Cascade waterfalls

Water tumbles down a series of rock steps rather than falling free.

A cascade descends a slope of rock in many small steps and runs rather than a few big drops. Cascades are usually gentler, easier to walk beside, and often the best places to swim — the energy of the water is spread out over the whole slope.

How to recognise one

Look for white water spilling down a staircase of rock, with no single dominant drop.

For the geology behind the shapes, read how waterfalls form.