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Explore Rifle Falls

Rifle, Colorado

4.6/5
based on 5 reviews

Description

Added by Derrick Lytle

Beautiful Waterfall. Escape the heat of the Western Slope. Small but beautiful state park. 0.5 mile roundtrip walk.

RIfle Falls is located up Rifle Canyon just outside of the town of Rifle on I-70 in Southern Colorado. After driving by the sign for this gem many times on my drives from Utah to Colorado I made a short detour to check out the falls and have some lunch.

The state park is small with a some short trails, car camping, some short hiking trails with campsites, and these waterfalls with picnic tables nearby.

The hike up to the falls is easy and takes less than 5 minutes up a paved road. There's various small trails that wind up and around the falls and in to the caves made out of the carbonate rock which makes up the falls.

Take advantage of the trails and you can shoot the falls from lots of angles with little effort. The falls are in a canyon so shooting them in balanced light isn't much of a challenge although you may have to wait for people to move to get a good shot.

There's lots of great camping spots close to the falls and even some with power which can be nice if you need to charge your batteries.

The water has a lot of minerals in it so be sure to use a lens filter and bring a lens cloth to keep your lens as dry as possible.

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Features

Chillin
Photography
Bathrooms
Easy Parking
Family Friendly
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River
Scenic
Waterfall

Explore Rifle Falls Reviews

A 30 second walk brings you to a surprisingly spectacular waterfall. The calcium deposits and falls seem almost out of place in the mountain/desert landscape. The full path around the falls takes you by some pretty cool caves. All in all, nothing fancy, but a nice spot to grab a waterfall photo.

Fall comes a little later here than in the high mountains but it's worth the wait. One of Colorado's few photogenic waterfalls.

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Hike through Rifle Falls State Park

Rifle Falls

Rifle Gap Reservoir

Snowshoe to Mt. Colorow Overlook

Camp at Heart Lake

Relax at Glenwood Hot Springs