Frequently Asked Questions

The Basic Account is now FREE

With a free account, you have access to all waterfall information on my website except for location information.

What is included in a Paid Subscription?

Please consider helping to support this website. It takes a lot of time, money, and effort to maintain this website and provide you with all this information. I have over 1700 confirmed waterfalls in my California database and have visited over 900 waterfalls. This is FAR MORE than you will find from any other source, on-line or in print. I am continually adding to this list and finding brand new waterfalls that no one has ever before documented. With a paid account, you will receive waterfall location information, GPS co-ordinates, directions, and downloadable GPX/KML routes, and maps. The fee is only $20/year.

If you would like to see the list of all the waterfalls included in the basic subscription, you can do so from my regional maps pages:
All of USA and Canada
California only
Oregon only
Hawaii only

Google/Facebook logins

You can now use Google or Facebook to login to my website. I only store your public information in my database and it is entirely encrypted. (email, name, picture profile link). I do not use any other information from Google or Facebook. If you have a legacy waterfallswest login and paid account and with to now use Google/Facebook login, your accounts will automatically be synced but ONLY if your email is the same. You must first update your email on the waterfallswest account page before logging into Google/FB. If you miss this step then please send me email and I will sync your account manually. Also note that Facebook allows you to remove email access to my website. If you do this, you will not be able to login because email is required for waterfallswest.

How do I create a new account?

To create a new account, go to the Create Account page, and enter all fields on the form. You will need to enter a userid, password, your email, and your complete name. After creating your account, you can pay for your subscription with secure Paypal by selecting the subscription option on the same page.

How do I renew my subscription?

You can renew your subscription by going to the Renew Account page, select the desired option and use secure Paypal to complete your transaction.

How do I log in to my account?

On the Login page, you enter your userid and password to login to your account. You can stay logged in permanently by the selecting the "stay logged in" option. Otherwise, you are automatically logged out when your browser is closed. If you have forgotten your userid or password, then click the appropriate link on this page. Cookies must be enabled on your computer.

How do I update information on my account?

On the Account Update page, you can change your userid, password, email, and your name. You must be first logged in, in order to see this page.

Can I get a refund once I have paid for a subscription?

No. All subscription payments are final.

Why shouldn't I just buy one of the existing CA Waterfall Books?

Well, certainly some of those books may have excellent value, but they only include waterfalls that are easy to drive or hike to. They are not complete listings, and in certain cases, they contain much erroneous information as some of the authors have not even visited the waterfalls they write about. My website includes a ton more information, and many more waterfalls than are listed in those books. If you purchase my Paid subscription, you will receive a listing of practically ALL waterfalls in California, not just a few (as are listed in those books).

Can I obtain an electronic copy of the waterfall database in Access, Excel or some other format?

Yes, for an additional cost.

How can I help?

I will reward my viewers for helping me locate new waterfalls that I may not have listed in my database. I want my CA database to be completely complete. So here is how you can earn yourself a free subscription to my site.

1. First, you must purchase a Paid subscription for 1 year.
2. Check the database for your new waterfall to see if I have it listed already. If not, then tell me about it.
3. It must be a California waterfall only.
4. It must be on a "named" stream (on USGS Topo maps).
5. It must be at least 20 ft. high.
6. It must not be man-made.
7. It must have significant flow seasonally. Meaning, in either the winter or spring months, it must have significant flow throughout the season. In other words, if it flows only after very heavy rain for 2 days out of the year, then that should not be considered.
8. In general, multiple falls on the same stream will be considered one single waterfall, unless they are separated by a distance of more than 0.5 miles.
9. You must be able to provide me with precise co-ordinates. Preferably, latitude/longitude co-ordinates. If you don't know that, then you must provide explicit detailed directions and location. I must be able to pinpoint the exact co-ordinates of the waterfall to include it in my database.
10. You must be able to provide a photo of the waterfall. A link to another person's photo of the waterfall on the internet will suffice, as long as it is clearly indicated that it is the same waterfall.

If you tell me about enough new waterfalls that I decide to include on my website (10 or more), then I will reward you with a free lifetime subscription to my website.

What is my privacy policy?

I will never ever share your email or personal information with any other party. Your personal information is stored encrypted in my database. I do not store any of your financial credit card information. I do not even know any of your financial information as your payments are sent through Paypal via a secure transaction, and I do not see that.