grand falls

Did I miss something? I followed the directions on the map and was told by a local that the place I was going to was not the falls but a dead end. They then told me which way to go and I found the parking lot to park at next to Shoal Creek. We had a good time but I did not see "falls" like the pictures showed. I found two bridges and a small fall with no dam. Nice place but very confusing.

My husband is actually from this area but this was our first time to see the falls. I was impressed. The are very beautiful and we can't wait to come back in the summer.

The natural waterfall is cool to look just be carful when walking around especially with your children a lot of meth heads hang out here and there are hypodermic needles laying around quite often keep your eyes open for them

I've lived here all my life. While the falls haven't really changed, the area around them has. It has gone to a gem located out in the middle of nowhere, to an also here, in what has become a run down neighborhood. It used to be that you would drive outside of town and feel like you made a discovery. Not it's a little disappointing. I miss going there for 3 - 4 hours at a time, 100's of people swimming, fishing, eating and doing some other things that are only legal in a few states. I always hope for a revival of this area. And yes we used to be able to walk across. I even rode my bike across a few times as a kid.

rocky so wear tennies, serene feel and the falls are not roaring so you can talk. Use to be able to walk across but now forbidden.

The travel brochures and the local hotel really sold this place as a great attraction. When we arrived, we were disappointed by the "falls" which consisted of about 15 feet of what appear to be natural falls below a dam. The rock formations around the lower portion were interesting. Definitely not worth more than about a 10 minute detour of your day.

We loved this place! Two adults and 19, 16, 10 yo daughters. We forgot our swim suites, but wish we'd have had them. The youngest climbed down under some near by falls anyway, great pictures. This is a very rocky area, wear good shoes with grips. If you love nature and love seeing real waterfalls, this is the place to come. You can stand in the water above the falls, people were swimming out to sit on rocks directly under the main falls…people were fishing and walking further down the river…if we lived here we would come here often. Clean and beautiful. Love the sound of that roaring water.

Great place to visit on a nice day and just take in the water falls. Granted, this is no Niagra Falls but hey you're in MO! I would have to agree with other reviews that you shouldn't visit after dark. This is where I came to drink when we were teenagers too! But a beautiful area to explore and get some fresh air.

Spent a few hours here with my kids, aged 8, 7, and 4. There is parking access in a small lot and along the road. You need to hike down rocks to get to the water access. I would definitely recommend tennis shoes...I had flip flops on and had a little trouble. There are several sandy spots for small children to play and wade into the shallow water. My kids enjoyed digging in the sand and finding tiny shells. There were some older kids walking along the waterfall and jumping in, which looked pretty scary! Just a note...my 7 year old is a pretty strong swimmer and had a little trouble in the current, so be careful! A great, free experience!

The view is very pretty - it is a favorite for the locals. The falls themselves are on the smallish side but still very lovely. Although the police have tried to curb it, beware of going to the falls after dark as it is often an area for people to go drink and use drugs. It is not uncommon to see broken glass and even the occasional syringe. These are easily avoided during daytime. Also, it is best to remember that the falls are downstream from several production plants - although the EPA attempts to keep pollution down, there are often alerts for the water. Enter at your own risk.

Don't go out of you way to see the falls. It is rather ordinary. There is a nice park on the way that would make a nice picnic spot.

What a beautiful place outside of Joplin, MO! Who knew that this would be so scenic! We went to just "look" at the waterfalls. There were quite a few people there, some were swimming, some were jumping off the waterfalls (scared me to death), and some were just hanging out. The path from the road down to the falls is very rocky. Make sure you wear good water/walking shoes (not flip flops like I did). There isn't a whole lot of parking, it's more of a "make one yourself" kind of atmosphere. If there were fewer people it'd probably be pretty relaxing, or a nice place to have a picnic lunch. I'm sure it depends on the time of year that you go. This really is a hidden gem in the Southwest Missouri vicinity and it's beautiful.

Trip Advisor map did not get us there from Joplin, Missouri. Go to I-44 exit 4 , go north, take first street on right past Love's, at stop sign, go left. Drive 1 mile & it is on left. It was really pretty & people were swimming. Has kind of a beach part. People were saying rocks in water so would wear aqua socks. I will take child niece & go back for a day of playing in water. Really pretty views also. Loved it!!

Not too far off Interstate 44 - We arrived here in the early evening - we thoroughly enjoyed the the sound of the waterfalls - a great place to bring friends and family for picnics - it is worth the walk over the paths and rocks to get close to the falls - a nice respite here in Joplin -

My family and I were pleasantly surprised to find out that there was a water fall in Joplin. The bonus was that is wasn't very far. Make sure that if your going in the summer to bring your swim suits! The kids were a little miffed when they saw kiddos swimming and jumping... Yes jumping off the water fall. It was not over crowed which was nice. The parking is not the best but when it's Free I won't complain! Defiantly worth the drive!