"People told me it would be a short book when I told them I was working on one about Utah waterfalls," Wunder said. "I may have been to more than 200 waterfalls in Utah. It depends on what you count as a waterfall."

And therein lies the problem: Just what exactly is a waterfall?

According to The New Oxford American Dictionary, a waterfall is "a cascade of water falling from a height, formed when a river or stream flows over a precipice or steep incline."

The length of the fall apparently sn't an issue for the dictionary writers. But it is for the World Waterfall Database (www.world-waterfalls.com), which lists 950 falls throughout the world. Utah's number of waterfalls drops to exactly one under criteria used by that Web site. To be included on that list, a cascade of falling water must "drop at least 300 feet, or have a large volume and drop at least 32 feet." Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon measures 607 feet and is likely the most recognizable of the state's falls among residents. It's a popular name for waterfalls: The World Waterfall Database lists eight other Bridal Veil Falls, from Canada to New Zealand.

Visitors to Utah are more likely to list the Emerald Pools falls in Zion National Park or Lower Calf Creek Falls near Escalante as Utah's most notable.

Only Wunder, it seems, gives due respect to Utah waterfalls. Even the U.S. Geological Survey appears to slight Utah's water wonders. Only 24 waterfalls appear on the Department of Interior's Web site under the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) - www.geonames.usgs.gov. The USGS created the system to serve as the "official repository of domestic geographic names data; the official vehicle for geographic names used by all departments of the federal government; and the source for applying geographic names to federal electronic and printed products."

The list of Utah waterfalls on the GNIS is based on names that already exist on federal maps and, according to Wunder, at least two of the falls on the list are wrong, including one that is now lost to Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Even the Utah Geological Survey, a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, ignores streams and rivers that flow off ledges.

You can find information about fossils, the Great Salt Lake, earthquakes, groundwater and glaciers (even though none exist in the state), but there is nary a word about waterfalls.

Mark Milligan, a geologist with the UGS, said he is surprised there isn't more information about waterfalls in Utah, but said it probably has to do with the fact that there is no classification system and only a vague definition of what makes a waterfall.

"Basically, you need a cliff or a steep change in elevation in water," Milligan said. "We are the second driest state in the nation, but if you take a good look we have some really wet places in Utah. Our valleys are dry, but we get a lot of release from the mountains."

People ask Wunder about his classification for a waterfall and he tells them "as high as my walking stick." He personally visited every waterfall mentioned in his book. He couldn't find some falls he heard about and suspects that he visited them during low water years.

"I went to some places more than once. On some of them I would find a healthy waterfall with plenty of water one time and have a hard time finding it the next time," Wunder said.

Of course, a waterfall is only a rainstorm away in Utah, particularly in the southern part of the state, where hundreds of falls are created during a major storm.

The most reliable falls are found in northern Utah, where the Wasatch Mountains hold water wonders for those willing to take the time to look.

"Almost every canyon along the Wasatch Front has a waterfall in it somewhere. I look wherever there is a trail and find a lot of them," Wunder said. "People willing to look a little harder than I do will be rewarded."

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* BRETT PRETTYMAN can be contacted at brettp@ sltrib.com or 801-257-8902.

See, hear about Wunder's falls

Dick Wunder, author of 100 Utah Waterfalls, will present a slide show and talk on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Salt Lake REI store, 3285 E. 3300 South, East Millcreek. Copies of his hard-to-find book (Arch Hunter Books, $12.95 ) will be available there.

Top 10 Most Popular Waterfalls in Utah

1. Bridal Veil

2. Lower Calf Creek

3. Stewarts Cascades

4. Doughnut Falls

5. Adams Canyon

6. Waterfall Canyon

7. Hidden Falls

8. Lisa Falls

9. Fremont River Falls

10. Cascade Falls

(Navajo Lake)

Legends of the falls