Rifle Falls

Rifle Falls is advertised as "Colorado's only 80-foot triple waterfall" and it's an impressive sight. Many features of Rifle Falls make it visually impressive. These include the existence of three falls, the length of the three falls, the ability to get up close and even behind the falls, the clear water, the lush green vegetation, and the limestone caverns.

The Colorado Parks & Wildlife page for Rifle Falls states, "Rifle Falls State Park's lush vegetation and waterfalls have attracted photographers and movie crews from around the country who come to capture the area's unique scenery."

It is a ridiculously easy "hike" from the closest parking lot to the falls themselves and some slippery-looking stairs make a relatively easy climb to a terrace on which one can walk to the side of and behind the waterfalls.

We visited Rifle Falls (Colorado) State Park in late March and this seems like one of the best times to visit. The weather is moderate (not the cold of January and February and not the heat of the summer months) and there were no crowds. In fact, we had the triple waterfall all to our selves for most of the time we were there. The parking lot next to falls is very small, but that wasn't an issue with ours being the only vehicle in it when we got there.

The admission price for Rifle Falls State Park is modest ($7 at the time of this writing for a single vehicle).

Although Rifle State Park has things to do other than viewing the falls (camping, hiking, etc.), the falls themselves are obviously the main attraction at this state park.

Rifle Falls can be accessed from the Rifle exit (#90) of Interstate 70. After driving through the City of Rifle on Colorado Highway 13 to a right turn onto Colorado State Highway 325, there is nearly a ten-mile drive on Highway 325 with a relatively low speed limit (about 30 miles per hour much of the way), but with lots to see (Rifle Creek Golf Course, Rifle Gap State Park, and beautiful mountain countryside scenery).