Best Waterfalls in Inverness & the Highlands
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best waterfalls in Inverness & the Highlands are Corrimony Falls, Culligran Falls, Falls of Truim, Falls of Roy, Pattack Falls, Falls of Orrin, Invermoriston Falls and White Falls.
The Highlands around Inverness hold waterfalls to match their scale, scattered through glens, forests and roadless hill country. Close to Loch Ness, the River Moriston tumbles over broad rock steps under a Telford bridge at Invermoriston, and the Enrick drops in a wooded reserve at Corrimony in Glen Urquhart.
Others lie off the main road north: the Truim falls by the A9 near Newtonmore, the Pattack runs through mossy pine forest near Loch Laggan, and the Orrin leaps through a salmon gorge near Muir of Ord. Deeper in, the Farrar falls in gated Glen Strathfarrar at Culligran, the Roy drops high in its glen of ancient shorelines, and burns run white across the trackless Monadhliath as the aptly named White Falls.
Some are easy stops a few minutes from a car park; others need a long walk into remote country. From Loch Ness to the empty hills, here are eight waterfalls to seek out.
Corrimony Falls
Photo: valenta via Geograph.org.uk
Corrimony Falls is a waterfall on the River Enrick near Corrimony in Glen Urquhart, west of Loch Ness. It is reached on foot rather than from the road, by a walk of a few miles that starts at the Corrimony chambered cairn and follows tracks through the RSPB reserve.
The reserve is known for upland birds such as black grouse and Scottish crossbill. An upper viewpoint looks over the fall, with a steep scramble down to the river below.
Culligran Falls
Photo: valenta via Geograph.org.uk
Culligran Falls is a waterfall on the River Farrar in Glen Strathfarrar, near Struy in the Highlands. The glen is a nature reserve reached by a gated private road, so it stays quiet and little visited.
A hydro scheme on the river regulates the flow that comes over the falls. It is an out-of-the-way fall in a wooded Highland glen, best combined with a trip into one of the finest of the northern glens.
Falls of Truim
Photo: Peter Bond via Geograph.org.uk
The Falls of Truim are a waterfall on the River Truim near Crubenmore, south of Newtonmore in the Highlands, just off the A9. A car park by the road leads to a path running high above the river, with steps down to the water and a stand of pines on the crags above.
The fall is seen best from the far bank. It is an easy, quiet stop off the main road north.
Falls of Roy
Photo: Karl and Ali via Geograph.org.uk
The Falls of Roy are a waterfall high in Glen Roy, in the hills near Roybridge in Lochaber. The River Roy drops over rock in the upper glen, modest in low water and forceful in spate.
Glen Roy itself is best known for its Parallel Roads, the shorelines of long-vanished ice-age lakes marked along the hillsides. It is an obscure, little-documented fall in remote country.
Pattack Falls
Photo: Jim Barton via Geograph.org.uk
Pattack Falls is a woodland waterfall on the River Pattack near Loch Laggan, reached from a small free car park off the A86 between Spean Bridge and Newtonmore. A short, easy path of a few minutes leads through dense, mossy pine forest to a rocky viewpoint over the falls, where the river drops through a small gorge in a run of cascades.
It makes an easy stop or picnic, with sturdy footwear helping on the rougher ground. A separate set of upper falls lies well away upriver over rough country.
Falls of Orrin
Photo: Gordon Brown via Geograph.org.uk
The Falls of Orrin are a series of waterfalls dropping some fifteen metres through a gorge on the River Orrin, on the Fairburn estate near Muir of Ord in the Highlands. The river is a salmon river, and the falls act as a leap where fish climb upstream, helped by an old fish ladder built for a Victorian hydro scheme.
Ruined and revived hydro structures still stand around the gorge. A circular walk on the estate leads to the falls, in quiet country away from the main routes.
Invermoriston Falls
Photo: Bill Henderson via Geograph.org.uk
Invermoriston Falls is a run of waterfalls where the River Moriston tumbles over broad steps of rock in the village of Invermoriston, just before reaching Loch Ness. An old stone bridge built by Thomas Telford crosses right above the falls, now left to walkers beside the newer road bridge.
A small stone summer house on the bank was built as a viewpoint for watching salmon leap the falls. A short walk from the road leads to the falls, a popular stop on the way down the loch.
White Falls
Photo: John Ferguson via Geograph.org.uk
White Falls is the name for white-water falls on a hill burn high in the Monadhliath, in remote, roadless country about ten miles south of Fort Augustus and southeast of Loch Oich. Small burns tumble white over rock and peat across this open moorland, on the high ground between Glen Buck and the head of Glen Tarff, far from any road or path.
It is trackless hill country reached only on foot, with the better-known waterfalls of the area down in Glen Tarff toward Fort Augustus.
FAQs
What is the easiest waterfall to reach in the Highlands near Inverness?
The Falls of Truim, just off the A9 near Newtonmore, and Pattack Falls, off the A86 near Loch Laggan, are the easiest Highland falls to reach, both short walks from roadside car parks. Invermoriston Falls, in the village on Loch Ness, is also only a short stroll from the road, with its old Telford bridge above the water.
Which waterfalls near Inverness are the most remote?
White Falls, high in the roadless Monadhliath south of Fort Augustus, is the most remote of the Highland falls, trackless hill country reached only on foot. The Falls of Roy high in Glen Roy and the Falls of Orrin on the Fairburn estate near Muir of Ord are also quiet, out-of-the-way spots well away from the main routes.
Where can you see salmon leaping at waterfalls near Inverness?
The Falls of Orrin near Muir of Ord act as a leap for salmon climbing upstream, helped by an old fish ladder, so it is one of the best places near Inverness to see them. At Invermoriston, a stone summer house was built as a viewpoint for watching salmon jump the falls.
Conclusion
The Highlands near Inverness offer waterfalls to suit every kind of visit. By Loch Ness, Invermoriston pours under its old Telford bridge and Corrimony hides in a bird reserve up Glen Urquhart.
Off the road north, the Truim and the Pattack reward a short stroll, while the Orrin leaps through its salmon gorge near Muir of Ord. For those who go further, the Farrar falls in gated Glen Strathfarrar, the Roy drops in its glen of ancient shorelines, and the White Falls run untrodden across the roadless Monadhliath.
Some are minutes from the car; others are a long walk into empty hills, and all run best when the rivers are high. These are the waterfalls to seek out across Inverness and the Highlands.
