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LakeQuality

Bluff Springs Waterfall is a spring-fed cascade where water flows out of a marsh and plunges over a fern- and moss-covered bluff in the Sacramento Mountains about 8 miles from Cloudcroft. It is reached by a short trail off Rio Penasco Road in the Lincoln National Forest.

Height
Not measured
Type
Cascade
Access
Short Hike
Trail
Not documented
Elevation gain
Not documented
Best season
Spring snowmelt and after summer rains
Land manager
Lincoln National Forest (USFS)
Watercourse
Rio Penasco headwaters

Before you go

Waterfalls are hazardous by nature — wet rock, cold water, and unstable edges — and flow varies enormously with season and recent rain. Trail figures here describe the route as documented, not conditions today. Check Lincoln National Forest (USFS) for closures and current conditions, and confirm land status before setting out.

Frequently Asked Questions

No measured height is on record for Bluff Springs Waterfall in the land-manager and survey sources this inventory draws on. We list it without a height rather than estimating one.

Access is documented as short hike. No trail distance is on record for Bluff Springs Waterfall. The nearest town is Cloudcroft. Confirm access and land status with Lincoln National Forest (USFS) before setting out — some documented falls have no public route at all.

Spring snowmelt and after summer rains. Waterfall flow swings enormously with snowmelt and recent rain, so a fall that roars in spring can be a trickle by late summer.

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