Cataract Falls, located within Cataract Falls State Recreation Area in Owen County, Indiana, is home to the state’s largest waterfalls by volume.
Over millions of years, the flow of Mill Creek carved through layers of ancient limestone, creating the Upper and Lower Cataract Falls. The landscape owes its form to the Illinoisan glacial period, when ice sheets reshaped the terrain and buried two pre-glacial bedrock ridges beneath layers of sediment. Mill Creek later exploited these weakened zones, cutting through the rock and forming a series of cascades that now total a combined 75 feet in height—45 feet at the Upper Falls and 30 feet at the Lower Falls.
By the 1700s, the region surrounding the falls was home to Miami, Shawnee, and Potawatomi peoples. The land was later ceded to the United States under the 1809 Ten O’Clock Treaty Line, opening the area to settlement and development. Cataract Falls State Recreation Area was later established to preserve the site’s natural and historical character as part of the larger Lieber State Recreation Area complex. The area also features the Cataract Falls Covered Bridge, built in 1876—the only remaining covered bridge in Owen County and one of just six Smith truss bridges in Indiana.
Visitors can explore the falls and surrounding woodlands via the Ed Dailey Nature Trail, a looped path that connects the Upper and Lower Falls. The trail follows Mill Creek through shaded terrain, offering scenic overlooks, moderate elevation changes, and access to picnic areas near both waterfalls. With its combination of glacial geology, early frontier history, and natural beauty, Cataract Falls remains one of Indiana’s most distinctive and underrated outdoor destinations.
