Rainbow Falls, Waterfall in Cascade County, Montana

Rainbow Falls is a waterfall on the Missouri River in Great Falls, Montana, 47 feet (14 m) high and 1,320 feet (402 m) wide, where the river spills over a sheer ledge of sandstone of the Kootenai Formation. Its left side is more heavily eroded than the right and sits slightly farther upstream. Below lies a long, narrow plunge pool and a series of gravel bars, with arid hills rising above the canyon on both banks.

Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition recorded the falls in 1805, describing a cascade about fifty feet high pitching over a shelving rock in one even sheet across the river. Lewis first called it "Beautiful Cascade" and later "Handsome Falls"; in 1872 railroad engineer Thomas Paschall Roberts gave it the name Rainbow Falls.

Meriwether Lewis named the falls "Beautiful Cascade" and later "Handsome Falls"; Thomas Paschall Roberts, a railroad engineer, gave it the name Rainbow Falls in 1872, after the rainbows once seen in its spray. The falls appear on the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The overlook on the cascade is reachable via Giant Springs Road and has parking and viewing areas for visitors. From here you can easily access nearby walking trails in the surrounding area.

Rainbow Falls was named for the rainbows that often appeared in its spray before the dams were built. Meriwether Lewis first called it "Beautiful Cascade" and later "Handsome Falls"; the present name was given in 1872 by Thomas Paschall Roberts, a railroad engineer.