Cascade Falls tumbles roughly 200 feet down granite above Cascade Lake near Emerald Bay. A short, mostly level trail from the Bayview Trailhead reaches the top of the falls, with the final stretch crossing rocky granite slabs.
Its 200 ft drop is taller than about 88% of the 775 waterfalls we track.
Cascade Falls sits on Cascade Creek. It lies in El Dorado, California. The site is on public land managed by Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (USFS).
This is a short hike waterfall: reached by a short trail, generally under about a mile each way. The walk in is brief — comfortable shoes are usually all you need. The walk to the main viewpoint runs about 1.5 miles round trip. The nearest town is South Lake Tahoe.
When to go: Late spring (snowmelt). Water volume swings with the seasons here, strongest after snowmelt or rain and lowest in late summer, so check recent streamflow before you go.
