Running out of Fountain Creek in Manitou Springs, Colorado, Rainbow Falls is a lovely little waterfall tucked away beneath a modern highway overpass. However it is better known as "Graffiti Waterfall" thanks to the ever present coat of illegal art that is painted on and around it.
The gorgeous little spot is not well known outside of the local community, but they seem to know it pretty well judging by the ever present graffiti that shows up all over the natural spot. The robust and colorful graffiti that litters the walls of the bridge, has long been an ever-present phenomenon and problem, and the city has repeatedly tried to clean the area up, but to no avail.
Many hikers and waterfall enthusiasts find the graffiti to be off-putting, even avoiding the area because of what they see as a blight to the natural landscape. But considering that the waterfall is hunched under a brutal concrete highway bridge, that seems like a moot point. The vandalism both brings a whole lot of bright color to the site, but it also helps keep it from becoming too crowded.
Although well hidden from the throngs of people that surround Manitou Springs, you will often find photographers of all ages honing there photography skills, families playing in the waterfall, and rebellious teenagers climbing the bridge.