Roaring River Falls
California · height not recorded · Kings Canyon National Park · Last verified 2026-05-15
Flow at Roaring River Falls is light today (3 cfs) — visit for the geology, not the volume. The park has an active closure alert: "Middle Fork Road Closed During Repairs to Past Storm Damage."
Expect dry conditions today — don't drive out for this one. Flow is at 4.3 cfs (bottom 0% of the last 30 days, vs. 18.6 cfs average). The 7-day NOAA forecast shows no significant rain.
Right now
Streamflow
3.39 cfs
MARBLE FORK KAWEAH R · 1h ago
Overnight
53°F
Clear
Friday
98°F
Sunny
Today's daylight
Sunrise 5:43 AM · Sunset 8:15 PM · 14h 32m
Other park alerts
- Middle Fork Road Closed During Repairs to Past Storm Damage(Park Closure)
- Fire Restrictions in Place(Information)
Snapshot built 6m ago. Sources: USGS · NWS HNX.

Roaring River Falls is a waterfall in Fresno County, California. Height has not been officially recorded. Access details and conditions have not yet been verified in person by Fallspots — the data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
Roaring River Falls sits in Fresno County, California. The falls are inside Kings Canyon National Park, a US National Park. The base sits at roughly 4,904 feet of elevation. Drive time is about 33 minutes from Independence. A trail — Zumwalt Meadow to Roaring River Falls Trail — runs within 50 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 and USGS GNIS.
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 11206820 · 12.5 mi away
MARBLE FORK KAWEAH R AB HORSE C NR LODGEPOLE CA
— Distant gauge — proxy reading, not on the same drainage.
View live discharge data →
30-day streamflow
Below 30-day average↻ Same date last year: 4.7 cfs · 91% of last year — similar
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roaring River Falls (this page) | — | — | — | N | — |
| Mist Falls | 5 mi | 45 ft | moderate · 8.2 mi | N | $35 |
| Grizzly Falls | 7 mi | — | — | Y | Free |
| Lower Gardiner Falls | 9 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Upper Gardiner Falls | 9 mi | — | — | N | — |
| Tokopah Falls | 12 mi | — | — | N | — |
Questions visitors ask about Roaring River Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
Is Roaring River Falls in a national or state park?
Yes — Roaring River Falls is inside Kings Canyon National Park. See the park page for fees, hours, and current conditions.
Can I bring my dog to Roaring River Falls?
No — dogs are not allowed on trails here. Most National Park trails prohibit pets to protect wildlife. Service animals are an exception per ADA.
How far is Roaring River Falls from a major city?
Roaring River Falls is 23 miles from Independence (about 33 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in California
Where it is
36.7815, -118.6219
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Wikidata (Q72919116)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q72919116
GeoNames (5388005)
https://www.geonames.org/5388005/
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 Roaring River 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.