Waterfall hikes are some of the most photographed and most family-friendly trails in any state — the destination delivers a clear visual reward, and many are short enough to do before lunch. We pulled every Alaska trail in our database whose name explicitly references falls, cascade, chute, or plunge, then ranked them by accessibility so the easiest and shortest waterfall hikes surface first. The result is ten hikes that pay off without punishing the people you're hiking with.
Alaska is the most physically extreme hiking environment in the US — glacier-carved fjords, active volcanoes, vast tundra, and the highest peaks on the continent. Summer (mid-June through August) is the only practical season for most routes; even then, snowfields linger above 3,000 feet. Waterfalls run hardest in spring snowmelt and after sustained rain — the same windows when trail surfaces are slipperiest.
Our rankings here are data-driven — pulled from the 5,784 mapped entries OutsideAtlas tracks in Alaska — but the data has limits worth being honest about. We identify waterfall hikes by scanning trail names for terms like "falls," "cascade," "chute," and "plunge." That misses unnamed seasonal cascades and trails whose primary feature is a waterfall not mentioned in the route name. Treat the list as a confident sample, not a complete catalog.
The Ranking
Ranked from #1 to #10. Click through any entry for the full trail page — map, elevation profile, weather forecast, and direct OpenStreetMap source link.
#1. AJ Falls spur trail
AJ Falls spur trail near Juneau in Juneau County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #1 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the AJ Falls spur trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#2. Bear Mountain Waterfall Trail
Bear Mountain Waterfall Trail near Sitka in Sitka County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #2 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Bear Mountain Waterfall Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#3. Beaver Falls Spur A Trail
Beaver Falls Spur A Trail near Point Baker in Prince of Wales-Hyder County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #3 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Beaver Falls Spur A Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#4. Beaver Falls Spur B Trail
Beaver Falls Spur B Trail near Point Baker in Prince of Wales-Hyder County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #4 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. Compared to similar trails in Alaska, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Beaver Falls Spur B Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#5. Beaver Falls Trail
Beaver Falls Trail near Point Baker in Prince of Wales-Hyder County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #5 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Beaver Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#6. Bridal Veil Falls Trail
Bridal Veil Falls Trail near Valdez in Valdez-Cordova County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #6 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Bridal Veil Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#7. Bridal Veil Falls Trail
Bridal Veil Falls Trail near Valdez in Valdez-Cordova County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #7 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Bridal Veil Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#8. Brooks Falls Trail
Brooks Falls Trail near King Salmon in Lake and Peninsula County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #8 slot for accessibility. Expect wood surface on a forgiving grade. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Brooks Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#9. Brooks Falls Trail
Brooks Falls Trail near King Salmon in Lake and Peninsula County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #9 slot for accessibility. Expect wood surface on a forgiving grade. Compared to similar trails in Alaska, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Brooks Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#10. Brooks Falls Trail
Brooks Falls Trail near King Salmon in Lake and Peninsula County leads to a named waterfall and earns the #10 slot for accessibility. Tagged easy in OpenStreetMap. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. Time the visit to spring snowmelt or the days after a storm for the most volume; wear shoes with real grip — wet rock near falls is no joke. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Brooks Falls Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.Planning your Alaska trip
A few pieces of context are worth keeping in mind specifically for Alaska. Summer (mid-June through August) is the only practical season for most routes; even then, snowfields linger above 3,000 feet. Bears (both grizzly and black), unbridged stream crossings, and rapidly changing weather are baseline hazards on any non-trivial route.
Always cross-reference the official land-manager page before driving out — closures, fire restrictions, and seasonal road access can change quickly. Our trail pages link directly back to the OpenStreetMap source so you can see the tags we're working from.
If you're new to hiking generally, our beginner's guide covers footwear, layering, and the day-pack basics. For safety planning on bigger objectives, the ten essentials guide is worth twenty minutes of reading.
More Alaska hiking guides
If you found this useful, the rest of our Alaska coverage continues below.
- Top 10 longest trails in Alaska — Multi-day routes and through-hikes ranked by distance.
- Steepest trails in Alaska — Hikes with the most elevation gain in the state.
- Best beginner hikes in Alaska — Easy, well-marked trails for first-time hikers.
- Most challenging hikes in Alaska — Expert-rated routes for experienced hikers only.
- Best national parks in Alaska — Federal parks and recreation areas ranked.
- Best dog-friendly hikes in Alaska — Where leashed dogs are explicitly welcome.
- Best family hikes in Alaska — Short, easy trails sized for kids and grandparents.
Rankings like this are starting points, not verdicts. Trail conditions change, new routes get tagged, and what was the toughest trail in Alaska last year might not be next year. We refresh these articles when the underlying data shifts meaningfully.
Got a correction, a route we missed, or a question? Drop us a note via the contact page. We read every email and we'd rather hear it from you than miss it.
