By David Lukas

Although waterfalls are easily ranked in terms of their superlatives — the highest, the widest, the most water — their true power lies in something else that is unnamable and that captures each person in a different way. Even the smallest waterfalls captivate us with their lacy beauty, or their wondrous passage down a sculptured rock face. We seek them out, we marvel at their energy and power, and we return to visit them again and again. Here are five waterfalls that are not America's tallest or largest, but which still impact mightily on visitors.

McWay Falls, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur Coast.
© Greg Gawlowski Lonely Planet Images.

McWay Falls, Julie Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Calif.

Here's a rare treat! A waterfall that plummets over an 80-foot-high granite ledge directly onto the beach in a stunning little cove tucked between towering cliffs. Situated below spectacular 3,000-foot high ridges along California's Big Sur coast, it makes sense that this is probably California's most scenic waterfall. Check it out at sunset to see it in the most dramatic light possible.

Gorman Falls, Colorado Bend State Park, Texas

Folks don't mind the 4-mile round-trip hike to 60-foot tall Gorman Falls because it pours onto maidenhair ferns in a lush oasis of plants and rare travertine formations. This unusual mineral has created a series of miniature curving dams that hold pools of clear water below the falls. Travertine and the park's natural environment are fragile resources, so special care is required when visiting this beautiful place.

Ruby Falls, one of two caverns at Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga
© Richard Cummins. Lonely Planet Images.

Abrams Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tenn.

Although relatively small in scale, the 20-foot high Abrams Falls are considered the most photogenic of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's many waterfalls. Gathering strength as it descends through the park, Abrams Creek becomes a boisterous cascade by the time it pours over its namesake waterfall into the sculpted bowl at its base. During periods of high water flow it can be an impressive sight. Plan on a five-mile round-trip hike to reach the waterfall.

Ruby Falls, Chattanooga, Tenn.

This underground waterfall deep within Lookout Mountain, just outside Chattanooga, is an unexpected treasure. Visitors on guided tours take a glass-fronted elevator into an underground cavern, then it's less than a one-mile walk to the remarkable 145-foot Ruby Falls. As you approach the falls, the tour guide will first have you listen to the thundering roar of the falls in pitch darkness, then flip on the lights to magically illuminate the waterfall in its full splendor. The cave's colorful and fantastically sculpted limestone formations are as enchanting as the waterfall itself.

Nicknamed the "Grand Canyon of the East," the 600-foot-deep gorge at Letchworth State Park not only contains New York's highest waterfall but is also considered one of the great natural features of the East Coast. Here the Genesee River roars over three major waterfalls, creatively named "Upper, Middle and Lower," with the largest one falling 107 feet. One of the best parts of visiting Letchworth State Park are the wide range of year-round activities for the whole family: from guided walks on the park's 66 miles of trails, to hot-air ballooning, horse-drawn sleigh rides and performing arts programs.

Bio: David Lukas is a professional naturalist who lives in the Sierra Nevada. He has explored many waterfalls from Oregon's Columbia Gorge to the famous falls of Yosemite National Park.

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