Updated July 2026
Cascade Falls (Matthiessen State Park)
Cascade Falls is a seasonal 45-foot waterfall in the Dells area of Matthiessen State Park near Oglesby, Illinois, separating the upper and lower dells. Fed by small intermittent streams cutting the St. Peter sandstone, it is scenic in spring but often a trickle by midsummer. The Dells Canyon and Bluff loop passes it.
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 Illinois Department of Natural Resources for closures and current conditions, and confirm land status before setting out.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Cascade Falls (Matthiessen State Park) drops about 45 feet. That makes it the 450th-tallest documented waterfall in this inventory, taller than roughly 34% of the falls listed here. Height comes from published land-manager and survey records, not from our own measurement.
The Dells Canyon and Bluff Trail reaches it about 2.2 miles (loop) with roughly 229 feet of elevation gain, rated moderate. The nearest town is Oglesby. That describes the route as documented, not conditions on the day — check with Illinois Department of Natural Resources for closures and current conditions.
Spring. Waterfall flow swings enormously with snowmelt and recent rain, so a fall that roars in spring can be a trickle by late summer.
More Illinois waterfalls
- Burden Falls · 100 ft
- Ferne Clyffe Falls (Big Rocky Hollow) · 100 ft
- Ferne Clyffe Falls · 100 ft
- French Canyon Falls · 45 ft
- Jackson Falls
- LaSalle Canyon Falls · 25 ft
- Ottawa Canyon Falls · 45 ft
- St. Louis Canyon Falls · 40 ft
Sources
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