About ChasingFalls
A field guide to America’s waterfalls — where they are and when they run.
What we do
ChasingFalls compiles public records on America’s named waterfalls — their documented heights, watercourses, managing agencies, and access — so visitors can plan a trip from verifiable facts instead of guesswork.
We focus on U.S. waterfalls: locations, heights, access, and seasonal flow. Every page on chasingfalls.org is built from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and federal land-management records, cited and linkable so readers can trace any number back to its source.
Who runs this
ChasingFalls is built and maintained by the ChasingFalls Editorial Team. We're a small group working on making public U.S. waterfalls: locations, heights, access, and seasonal flow data easier for non-specialists to read. If you have a correction, a data tip, or a question about how a number was derived, the contact email below reaches us directly.
Who this is for
ChasingFalls is built for hikers, photographers, road-trippers, and families looking for a real, well-documented waterfall to visit.
Why this exists
Public data on U.S. waterfalls: locations, heights, access, and seasonal flow is technically free, but practically locked behind file formats, acronyms, and paywalled dashboards. ChasingFallsexists to close that gap: take the raw federal and public-sector data, and turn it into pages a normal person can read in thirty seconds.
How we work
- Primary source only. We pull from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and federal land-management records and cite the exact dataset and version on every page.
- No invented numbers. If a figure is not in the underlying public data, it does not appear on chasingfalls.org. We never generate synthetic statistics to fill gaps.
- Methodology, in plain English. We start from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) register of named “Falls” features — official name, state, county, and coordinates — and pair each waterfall with documented height, watercourse, managing agency, trail access, and a seasonal peak-flow window drawn from USGS streamflow records and land-manager pages. Each entry links back to its sources.
- Refreshed on a schedule. Reviewed and expanded on a rolling basis as we verify additional waterfalls against GNIS and land-manager records; GNIS itself updates continuously.
- Corrections welcome. Readers flag issues all the time. When the source fixes a record, ChasingFalls follows.
How our content is produced
ChasingFalls is produced by an AI-augmented editorial team. Research and first drafts are AI-assisted, but every waterfall’s facts are compiled from public records (USGS GNIS, NPS, USFS, and state-park sources) and reviewed against those sources before publication. We describe places from documented facts and cited sources rather than claiming personal visits.
Known limitations
Reported waterfall heights vary by source and measurement method (single drop vs. cumulative cascade), so we use the best-documented figure and note uncertainty where it exists. Coordinates point to the feature, not a trailhead; access, conditions, and seasonal flow change — always check the current land-manager page before visiting.
Independence
ChasingFalls is an independent publication. We are not funded, owned, or directed by any of the agencies, companies, or organizations that appear in our data. The site is free to read and is supported by display advertising; advertising is served by third parties and is kept separate from our editorial and data decisions — see our Privacy Policy for how data and advertising cookies are handled. and we do not take paid placements, sponsored rankings, or “remove-my-entry” fees.
Editorial standards
We hold every page to a stated, repeatable process rather than asking readers to take our word for it. How our content is produced and the standards behind it are documented in our Editorial Policy; how we verify figures before publishing is in our Fact-Checking Policy; and how we handle mistakes is in our Corrections Policy.
History
ChasingFalls launched in 2026 as part of a small portfolio of independent public-data sites. It has been maintained and updated continuously since.
Contact
Tips, corrections, data-partnership questions, and press inquiries: hello@chasingfalls.org. More options on our contact page.