Rainbow Falls, Natural waterfall in Manitou Springs, Colorado, US

Rainbow Falls is a waterfall in Manitou Springs, Colorado, where water drops along Fountain Creek into a narrow rocky canyon. The falls sit directly beneath the Highway 24 Bridge, which frames the view from above.

Rainbow Falls drops along Fountain Creek beneath the bridge carrying Manitou Avenue to Highway 24. El Paso County Parks closed the falls in 2013 for improvements, and they have since reopened with a concrete walkway that snakes along the river. The trailhead sits on a 180-degree bend of Serpentine Drive, about half a mile off Highway 24, opposite the entrance to the Cave of the Winds.

The canyon walls around the falls are covered in graffiti left by visitors over the years, giving the spot a raw, informal character that surprises many first-time visitors. Some locals now call it Graffiti Falls rather than its official name.

The falls are reached by a short trail from the parking area near Cave of the Winds, just outside Manitou Springs. The path is open year-round, but drier months make the rocks around the pool easier to walk on safely.

Locals often call it Graffiti Falls, a nickname that has largely displaced the official name in everyday use. The falls drop beneath the bridge carrying Manitou Avenue traffic to Highway 24, so the plunge pool sits directly under the roadway rather than in open country.