Colorado Springs' in-town canyon falls in North Cheyenne Canon Park, with a visitor center at its base and a short climb to Silver Cascade Falls above.
Mid April through June
Big water window
in a typical year
Snowmelt
What drives it
North Cheyenne Creek
Climatology
Data on this page
North Cheyenne Creek is ungauged
Colorado Springs Parks
Managed by
their rules govern
Trail status, closures and safety rules belong to each falls' managing agency, named and linked on every page.
The season
What fills Helen Hunt Falls, and when
North Cheyenne Creek drains the front of the Rampart Range, so this is a front country snowmelt falls: strongest from mid April through June, modest by late summer, prettiest after any big rain. Our snowmelt label is editorial; the city's page covers the visit. The two-falls stack, Helen Hunt below and Silver Cascade above, doubles the return on a short walk.
Typical best flow: Mid April through June
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What the agency itself says
Visitors can enjoy the view from the base of the falls or take a short walk to the top and admire the view from the bridge across the falls. Those wishing to continue hiking up to Silver Cascade Falls will be rewarded with a breathtaking view of North Cheyenne Cañon.
City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural ServicesWhat a snowmelt year looks like at full send: Palouse Falls in mid April, when the Palouse River is still carrying the melt. The same falls in late August is a ribbon. Timing is most of the visit. “04-15-14-palouse” — Dsdugan — CC0
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Right now
Current flow at Helen Hunt Falls
The other half of the story: the same Palouse Falls in late August. Nothing is wrong; this is what a snowmelt river does every year once the melt is spent. “Palouse Falls 20100829” by Mark Wagner, CC BY-SA 2.5
Getting there
Access, in the agency's words and ours
The city opens the park 5 am to 9 or 10 pm by season, with the visitor center staffed Memorial Day to Labor Day. No buses, RVs or oversized vehicles are allowed on North Cheyenne Canon Road, and the city warns there is no cell service at the falls, so rideshare drop-offs strand people.
A front country falls doing its spring best (Looking Glass Falls, North Carolina). Helen Hunt Falls is the same scale of pleasure: minutes from town, biggest while the snow lasts. “Looking Glass Falls, North Carolina, April 2025” by Bill McMannis, CC BY 2.0
Common questions
Helen Hunt Falls flow season FAQ
The reliable big-water window is Mid April through June. North Cheyenne Creek drains the front of the Rampart Range, so this is a front country snowmelt falls: strongest from mid April through June, modest by late summer, prettiest after any big rain. Our snowmelt label is editorial; the city's page covers the visit. The two-falls stack, Helen Hunt below and Silver Cascade above, doubles the return on a short walk.
North Cheyenne Creek has no USGS gauge near the falls, so the seasonal pattern above is the flow guide for Helen Hunt Falls, and City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services is the source for current conditions on the ground.
By late summer the creek can run thin, and dry years show it. The reliable act is spring: mid April through June, when the snow above the canyon is coming down through it.
City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services. The city opens the park 5 am to 9 or 10 pm by season, with the visitor center staffed Memorial Day to Labor Day. No buses, RVs or oversized vehicles are allowed on North Cheyenne Canon Road, and the city warns there is no cell service at the falls, so rideshare drop-offs strand people. Trail status, closures and safety rules are theirs, and their page is linked on this one; nothing here overrides what they publish.
In their own words: "Please Note: The Helen Hunt Falls area does not have cell phone service. Please plan accordingly, it is not recommended to Uber/Lyft to Helen Hunt Falls, as visitors have no way of recalling their rides." That sentence is City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services's, quoted verbatim, and their page is the place to check before you go.
Yosemite Falls in May, running on snowmelt that will be gone by late summer. The National Park Service tells visitors the falls can be dry by August, which is why every falls page here starts from its watershed. “Tourists below Yosemite Falls (39832011431)” by Mike McBey, CC BY 2.0
Three side by side 60 foot falls pouring over a travertine dam on a limestone creek, with walk-in caves behind them; Colorado's most dependable waterfall.
A turquoise travertine lake suspended in Glenwood Canyon, fed by Bridal Veil Falls and guarded by a year round permit system and a famously steep mile.
Places to stay