top is left out.
Half-Day Road to Hana by 2025 Mercedes Sprinter: Banana Bread, Turtles and Waterfall Swim
A 2025 Mercedes Sprinter carries up to 10 guests to fixed stops: Jaws Country Store, Ke'anae, Aunty Sandy's, a Pua'a Ka'a swim spot and Ho'okipa turtles.
Halfway to Hana by Lincoln Navigator SUV: Waterfalls and Keanae, 6.5 Hours
Shared or private by seat count: book all seven seats in a Lincoln Navigator for a private tour. The route turns around at Pua'a Ka'a State Wayside Park.
Historic Columbia River Highway Waterfalls Tour with Guide Legends, Park Ave Pickup
Meets on the Park Avenue side of a Portland public square, then follows the King of Roads to Chanticleer Point, Vista House, Latourell and Multnomah Falls.
Huleia River Kayak and Hidden Valley Falls Hike from Nawiliwili, Motorized Canoe Return
Tandem kayaks down the Hule'ia, waterfalls and swimming holes on foot, then a twin-hulled motorized Hawaiian canoe home. Departs from Nawiliwili Harbor.
Kauai Airplane Tour in a GA-8 Airvan: Na Pali Coast, Wailua Falls, Window Seats
A GA-8 Airvan flight with window seats over the Na Pali Coast, Mount Waiale'ale and Wailua Falls. Check-in is 30 minutes before, at the Lihue commuter terminal.
Kauai Deluxe Waterfall Safari: Shared Helicopter Flight over Na Pali, Waimea and Waialeale
A shared 55-minute helicopter flight across more than 100 miles of central Kauai, from the Na Pali sea cliffs to Waimea Canyon. Up to 6 travelers per booking.
Kauai Eastside Waterfalls and Local Grinds Small-Group Tour: Wailua Falls and Fishpond
A mother-and-daughter company, 17 years of guiding, no hiking and a 1.5-hour Kapaa lunch stop with free chocolate and nut tastings. Pick-ups at 8:30 or 8:50.
Kauai Legends, Waterfalls and Spouting Horn Small-Group Tour from Kapaa, Koloa Lunch
A story-led day with a mother-and-daughter team: heiaus in Wailua, Wailua Falls, the Spouting Horn blowhole and a 1.5-hour lunch stop in the town of Koloa.
Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Waterfalls in the United States: what you need to see each one
Height is the wrong way to sort American waterfalls. Yosemite Falls drops 2,425 feet (740 m) and Niagara's American Falls 57 m, about 187 feet, and neither number tells you whether you will see water. The useful sort is by regime. Niagara is regulated: a 1950 treaty fixes the minimum flow. Yosemite is snowmelt, strongest in May and June and often a thread by August. Multnomah and Havasu are permits, one for a parking lot and one for the canyon itself. And Kauai, as of 22 October 2026, is a storm. A tour can get you around one of these, but only if its listing says which rule it handles.
Rarely is the question how tall a waterfall is. It is what stands between you and it.
| Waterfall | Height | What decides your visit | Tours on this site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara Falls (American Falls), New York | 57 m to the river | Water regulated by a 1950 treaty. The Maid of the Mist season runs to 8 November 2026. | Yes, under Canada |
| Yosemite Falls, California | 2,425 ft (740 m) | Snowmelt: peak in May and June, often a thread or dry from August. No entry reservation in 2026. | None |
| Bridalveil Fall, California | 620 ft (190 m) | Snowmelt, like Yosemite Falls. The Park Service waterfalls page is the source. | None |
| Multnomah Falls, Oregon | 620 ft (189 m) | A timed parking permit from 22 May to 7 September 2026. The 2027 rules are not published. | Yes: Columbia River Gorge |
| Havasu Falls, Arizona | 90 to 100 ft | A tribal permit for a stay of three nights, never resold or transferred. Flash floods can close the canyon at any time. | None; resale is banned |
| Snoqualmie Falls, Washington | 268 ft (82 m) | A viewing deck. | None |
| Waimoku Falls, Maui | 400 ft (122 m) | Reached on foot in the Kīpahulu district; Haleakalā charges a per-vehicle entry fee. | Maui listings, which may not reach it |
| Manawaiopuna Falls, Kauai | 400 ft (122 m) | An aircraft. Landings are limited. | Kauai flights fly past it |
Yosemite Falls, when the water thins
The Park Service gives Yosemite Falls as 2,425 feet and says the water is strongest in May and June and often thin or gone by August. The entry rule for 2026 was the simple one: no reservation to get in. The photo shows what a thin year looks like, a ribbon of water down a wall of granite. No Yosemite tour is on this site: the ones we read sell the valley and Glacier Point, with the falls inside the day.
Niagara, the water a treaty counts
Niagara is the one place on this list where the water is rationed. A treaty signed on 27 February 1950 sets a minimum flow of 100,000 cubic feet per second in tourist hours from 1 April to 31 October and a minimum of half that at any other time, according to the International Joint Commission (IJC), which gives the hours in Eastern Standard Time. About nine tenths of the river goes over the Horseshoe Falls according to Niagara Falls USA; the IJC says the American Falls takes 10% to 20%. In 1969 engineers dewatered the American Falls behind a temporary dam to inspect the rock. The Maid of the Mist runs from the American side until 8 November 2026; the company sets the ticket price, so check its current schedule. The tours are on the Niagara Falls page and the American side page.
Where this site sells tours: Kauai, Maui and the Columbia River Gorge
Kauai is where a storm decides. Hurricane Lowell closed the state's land on 17 September 2026, and Secret Falls, where six kayak listings appear to end, was still closed on 22 October. Maui is a long road: ten Road to Hana drives and eight hikes, with park fees outside the ticket. The Columbia River Gorge is a permit and a van: nine shared half-days at roughly 60 to 120 EUR. Each page reads its tours one by one and the comparison below is only the summary.
| Place | Listings | Price band | Typical day | Rating | What decides the visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kauai | 16 | 120 to 250 EUR | 5-hour kayak hike or 1-hour flight | 4.83 | State closures after Hurricane Lowell |
| Maui | 20 | 120 to 250 EUR | 6 hours, mostly on the road | 4.75 | The Hana Highway and park fees |
| Columbia River Gorge | 20 | 60 to 120 EUR | 4-hour van | 4.92 | The 2026 parking permit |
The chart shows a pattern that holds in the numbers too. Maui costs about 2.3 times the Gorge per listing, and the middle half of its listings starts above the Gorge's median, in the 120 to 250 EUR band against the Gorge's 60 to 120 EUR. Kauai sits close to Maui, in the same band. The Gorge bar is the widest, roughly 60 to 250 EUR, because it includes the Mount Hood and wine days, and the Gorge has the shortest typical day, a four-hour van, and the highest rating. The price tracks time and transport, not the waterfall, because the day is built from a road and a vehicle.
The cheapest place is also the best rated. The most expensive is the one where the road is the product.
Permits and closures: where a booking can fail
Hawaii in 2026: weather, not season
In Hawaii in autumn 2026 the calendar explains nothing, and the weather does. Hurricane Lowell passed west of Kauai on 7 and 8 September without landfall and still closed the state's land on the island. The Wailua falls in the photo are the sort of roadside waterfall that may or may not be affected, and the state notices we read do not say. The Kauai page lays out what the state reports as open, closed and unconfirmed, with dates.
Three kinds of failure recur. The first is the permit that belongs to a place, not a tour: Multnomah's lot in 2026, and Haʻena and Waiʻānapanapa in Hawaii, where the state asks non-residents for reservations and a fee. The second is the permit that belongs to a person. The Havasupai Tribe says its permits are for three nights and that resale or transfer is strictly prohibited, and the Park Service lists floods in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2024 and says the canyon can close immediately at any time. The third is the closure after a storm. For all three, the fix is the same. Ask the operator for the date of the rule it is quoting and check the official page for that date.
When the water is there
Two places on the page change with the calendar. The others do not, and the lines below the chart say why.
| Month | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara Falls, American side Boats run from 24 April to 8 November in 2026. The falls flow all year, because a treaty sets a minimum. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Yosemite Falls The Park Service puts the peak in May and June and says the fall is often a thread or dry from August. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
Boat dates are the 2026 season. Yosemite months follow the Park Service; April and July are our reading of its text.
The Gorge has no row because Multnomah is spring-fed and runs all year, and the only dated rule is the 2026 permit. Kauai and Maui have none because the sources we checked date closures and events, not the rains by month. A chart with invented months would be worse than none.
How access to American waterfalls took its shape
Dates from Wikipedia, the Oregon Encyclopedia and the agencies named in the source note.
The origins
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30 Apr 1885
Niagara Reservation
A law creates the reservation that becomes Niagara Falls State Park.
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1915
Historic Columbia River Highway
The first section opens, the first paved highway in the Northwest.
The growth
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18 Dec 1926
The Hana Highway opens
The coast road to Hana is completed on Maui.
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Jun to Nov 1969
The American Falls are dewatered
A temporary dam stops the flow so that engineers can inspect the rock.
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Nov 1986
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
The Gorge is protected as a National Scenic Area.
Today
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Sept 2017
Eagle Creek Fire
About 50,000 acres burn in the Gorge, and trails close for months.
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2026
A permit and a storm
Multnomah needs a parking permit from 22 May to 7 September, and Hurricane Lowell closes Kauai's state land on 17 September.
How to choose between the three places
If price is the question, the Gorge wins: the shared half-day van is the best value for a half day with transport and a guide, at roughly 60 to 120 EUR, and in 2026 several vans said in their listings that they handled the permit, so check that line. If you want an island and a swim, Maui is the better fit, because its hikes are rated 4.90 and the Road to Hana is a day of looking. Kauai is for flights and for the waterfalls you cannot reach any other way, and as of October 2026 it is also a place where you should read the state notice before you read the tour page. A single trip rarely covers two of the three: Hawaii and Oregon are more than 2,500 miles apart, so choose by budget.
Questions about waterfalls in the United States
Which US waterfalls need a permit?
Multnomah Falls needed a timed parking permit from 22 May to 7 September 2026. Havasu Falls needs a tribal permit, for three nights, and cannot be resold. In Hawaii the state asks non-residents for reservations at Haʻena on Kauai and at Waiʻānapanapa on Maui. Yosemite had no entry reservation in 2026.
Is Niagara Falls in the United States or Canada?
Both. The falls straddle the border: the American Falls and Bridal Veil are seen from the American side, and most of the water goes over the Horseshoe Falls. We list the tours under Canada, on the Niagara Falls page, with a separate page for the American side.
Can you visit Havasu Falls on a day tour?
No. The Havasupai Tribe issues permits for stays of three nights and strictly prohibits resale or transfer. Flash floods have struck in 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2024, and the Park Service says the canyon can close immediately. The tours we read sell none.
What did Hurricane Lowell close in Hawaii?
The state closed all its land on Kauai on 17 September 2026. By 22 October the Wailua River was partly reopened, Haʻena was listed as reopening and Secret Falls was still closed. The Kauai page has the table, with the sources.
How much does a US waterfall tour cost?
Our 56 listings run from under 30 to more than 500 EUR, typically 120 to 250 EUR. By place, the Gorge is typically 60 to 120 EUR, and Kauai and Maui 120 to 250 EUR. Prices are per person, private tours included; only the Kauai audio app, under 30 EUR, and the private jungle hike, above 500 EUR, quote one price for the whole booking.
Looking for Niagara?
The American side has its own tour page, with the boat, the Cave of the Winds and the trips from New York.
Data verified on . Listings and prices read 22 Oct 2026 (56 listings). Rules from the Park Service, ODOT, Hawaii DLNR and the Havasupai Tribe; storm facts from Weather.com.