TOCCOA FALLS - Georgia

 Toccoa is a Cherokee word for "beautiful".  Located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College campus in north Georgia, the 186-foot high waterfall is one of the tallest free-falling waterfalls east of the Mississippi. In fact, the fall is taller than Niagara Falls.

ACCESSIBILITY: The falls' access is through the Toccoa Falls gift shop.  Open from 8:30am to sundown, the admission is nominal. Ticket prices are $2 for adults, $1 for seniors, and free for children (6 and under) and veterans. The walking path is slightly uphill with small crushed gravel. A golf cart is available to those who need extra assistance to the base of the falls.










TYPE: Plunge: Water descends vertically, losing contact with the bedrock surface. The 186- foot vertical fall plunges into a green pool of water. The creek continues to flow throughout the 1,100 acre campus.









DIRECTIONS: At the entrance of the college, stop at the Security booth. The officer will guide you in the correct direction. Follow the small signs to the gift shop parking lot which has several handicap parking spots.

Willow Falls - Willow River State Park, Wisconsin

DESCRIPTION:  Willow Falls is a 45 foot cascading waterfall located in Willow River State Park northeast of Hudson, Wisconsin.

ACCESSIBILITY:  The falls are reachable by several different trails. The trails are accessible; however, they aren't easily accessible. The  shortest trail is on a 1/4 mile paved walking path; however, it is a steep trail.  The trail we took to the waterfalls was grassy in spots, deep gravel in other spots, then other spots had gouged out muddy areas. My husband and step-son took turns pushing my wheelchair over this terrain.  I could have never successfully mastered the feat alone.  When leaving the falls, we took the third trail.  This trail was about two miles, but, a bit smoother.  It was a dirt path, but well-worn because this path was used more frequently by the many people who visited the fall each day. Even though the trails left little-to-be-desired, the nature was worth the travel.

A sturdy bridge traversed the 100-foot wide waterfall. A parking fee is payable upon entering the park.

TYPE:  Cascading - follows along a series of rock steps

YOSEMITE,NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA

Yosemite is not home to one waterfall or two or three, but many.  Several waterfalls ranging from 300 feet to nearly 2500 feet plummet from gigantic rock formations. Other waterfalls consist of cascading falls ranging from 50 feet to 500 feet.

The falls can be viewed from roadside pull-offs, hiking trails, and wheelchair accessible walkways.  Peak flow for the waterfalls is late spring, usually May and June.  Water flow slows to a trickle by August; however, late fall rains regenerate the waterfalls.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

When my husband and I set out to find and take pictures of wheelchair accessible waterfalls in every U.S. state, we were excited about the challenge.  We gave ourselves no time limit to accomplish our feat; however, we had one mutually agreed upon rule that dictated how long we would stay in any given area.  That rule was to never shiver again.  Needless to say, adhering to this rule presented a new challenge.  The new challenge was to find a waterfall that was actually flowing.  Visiting mid-west and eastern states during months that prevented us from shivering are the same months that are hot enough to dry up streams; hence, little or no water flow for waterfalls.  The natural scenery and picturesque landscapes warrant a second visit in the early spring right after the snow melts.

Sioux Falls in South Dakota had enough water flow in August to "wow" my interest to continue searching for waterfalls dry or trickling. The paved walkways allowed easy access to many different views of the falls. Food and snacks were available for purchasing, and a tower equipped with an elevator took visitors to the top which overlooked the falls and nearby city.