State guide

Waterfalls in Illinois

6 waterfalls across 5 counties, ranked 41st nationally. The main waterfall regions are Shawnee Hills and Northern River Valleys.

Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System, with visitor ratings from Google Maps listings.

Photo of Burden Falls in Pope County, Illinois
Pictured: Burden Falls, IL

Towns

Where Illinois's Waterfalls Are

Illinois is one of the flattest states in the country, and that goes a long way toward explaining why our directory lists only six named waterfalls here, ranking it 41st nationally. Repeated advances of continental ice sheets planed most of the state into a broad till plain, filling old valleys with glacial sediment and leaving gentle gradients that favor meandering rivers over falling water. The exceptions occur where bedrock is exposed and streams have cut down into it, mostly along river bluffs and in the southern tip of the state.

The most important of those exceptions is the Shawnee Hills, an unglaciated band of rugged country across far southern Illinois. Here, layers of resistant Pennsylvanian sandstone form cliffs, bluffs and overhangs, and creeks drop off their edges as seasonal, rain-fed falls. Pope and Johnson counties hold the best examples. In the north, sandstone canyons along the Illinois River and small ravines carved into the glacial plain near Chicago produce a handful of modest cascades, while the Great Falls of the Illinois River at Marseilles is a river rapid on a much larger scale.

Illinois Waterfall Regions

Shawnee Hills

2 waterfalls · Pope County and Johnson County

The Shawnee National Forest covers much of this ridged, wooded corner of Illinois, where sandstone bluffs rise above narrow hollows. Burden Falls in Pope County, the most reviewed waterfall in the state, drops over a series of sandstone ledges in a wilderness area of the forest, and it can be remarkably full after heavy rain and nearly dry during a drought. Cedar Falls in Johnson County, near Vienna, is a similar wet-weather plunge from a sandstone rim into a shaded canyon. Both reflect the region's character: short, rain-fed drops framed by moss, ferns and rock shelters.

Start with: Burden Falls, Cedar Falls

Northern River Valleys

4 waterfalls · DuPage County, LaSalle County, and Adams County

Northern and western Illinois offer a scattered set of smaller falls tied to river valleys. In DuPage County, Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve near Lemont contains two small drops on Canyon Creek, recorded by USGS at roughly 3 and 8 feet. In LaSalle County, the Great Falls of the Illinois River near Marseilles is a broad stretch of fast water over bedrock on the state's namesake river. Homan Falls in Adams County, near Quincy, is a small cascade in the hilly country close to the Mississippi River, where tributary streams have cut ravines into bedrock as they descend toward the river.

Start with: Homan Falls, Great Falls of the Illinois River, Canyon Creek Cascade, Canyon Creek Falls

All 6 Waterfalls in Illinois

Ordered by Google rating and review volume, then by documented USGS history.

  1. Burden Falls

    Carrier Mills, IL · Pope County
    4.5 (111 reviews)

    Burden Falls is a waterfall in Pope County, Illinois, about 8.3 miles south of Carrier Mills. It appears on the USGS Stonefort topographic map.

    Rating
    4.5 (111 Google reviews)
    Address
    Eddyville No. 6 Precinct, IL 62987
    Nearest town
    Carrier Mills, IL (8.3 mi)
    USGS topo
    Stonefort quad
    View details Directions

  2. Cedar Falls

    Vienna, IL · Johnson County
    4.4 (16 reviews)

    Cedar Falls is a waterfall in Johnson County, Illinois, about 11 miles northeast of Vienna. It appears on the USGS Stonefort topographic map.

    Rating
    4.4 (16 Google reviews)
    Address
    Ozark Precinct, IL 62972
    Known for
    private property, hiking, camp
    Nearest town
    Vienna, IL (11 mi)
    USGS topo
    Stonefort quad
    View details Directions

  3. Homan Falls

    Quincy, IL · Adams County
    3.5 (6 reviews)

    Homan Falls is a waterfall in Adams County, Illinois, about 4.3 miles north of Quincy. It appears on the USGS Quincy West topographic map.

    Rating
    3.5 (6 Google reviews)
    Address
    Riverside Township, IL 62305
    Nearest town
    Quincy, IL (4.3 mi)
    USGS topo
    Quincy West quad
    View details Directions

  4. Great Falls of the Illinois River

    Marseilles, IL · LaSalle County
    3.0 (5 reviews)

    Great Falls of the Illinois River is a waterfall in LaSalle County, Illinois, about 0.9 miles west of Marseilles. It appears on the USGS Marseilles topographic map.

    Rating
    3.0 (5 Google reviews)
    Address
    Fall River Township, IL 61341
    Nearest town
    Marseilles, IL (0.9 mi)
    USGS topo
    Marseilles quad
    View details Directions

  5. Canyon Creek Cascade

    Lemont, IL · DuPage County

    Canyon Creek Cascade is a waterfall in DuPage County, Illinois, about 1.2 miles north of Lemont. USGS notes: approx. 3 ft. high; located along East Branch Canyon Creek in Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve; Sec. 17, T37N, R11E, Third Principal Meridian

    Address
    DuPage County, IL (GPS 41.6905, -88.0019)
    Nearest town
    Lemont, IL (1.2 mi)
    USGS topo
    Romeoville quad
    View details Directions

  6. Canyon Creek Falls

    Lemont, IL · DuPage County

    Canyon Creek Falls is a waterfall in DuPage County, Illinois, about 1.1 miles north of Lemont. USGS notes: approx. 8 ft. high; located along East Branch Canyon Creek, in Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve; Sec. 17, T37N, R11E, Third Principal Meridian

    Address
    DuPage County, IL (GPS 41.6900, -88.0023)
    Nearest town
    Lemont, IL (1.1 mi)
    USGS topo
    Romeoville quad
    View details Directions

Highest Rated in Illinois

  1. Burden Falls 4.5 from 111 reviews · Carrier Mills

Waterfalls with at least 25 Google reviews.

Illinois Waterfalls by the Compass

The farthest-apart named falls in Illinois are about 291 miles apart.

Best Time to See Waterfalls in Illinois

Illinois waterfalls depend almost entirely on recent rainfall. The best window is late winter through spring, roughly March to early June, when storms are frequent and soils are already saturated, so runoff reaches the creeks quickly. Burden Falls and Cedar Falls in the Shawnee Hills are at their best within a day or two after a soaking rain and can be barely trickling during dry stretches in late summer and early fall. Northern Illinois falls follow the same pattern, with spring thaw adding to early-season flow. Summer brings heat, humidity, ticks and mosquitoes to the southern hollows. Fall color in the Shawnee usually peaks in late October, but flow is often low then unless autumn rains are generous. Prolonged cold snaps occasionally create icy formations on the bluffs.

Planning a Waterfall Trip in Illinois

The southern Illinois falls lie within the Shawnee National Forest, where some trailheads are at the end of gravel roads and parts of the forest are designated wilderness with minimal trail markings and no facilities. The northern sites are in county forest preserves and public river corridors, which tend to have marked trails and parking. Hazards include slippery sandstone ledges and unfenced bluff edges above the Shawnee falls, steep informal paths to the bases, and flash rises in narrow canyons during storms. In the north, the Illinois River near Marseilles has powerful currents and a nearby lock and dam, so stay well back from the water. Check locally for seasonal road conditions in the Shawnee after heavy rains, when low-water crossings can flood.

More: waterfall safety · packing list

Find Waterfalls Near a Illinois Town

Waterfalls by County

CountyWaterfallsShareMost visited
DuPage233%Canyon Creek Cascade
Adams117%Homan Falls
Johnson117%Cedar Falls
LaSalle117%Great Falls of the Illinois River
Pope117%Burden Falls

All Illinois Waterfalls A to Z

Illinois Waterfalls: FAQs

How many waterfalls are in Illinois?

Our directory lists 6 waterfalls in Illinois, all officially named in the USGS Geographic Names Information System, 41st among the 50 jurisdictions in our directory and 0.2% of the national total. 67% of them are in just three counties: DuPage, Adams, and Johnson.

What is the most visited waterfall in Illinois?

By Google review count, Burden Falls in Pope County leads with 111 reviews and a 4.5 rating. Cedar Falls is next.

Does Illinois really have waterfalls?

Yes, though they are few and mostly small. The best are rain-fed falls in the Shawnee Hills of southern Illinois, such as Burden Falls in Pope County and Cedar Falls in Johnson County.

Is there a waterfall near Chicago?

Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve near Lemont in DuPage County has small cascades on Canyon Creek. They are modest in size but easy to reach from the Chicago area.

Which Illinois town has the most waterfalls nearby?

Lemont has 2 named waterfalls within 30 miles, the most of any town in our Illinois directory.