Cataract Falls named by magazine as state’s best waterfall

Cataract Falls

CLOVERDALE -- Cataract Falls has been selected at Indiana’s best waterfall by Travel & Leisure Magazine.

In an article selecting the best waterfall in every state, the magazine notes “so often waterfalls are judged on their beauty or their brawn — the tallest, the most powerful, the most beautiful. All are valid superlatives. But what makes one the best? What about a waterfall makes you want to visit, to hike to its location, and stand in its spray?

“There’s no wrong answer,” the article continues, “but perhaps — whether it’s the surrounding area, its historical or geographical significance, its aesthetics, or a combination of all three — we can concede that some are slightly more engaging than others.”

America has more than 17,000 documented waterfalls. Raw and enchanting, they can make you feel small. And sometimes, the best ones are just fun to check off your travel list.

The largest falls in Indiana, Cataract Falls is located in Lieber State Recreation Area where Cagles Mill Lake, Indiana’s first flood control reservoir, was built in 1952.

Cataract Falls is actually made up of two sets of falls, the upper and lower falls, which are located about a mile apart on the Mill Creek. The upper falls have a 45-foot drop, while the lower falls have a 30-foot drop.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources website notes that the falls formed from “two pre-glacial bedrock ridges buried beneath ancient lake sediments of the Illinoisan glacial period.”

Indiana has other state parks that are home to waterfalls, including McCormick’s Creek, Clifty Falls and Salamonie Lake.