Rifle Falls State Park is located just outside of Rifle, Colorado. The wow-factor of this state park is undoubtedly the waterfall. Rifle Creek cascades over the cliff into three separate falls making this beautiful feature. There are trails leading to and around the falls, as well as one other at the opposite end of the park. Rifle Falls State Park is perfect for a quick visit or you could extend your time to explore the region as well. We were staying overnight in Rifle to beat the prices of hotels in Glenwood Springs and get a little closer to our final destination of Moab, Utah. We didn’t actually have any intention of stopping here, but a roadside sign for the park caught my attention and I’m so very glad that we made this bonus road trip stop.
Quick Info About Rifle Falls State Park
HOURS OF OPERATION: Park hours are 6am – 10pm. Anglers and campers, however, have 24-hour access to the park.
ENTRANCE FEES: For an individual going in on foot or bike the daily entrance fee is $4. For a vehicle, the daily rate is $9. Matt and I agree that it was well-worth the $9 fee, and we weren’t even able to do most of the trails.
CAMPING OPTIONS: There are 20 campsites here. 13 are drive-in which include electricity and the others are walk-in, basic campsites. Site rates are based on season.
HIKING OPPORTUNITIES: There are 3 different hiking trails here, all of which are very short, totaling in 4 hiking miles within the entire state park.
Getting to Rifle Falls State Park
When road tripping across Colorado, it’s pretty easy to get here, especially from I70. From I70, within Rifle, CO, take exit 90 to Colorado 13. Then, turn right on to Whitewater Road. Almost 2 miles down, you’ll turn right onto CO13N/Railroad Ave. Just under 2 miles down this road, you’ll turn right onto CO-325 N. This will lead you straight to the state park, 10 miles down the road. Rifle Falls State Park will be on the right. Of course, your navigation will easily take you there and there are loads of those brown signs leading you here as well!
Our Experience in Rifle Falls State Park
Something I need to note before describing our trip here is that we happened to drive through Colorado through a decent May snow storm. It caught us totally off guard. We hadn’t packed any winter clothing for us or for Charleigh. We did, luckily, have a fleece lap blanket that we could totally wrap her up in, in addition to her warmest clothes. But, that said, because it was right at 32 degrees out, we didn’t really feel comfortable being out there for an extended period of time. So, we did part of a two different trails and we still managed to see a good amount of the area in about 40 minutes.
The road leading to Rifle Falls State Park is really beautiful. It’s a really scenic rural area and you even pass by another state park along the way: Rifle Gap State Park. We didn’t stop there to hike there, but it looked very scenic.
The fees are to be paid at a self-pay station in an envelope. I believe there may be someone there during peak hours because there is a small station box, but the fees are very clearly laid out and easy to pay, especially if you have some cash on you. Also, at this self-pay station is some great signage and brochures about the park to help you make the most of your visit.
To get to the waterfall trails, continue as far back as you can drive and park there. This is the area that has the waterfall and surrounding trails. The trail almost immediately take you to the stunning triple-falls. We headed up the trail to the left of the falls first, which takes you up to a bench that sits just beside the falls. You can look over and down at them and on warm days feeling the mist here would be so perfect! We wandered back a bit further but we knew we were super short on time to keep Little Miss warm. So, we went back down to the base of the falls to try to take the trail a bit to the right of the falls.
We had seen a fenced-in overlook at the top right of the falls and we were hoping to find it really quickly. This trail leads around and through these limestone caves that have been carved into the cliffs. They’re really interesting and I bet they’d be a lot of fun to explore. Bring a flashlight if you’re here for that! We got up to the top near the fish hatchery, but it was time for us to head back. Next time we’re there, I definitely want to see the top of the falls.
Even though we really only had about an hour to spend in Rifle Falls State Park, it really did add something extra special to our road trip and I’m so glad that we were able to make this stop. I think it would be a beautiful addition to anyone traveling through Colorado.
Where to Stay Near Here
If you’re using this as an addition to a stopover like we did, Rifle, CO is a great place to stay with access to I70, plenty of places to eat and places to stay!
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