Rainbow Falls
South Carolina · 138-foot drop · Caesars Head State Park · Last verified 2026-05-15
Flow at Rainbow Falls is light today (20 cfs) — visit for the geology, not the volume.
Right now
Streamflow
19.5 cfs
MIDDLE SALUDA RIVER NEAR · 1h ago
Overnight
64°F
Mostly Clear
Friday
83°F
Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Today's daylight
Sunrise 6:23 AM · Sunset 8:47 PM · 14h 23m
Snapshot built 6m ago. Sources: USGS · NWS GSP.
No verified photo yet
Rainbow Falls is a waterfall in South Carolina. It drops roughly 138 feet. Access details and conditions have not yet been verified in person by Fallspots — the data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Rainbow Falls is in South Carolina. The falls are inside Caesars Head State Park. The base sits at roughly 2,886 feet of elevation. Drive time is about 4 minutes from Caesars Head. A trail — Rainbow Falls Trail — runs within 90 meters of the marked location. No public parking is recorded within 2 km, so a longer approach is likely. It draws modest visitor attention — busier weekends, quiet weekdays. Source records come from OpenStreetMap.
Entry is free. Dogs on leash are welcome on the access trail.
Is the water flowing right now?
Most waterfall sites don't tell you this. The waterfall itself is almost never gauged, but a USGS streamgage in the same watershed can tell you whether snowmelt has started, peaked, or run dry.
USGS gage 02162350 · 3 mi away
MIDDLE SALUDA RIVER NEAR CLEVELAND, SC
View live discharge data →
30-day streamflow
Below 30-day average↻ Same date last year: 32.1 cfs · 63% of last year — significantly drier
Compare to nearby falls
If this one isn't the right fit, here's how it stacks up against the closest documented falls. Every column is filterable on the site — not buried in 13,000 reviews.
| Waterfall | Distance | Height | Trail | Dogs | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow Falls (this page) | — | 138 ft | — | Y | Free |
| Shower Bath Falls | 0 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Jones Gap Falls | 1 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Ben's Sluice | 1 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Powerline Falls | 1 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Hospital Rock Falls | 1 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
Related waterfalls
Similar height (~138 ft)
- Arethusa Falls138 ft
- Twin Falls138 ft
- Pratt's Falls137 ft
- Panther Creek Falls136 ft
- Florence Falls141 ft
Questions visitors ask about Rainbow Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
How tall is Rainbow Falls?
Rainbow Falls is 138 feet (42 m) tall. Height is sourced from OSM.
Is Rainbow Falls in a national or state park?
Yes — Rainbow Falls is inside Caesars Head State Park. We inferred this from OpenStreetMap protected-area polygons; if you find we got the boundary wrong, please report it. See the park page for fees, hours, and current conditions.
Can I bring my dog to Rainbow Falls?
Yes — dogs are allowed (Caesars Head State Park permits leashed dogs in most areas). Inferred from park type; check the official site for trail-specific restrictions. Always leash and pack out waste.
Is there a fee to visit Rainbow Falls?
No entrance fee. Caesars Head State Park is free to access. Some trailheads may charge a parking fee separately.
How far is Rainbow Falls from a major city?
Rainbow Falls is 3 miles from Caesars Head (about 4 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in South Carolina
Where it is
35.1337, -82.5881
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
Been there?
Marina and Theo verify pages one road trip at a time. If you've been to Rainbow Falls recently, your local knowledge improves the page for everyone. Pick the kind of contribution that fits — every email lands in our inbox and gets read (and credited when we publish).
Add a tip
Something we should know — best time, parking trick, that hidden viewpoint.
Share a photo
Have a CC-licensed image on Wikimedia or Flickr? Send the link.
Report a fix
Wrong height, closed trail, broken link — tell us what we got wrong.
We don't collect your email. Replies go directly to hello@fallspots.com.