Cataract Falls State Recreation Area, Owen County, Indiana

Upper falls after a night of heavy rain. Cataract Falls, where two sets of falls on Mill Creek create a cascade that drops 86 feet, is the largest waterfall in Indiana. The upper falls has a sheer plunge of 20 feet; the lower falls - about a half a mile downstream - has a fall of some 18 feet. There was a primitive bridge across Mill Creek between the upper and lower falls that washed out in the flood of 1875. A 140 ft. Smith Type 3 covered bridge was built at the upper falls in 1876 and was open to traffic until 1988. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources restored the Cataract Bridge in 1995.

Cataract Falls State Recreation Area, Owen County, Indiana

Lower falls after a night of heavy rain. Cataract Falls, where two sets of falls on Mill Creek create a cascade that drops 86 feet, is the largest waterfall in Indiana. The upper falls has a sheer plunge of 20 feet; the lower falls - about a half a mile downstream - has a fall of some 18 feet. There was a primitive bridge across Mill Creek between the upper and lower falls that washed out in the flood of 1875. A 140 ft. Smith Type 3 covered bridge was built at the upper falls in 1876 and was open to traffic until 1988. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources restored the Cataract Bridge in 1995.