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Chasing Waterfalls Across The USA
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Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of Not Your Average Bucket List by OnlyInYourState. In this episode, we’re going to be talking about a new editorial tentpole we feature on OnlyInYourState.com that is entirely focused on waterfalls throughout the United States. It’s titled: Chasing Waterfalls Across The USA. Here’s a little snippet from our article.
“From jaw-dropping cascades to swimmable emerald ponds, there are countless magnificent waterfalls found across the United States – and June, designated as Great Outdoors Month, is the perfect time to go chasing. These aren’t the rivers and lakes that you’re used to.”
For this episode, we discuss some of the tallest, most impressive waterfalls across America, plus some of the fun features that this editorial tentpole has. Also, you get to learn a little bit more about the waterfalls that our hosts have been to, as well as ones that will certainly make their travel bucket list.
Things we’ll cover in this episode:
- What is the Chasing Waterfalls tentpole about?
- How many waterfalls are covered in this article?
- Why you should proceed with caution at Havasu Falls.
- What are some favorite waterfalls our hosts have been to already?
Get In Touch!
If you have personal experiences with any of the attractions mentioned above, call or text 805-298-1420! We’d love to hear your thoughts on these places and maybe even share your clip on the show! You can also reach out to us via email at [email protected].
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Transcript
Introduction to Not Your Average Bucket List
00:00:06
Speaker
This is Not Your Average Bucket List by Only In Your State, a podcast about exploring the hidden gems right in your own backyard.
00:00:18
Speaker
Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of Not Your Average Bucket List by Only In Your State. I'm here with my co-host, Sarah. Hi, Sarah. Hello Marissa, how are you? Doing well.
Exploring Waterfalls Across the U.S.
00:00:30
Speaker
Excited about today actually because this is one of our, the article that we're going to be talking about is chasing waterfalls across the United States. And I'm pumped for this because this is a ah new editorial tent poll for only in your state. Am I right? Yeah, it is a real passion project from our editorial team. Shout out to Megan Schute, Andrea Limky, Sarah McCosham and all the other people who made this amazing, absolutely gorgeous ah piece of editorial. And not to be confused with Chasing Waterfalls, the hit 1994 song by TLC off of their crazy sexy cool album.
00:01:09
Speaker
But it is our um it is our amazing new feature. And it's yeah like I said, it's gorgeous. You have to check it out on on our website at um Chasing Waterfalls. That's only in your state dot com slash Chasing Waterfalls. So it's it's absolutely gorgeous. And um yeah, I'm really excited to talk about it today, too. Yeah, I did try to get the rights to open up our our episode with that TLC song a little bit out of our budget. But yeah, maybe next time. um good Just to start though, let me yeah read our little summary that we put together for this, because I think it's just absolutely adorable.
Celebrating Great Outdoors Month
00:01:46
Speaker
and So from jaw-dropping cascades to swimmable emerald ponds, there are countless magnificent waterfalls found across the United States. And June, designated as Great Outdoors Month, is the perfect time to go chasing. These aren't the rivers and lakes that you're used to. ah See what they did there.
00:02:04
Speaker
ah love it ye Amazing. Also did not know that June was great outdoors month. It is great outdoors month. Get outdoors into your 115 degree weather. in yeah Actually, I did yesterday. I went to the beach, and i it was glorious. Just, yes. Love it. Okay, tell me. And my stats are going to be different than you, I'm sure. um How many minutes do you wait before eating your beach sandwich? like Okay, excellent question. I didn't bring a sandwich yesterday because I went early. I know, I know. I did bring a... ah
00:02:44
Speaker
but I brought a yogurt parfait with ah some berries and I ate it immediately because I was very hungry. and yeah I got there and I was like, okay, I'm hungry. Let me just eat this real quick. I only stayed a couple hours because you know I'm just like lathering on the sunscreen. But man, something about the just like yeah being outside, outdoors, at the beach, it was so empty. And gosh, it was just the best. yeah I'm jealous. We were having a heat wave for Ohio. And so it's been like 80s, 90s humid. Wow.
00:03:22
Speaker
I would love to be outside, but my dog is a little, you know, silly little boy. And if it's too hot, he's just immediately. It's strange because he wants to fry outside and become a little toast boy. But then he's just like panicking and wants to be inside, but won't move. Right. Whatever. So I've been indoors with the curtains closed. That sounds pretty goth of you, and I love it. um But yeah, so did you have you done anything out outdoors ah for the month of June yet? Or do you have anything planned? For great outdoors month. um I mean, I've been on some walks, some runs, nothing exciting. I need to i need to go out, touch water, grass, eat some carbs on a beach. um it would be It would be great. um I actually have been looking into using
00:04:13
Speaker
wimpy I don't know if you heard this. Yes, I have. And basically, listeners, it is a place where you can rent swimming pools by the hour, really, and their residential swimming pool. So if you don't have one like me, I could look at my community and see who's renting them. Sounds great. But then all these questions like, can I use their bathroom? Do I have to worry about getting water anywhere? Are there cameras? How many cameras? yeah There are definitely cameras. Just kidding. no yes Those are valid, but those are very valid questions. Yes. It's so funny because I i am lucky enough to have a pool and i want I wanted to list our pool, but only for dogs and have it be like dogs can come. Because our dogs are like, they're in the pool all the time.
00:05:00
Speaker
And it's like, yeah, that's the highlight of their life, I think. So why not open it up to other dogs and just let them come over and... That is the best thing I've ever heard. Kind of like a sniff spot, but for dog pools. I love it. Sweet. I'll bring Ben down if you ever list it. And I'll just show up in your yard and they're like, hey, I've got it. you're Done. Dog pool party. I love that. How about to bring it back to chasing waterfalls. Have you ever taken your dogs to a waterfall to just like swim, play around or I mean, you're in Florida, so there's not many to be had where you are right now, I would think. Yeah, there's not. We we don't have too many great waterfalls, unfortunately. But I have taken ghosts when I was traveling, when I was in my van and I was traveling. He's just like, you know, water boy to the max and anybody of water he will go in.
00:05:52
Speaker
And there was actually one waterfall. it's it's It's a small waterfall outside of Austin in Barton Creek Springs. And it's a creek that has like rushing water from the springs. And I used to throw his ball into the waterfall cascade. He would dive in and then like ride the wave all the way down. I have video of it. It was incredible. Oh my God. Well, I need to put it on our Instagram for our chasing waterfalls feature. Honestly, seriously, that sounds like amazing content. um yeah
00:06:24
Speaker
You know, I wish I would, both of my dogs, well, I've had multiple dogs growing up, but Fen and my my dog growing up, Belle, neither of them could swim. They would just walk in, be chest deep, the end. And it's not that I didn't try to help them swim, but I feel like my lack of swimming ability just absorbed into them by ah osmosis, you know? It's like dogs eventually act like their owners, because they pick up their cues and stuff. They knew I couldn't swim, so they're like, nah, not for us. Can't do it. What about with little life jackets? Ghost has a life jacket that he uses just in case. I've never tried. My family has a pond and everything. I should just get a little shark life jacket, throw it on him and chuck him in and see how he does. Oh my gosh. I get a trauma. Dear diary, this is fun. My mom traumatized me today. Whoops. No, I wouldn't do that to him. Poor guy.
Travel Accessories Promotion
00:07:23
Speaker
At Only In Your State, we love travel, but we also love shopping for travel must-haves, you know, the accessories that you just can't live without, like the downright best hiking shoe for any trail or even beach drink koozies that you can bury right in the sand. Find those and more at Amazon dot.com slash shop slash Only In Your State.
00:07:51
Speaker
No, yeah. I do wish in Florida we had more waterfalls.
Waterfalls in Ohio
00:07:55
Speaker
um it's you know We have beaches, not a lot of waterfalls. But what about you? In Ohio, you guys have some good ones? Absolutely. ah so For Ohio and Cuyahoga Valley National Park, there's um Brent, well, I think it's technically in the park, but Brandywine Falls, which is a gorgeous waterfall. I actually saw Mick Jagger wandering around Cuyahoga. I didn't personally see him. I saw that he was wandering around Cuyahoga Valley because the Rolling Stones came to Cleveland last weekend. He got pictures of him by the waterfalls and things like that. they're not
00:08:28
Speaker
Yeah, it was really neat. um and They're not giant falls like some of the ones we're going to be talking about, but they are gorgeous. Brandywine is probably the closest to me and my favorite. We have something near me called Dundee Falls as well. um Yeah, for being in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and then having the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, we do get some falls and Niagara is just a short drive away. so yeah Have you been to Niagara Falls? Well, yeah, well let's kick it off. Do you want to get that? Let's chat about waterfalls. Yeah, let's do it. um Yeah, so okay. Yes. We'll segue into that. um Is that one of your waterfall choices for the episode?
00:09:09
Speaker
It is mainly because, yes, I have been to it and many times I feel like it is a quintessential place for anyone in my area to go to to visit. One, it is it is gigantic. It's a beautiful um what no matter what side you go on. So it's split between the Canadian side and the U.S. side. And no matter what side you go on, it's beautiful. I've been there and did the Maiden of the Mist where you get on the boat. and you go up to the waterfall and you're wearing the poncho, and if you've ever seen the office, that's what they're on whenever they get married. um And then I've also done this like little trail, you can go behind the waterfalls as well. um I did read in my research getting ready for this that there could in the future, probably not our future, but the the falls are eroding, so eventually it might just be level with Lake Erie, which is interesting.
00:09:58
Speaker
I'm not sure about that if we're ever going to see it, but ah that's interesting, which fun fact, all of these waterfalls really i mean are created by erosion. The water has to go somewhere, so usually coming from the snowpack high in the mountains with some of these bigger falls or just lakes and streams, rivers that you're used to, um yeah and then they have to find their way down. you know But yeah, Niagara's great. um there's like There's a to do in the area, really. You know, they have casinos and hotels and things like that. So um yeah, I have been to Niagara Falls. It's on our list of, I don't think it's on our official, like, this is what you have to see list, but it is on our tallest, 19 of the tallest in America.
00:10:43
Speaker
tallest waterfalls that you can see. And it is massive. And if you stand there and read the plaque about the person going over the waterfalls in the barrel, you're like, what? Why? yeah Why? But yeah, it's it's absolutely gorgeous. How about you? What's one of the waterfalls you've been to that you want to chat about? um So I was going to kick it off with Multnomah Falls in Oregon. No surprise. I just saw that you ah you're actually in the article culminating on Niagara Falls. Yeah, I've been to Niagara Falls as a kid. Yeah, I've been ah beenn to Niagara. It's been a long time, honestly, but I went with my ah my mom and my grandparents and my sister.
00:11:25
Speaker
And I had an absolute blast.
Experiencing Niagara Falls
00:11:27
Speaker
It was so much fun. What an experience just to, yeah, to be on just the boat and feel the spray of the falls and learn all about it. And I was fascinated. I had some creepy fascination with people going over the falls and barrels. I had a whole book on it. I don't know why my mom wrote that. Really? Yeah. No, I was so fascinated.
00:11:52
Speaker
Just like, yeah, just that aspect of, I don't know, being in a barrel, you don't know when you're gonna go over the falls, because these are like really tightly packed barrels. Yeah. And not many people survived the fall. First of all, like who in their right mind was like set out to do this? This is it. Anyway, yeah. This is how I'm gonna make my mark. I'm glad that your takeaway was similar to mine of like barrels. Why? Yes. and i wasm just like i can't but First of all, what I also can't believe is that people, I'm assuming there are some sort of laws now that they can't, but why hasn't anybody tried to do this nowadays with technology and probably way safer barrels?
00:12:35
Speaker
you know It's like, why isn't anybody daredeviling this? Because I feel like- We really advanced our technology of barrels. I don't see why. Plus, the rails by the falls are extremely low. You could just jump over. so Yeah. know Just with your own barrel, bring your BYOB. yeah
00:12:58
Speaker
hey um yeah Anyway, sorry to interrupt. I just saw your name pop up in the article. so What is the waterfall you didn't want to talk about? ah Yeah, so in Oregon, Multnomah Falls, it's the tallest waterfall in Oregon. I've been there twice and it is just gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. um You don't have to walk the entire trek up because there are different levels. And then you have also the Benson Bridge, which is this beautiful bridge that you can stand in front of perfect for pictures. um And it's like the first level. And then if you wanted to wind up the pathways and keep going up, you could. But ah this this is really like no crazy hikes required because you park there, you walk up, you know, and that's pretty much it. So it's not
00:13:48
Speaker
like you're going to be on this crazy trek, but it really is just beautiful. A waterfall at over 600 feet, um you know like it's just worth stopping by and seeing. and really just the photo i I took photos of it and didn't do it justice, but you see a lot of people there with professional cameras really like you know trying to capture it. that gets me about waterfalls and a lot of these like natural wonders in general that we feature is that the pictures and videos never really do it justice because you don't feel the spray. You don't hear it. It's roaring. Usually if you're close enough and just the majesty of it is just overwhelming. you You're not going to get that on a camera.
00:14:28
Speaker
um And I do love what you said about the accessibility. A lot of these waterfalls actually are fairly accessible. Like there's parking lots nearby. A lot of them have paved pathways leading to them because they're so spectacular. There's a lot of infrastructure um around them. So that's cool. Yeah. Noma Falls. Yes. Very cool. What about you? What's your next one? So my next one is going to be Yosemite. One, recency bias. I was just there this last year, so I was really you know overwhelmed by it. But it's gorgeous in one of the tallest waterfalls in the United States. um And actually, it is the world's fifth tallest waterfall.
00:15:04
Speaker
um It's broken up into three different parts, the upper falls, the middle cascades and the lower falls. So similar to Multnomah, you have multiple viewing points. And I think the viewing point for the lower falls is like a less than a mile hike. It's mainly a paved pathway and it's extremely close to a parking lot. so And you'll see like all of it, really, whenever you get to um to the lower spot. So I thought it was just a really good option. And that's because I you know had three nephews in tow. That's the one we did. um But it was it was absolutely gorgeous. And just a couple other facts. So the world's tallest is actually Angel Falls in Venezuela. I'm not sure if you've ever seen photos of that, but it is just... mind-blowing. It's so cool. Yep. And then let's see what else I have. I have some like mishmash of trivia that I can share with you later, but for Yosemite, yeah, it's the fifth tallest. And if you want to do some size comparisons for each of the Cascades,
00:16:02
Speaker
I guess we could call it. But the upper fall is 1.4, 1.4, 1400 feet tall. um And it's about the size of the Sears Tower in Chicago. And the lower fall is 320 feet, which is the length of a soccer field. So that's kind of like the the size difference you see with Yosemite. um It's very cool. Yeah, it is absolutely, absolutely beautiful. Yeah, I grew up not really seeing too many like giant, giant waterfalls you know in New Jersey, and New York. There are some beautiful ones. Don't get me wrong. But when you talk about size like that and that type of waterfall,
00:16:42
Speaker
It's pretty, I would say, few and far between, or like just kind of scattered throughout the country where you really have to make a trek to that specific area to really go see it and make it like your stop. I will say one of my favorite places, and it's not in the United States, so I'm sorry about that, um but if you go to Iceland, they have some epic waterfalls. Just Skagafoss is one of the coolest ones because you have this like big open field leading up to it and you can go behind it and it but be warned it is frigid most likely yeah and you're gonna get extremely wet um my cousin had the it was romantic and adorable but she was gonna do her vowels behind it with her partner and we all went there and we were trying to keep it together and it was just it was so cold everyone was freezing they couldn't get through
00:17:34
Speaker
It was adorable, but yes, Iceland has some amazing waterfalls, and I know all around the world, um there are some great places, but that's one of my favorites. Yeah, wet and cold. um um I think I'm out on that. um But and no, I do want to go to Iceland,
Visiting Havasu Falls
00:17:48
Speaker
honestly. i but That would be an experience for sure. um I haven't really seen too many waterfalls outside of the United States off the top of my head beyond just obviously like Niagara Falls and Canada, but and that would be cool to kind of just keep exploring. I'm sure South America has some incredible ones. I mean, you mentioned Venezuela. so Oh, yeah. yeah Interesting. um So yeah, continuing on, I wanted to talk about Havasu Falls in Arizona.
00:18:18
Speaker
yeah Because i I do have mixed feelings about this one. And it used to be on my list because you had you you now have to b ah you have to sign up for like a lottery to basically get a chance to go there. And for the longest time, this was on my list. This Havasu Falls is part of the Havasu Pai Indian Reservation. which translates to people of the blue-green waters, which that's what Havasu Falls is known for, that this blue-green color of the water. It's basically high levels of calcium carbonate in the water. So it's a lot of limestone makes it this like incredible blue-green color. I always wondered, like especially Havasu Falls and like places in the Grand Canyon, things like that, whenever you see this like bright blue water, it's always shocking to me. I'm like, there has to be.
00:19:08
Speaker
Yeah, that's why. There we go. yeah Yeah. And yeah, so yeah, which it makes it very photo worthy. and And so I think that's basically what happened for, you know, the past decade is social media and people want to be going to this waterfall to take photos, to put it on Instagram, TikTok, whatever. The thing is you have to hike 10 miles each way to get there. So that in and of itself, people don't want to do. So my first gripe, which not to be a downer, but people are hiring people to eat with donkeys to carry their packs in and out rather than doing it themselves. Which to me, I always think if you're going to go, if you want to make the commitment to go to a waterfall and it's 10 miles each way, carry your own stuff. So that's just first and foremost. Second.
00:19:59
Speaker
I do have a gripe with people like abusing the area because yeah first and foremost, like the Havasupai tribe has lived there for over 800 years. This is their sacred land. This is their home. you know We come in and they've allowed us the chance to go and explore it and see it. And then certain people, you know ah younger people especially, they come in and make a mess and take too many photos and destroy things and take rocks and do stuff that they're not supposed to do. And it's like ruining such a beautiful, sacred thing.
00:20:35
Speaker
yeah so Yeah. I'm with you there. like Everyone doing it for the gram and ruining this entire opportunity, especially with like the pack animals. like That breaks my heart because the conditions, like a lot of those people are not like really treating those animals properly and they have these saddle sores and it's just terrible. um But yeah, if you're going to do it, commit to it, make the trek, carry your stuff. Right. like ah Yeah, do it yourself. But yeah, so that's just my, because I researched a lot and this, this waterfall is gorgeous. It's beautiful. The area is stunning. But just like when I was researching it, I came across all these things that I feel like should also be mentioned just so people are aware. You know, we know pack it in, pack it out. Like that's a no brainer when you're doing this stuff. Um, and just be really mindful of this because like nature in general, we're trying to keep it around for as long as possible for generations to come.
00:21:29
Speaker
So just, you know, just treat it with a little bit more respect, I would say. Absolutely. Plus, I mean, the, the 10 in and 10 out, like you said, I don't think a lot of these people realize how far that is in the Arizona desert. Yeah. So that you might be signing up for something that could be potentially not up your alley, um, yes or you putting yourself or others in a dangerous position. Like that's, that's not a hike in the park. That is quite a ways, um, yeah. Yeah. But anyway, and rant. Did you have any others on your list? That is a very appropriate and important rant. So no other ones that I've been to personally said, like that is the thing that I took away from researching this episode is like, wow, I've been to two on the main, like not on our chasing waterfalls feature, which means I'm adding things.
00:22:21
Speaker
to my to my list of things I need to go see on our 10 picks of wondrous waterfalls. I haven't been to any. So I have some some exploring to do, but now it's just, ah I need to start getting out and taking road trips across the country to see these waterfalls. um I will say that ah I noticed that Bridal Veil Falls, whenever I was researching about Yosemite, there is a Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite, which is also very, very beautiful. and There's one in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which I was getting very confused by. I'm like, why must I be misremembering something? There couldn't be two very specifically named Bridal Veil Falls, but yeah just like Westchester, there's a billion of them.
Bridal Veil Falls Naming Clarification
00:23:06
Speaker
I was wrong. yeah I've been to that that Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite. Beautiful. it very um Not a crazy cascade. like it's It's a big drop, but very narrow.
00:23:19
Speaker
A little guy. Yeah. Yeah. I went during ah the end of the season. So it was a miracle that most of the waterfalls are flowing. It was just due to the snowpack that they had, I guess. And so I got to see all of them with water, but none of them were like gushing with, you know, with the Cascades were pretty. pretty skinned but still beautiful. I think especially with the Yosemite and maybe some of these other places that we mentioned too just looking at it so like Yellowstone, Yosemite, maybe Multnomah, yeah I got it. yeah um But the ones with the vertical drops because you're like at the bottom of a canyon or there's a mountain nearby those to me are the most just
00:23:59
Speaker
absolutely jaw-dropping. Yes, Niagara is impressive. It's huge. It's a multi-cascade, giant waterfall, and a lot of these other ones that we featured are, but I like the tall guys, not the not the little wide special boys. um Yeah, you know our our short king waterfalls. um but Speaking of which, so I'm just going to end with ah one in Peternales Falls State Park in Texas that I went to because this is a short one. This is small, but it's like a lot of gradual like
00:24:34
Speaker
It's like stairs almost of limestone that goes oh that that creates these cascades, which I thought was really, really neat. It's like, yeah, so what you're saying, like a single dramatic drop that's like, you know, just like down in a pool below, which is really cool. These are not that, um but it is, it is really popular for swimming and photography and stuff. And if there's like a high water flow, makes it really pretty and I visited, it's like you just have these beautiful pockets of like just like limestone formations with some some water and it just kind of like flows down. Really, really pretty. That's a good one. I think I've been to a lot of waterfalls because I was road tripping so much, because I was living on the road and I made like I sought out these waterfalls specifically, especially
00:25:23
Speaker
you know, the ones that you could swim in and that you could jump in. And and like those to me are my favorites because nothing's better after a hike than a waterfall that you are legally able to dive in and just enjoy. I've never gotten to do that. That is that is on my life bucket list. and i out No, know. We have to make this happen. Yeah, but also to your point, a lot of them, you're not allowed, like you shouldn't yeah cross. it One is either dangerous or they're trying to preserve the area or whatever. um If I do this and this is like this year, I make it to a waterfall that's at the end of the hike. I'm going to swim in it. And if I slip on a mossy rock and crack my noggin, I'm just going to be so angry. Yeah, no, yes. To be fair, those are those are slippery. um They are. Yeah, you definitely have to be careful.
00:26:10
Speaker
Yeah.
Humorous Wrap-Up
00:26:11
Speaker
Gosh, that does sound, I'm going to have to do some Googling to see if there's any nearby, maybe you some sort of ones. near me Yeah. Or just road trip a little bit, or you could always, uh, you know, build a barrel and, uh, head over to Niagara. want oh b If I see, if I see it on the news, somebody goes over to barrel, I'm like, you The next podcast episode. I'm like, so I'm not joined by my co-host Sarah. How many two you live from the barrel? Oh my gosh. Okay. You're setting up an expectation for our listeners that, uh, yes.
00:26:58
Speaker
Only In Your State is an award-winning travel publisher that uncovers hidden gems and local favorites across the U.S. We have a presence in all 50 states with a passionate following of fellow travelers looking to get out and explore. Head on over to onlyinyourstate.com to find the best attractions in your backyard and beyond.