A waterfall is one of the few destinations that reliably justifies the walk, and one of the easiest to get wrong. The photograph you saw was almost certainly taken in a different month.
When they actually run
This is the whole thing. Waterfalls are seasonal and the variation is dramatic.
Spring melt is the peak for anything fed by snow — the highest volume and the most drama, and also the highest water levels on the approach.
After rain is the other reliable window. A fall that is a trickle in a dry spell can be transformed a day after heavy rain.
Late summer is when most disappoint. Plenty of celebrated waterfalls are essentially dry by August.
Check a recent photograph or a local report before committing to a long walk. A river gauge, where one exists, tells you more than any forecast.
What makes the trip good
Going early. Popular falls have a viewing area that holds a handful of people comfortably and a car park that holds far more. First light solves it entirely.
Overcast weather. Counter-intuitive, but bright sun blows out the water and puts the gorge in hard shadow. A grey day is the better day.
Walking beyond the first viewpoint. Where a trail continues, the upper or lower falls are usually emptier and often better.
The cautions
Wet rock beside moving water is the most dangerous surface most walkers encounter, and waterfall accidents are depressingly common.
Stay off wet rock at the lip. Do not cross above a fall. Watch for water levels rising if it has been raining upstream — a benign crossing can become impassable in an hour.
And take the barriers seriously. They exist where people have been hurt.
Practical
Footwear with grip, and expect to get wet — spray reaches further than it looks.
A dry bag for anything electronic.
Check whether the trail requires a permit or a timed entry; many popular waterfall trails now do.
And allow more time than the distance suggests. Waterfall trails are usually steep, frequently wet underfoot, and always slower on the way back up.
