A staircase-like waterfall over a 170-foot-long limestone spillway dropping about 40 feet, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. A roughly two-mile shoreline trail circles Beeds Lake and reaches the base of the dam.
At 40 ft, it stands above roughly 33% of the 775 documented falls in this guide.
Its water comes from Spring Creek (Beeds Lake spillway). You'll find it in Franklin, Iowa. It is protected within Beeds Lake State Park (Iowa DNR).
This is a short hike waterfall: reached by a short trail, generally under about a mile each way. A short walk gets you to the viewpoint, so it works for most casual visitors and families. The walk to the main viewpoint runs about 2 miles round trip. Base a visit out of Hampton, the closest town.
When to go: Spring (high flow); year-round. Like most waterfalls, Beeds Lake Spillway Falls runs highest after snowmelt or heavy rain and can thin out in late summer, so it's worth checking recent streamflow and the land manager's conditions page before a long drive.