Cataract Falls is located in the Handies Wilderness section of the Gunnison National Forest near Lake City. A series of steep switchbacks and small waterfalls and cascades lead up to an impressive tiered waterfall complex with some of the most beautiful scenery that Colorado has to offer. Here are my thoughts on hiking to Cataract Falls!
The Hike to Cataract Falls starts at the Cataract Gulch Trailhead just outside of Lake City, Colorado. The trailhead is located near some campsites on County Road 30. This whole area is really big for recreation, especially off-roading and ATV's. The Cataract Gulch trail continues on to Cataract lake and deeper into the Gunnison National Forest. This area is also popular to hunters in season. The trail begins by crossing a small bridge over Cottonwood before heading up a series of switchbacks.
After you first make contact with the creek, the trail will begin a series of switchbacks that bring a about 400 feet of elevation gain over a half mile. These alternate between a steep section and a flatter section with the steeper sections being a consistent 15% grade.
After the switchbacks there is about a mile long stretch of steep and rockier terrain. This stretch hits 20% in grade for a lot of the time and the dirt trail changes to rock. It is also gets a bit harder to keep track of the trail as there are several social trails leading to sections of the water. A few more cascades and small falls highlight this steep section of trail before it finally opens up a bit into a meadow.
This might be one of the prettiest spots that I have found in all of my hiking around Colorado! There is something amazingly peaceful with the water running across the bottom, the trees standing up to the cliffs and the mountains in the distance. I sat here and had a snack and just took it all in for a quite a few minutes before heading on to the main falls.
The other nice part of the meadow is that the trail flattens out considerably as you make your way through the open air. It does cross over the little creek and the ground got a bit muddy but otherwise it is a really nice place to hike after the big inclines from earlier. However, there is a bit of an uphill hike to make it to the falls.
After leaving the meadow and making it back into some tree cover, the falls can be heard before seen. As you approach you are on a lower level that slowly reveals a multi-tiered fall system that is stunning. The top layer is more of a flat fall that then cascades down over several rocks that redirect and pool the water and make for a magnificent water feature.
This is a timelapsed version of the hike to give hikers a feel of what it will be like. If you enjoy it, make sure to click that subscribe button. It is free to subscribe and you will get the latest updates of my outdoor adventures. More information of this hike can be found at www.Fatmanlittletrail.com