The falls are the bedrock of Sioux Falls, and where this city got its name. The park is made up of over 128 acres and is located just north of downtown, along the Big Sioux River. An average of 7,400 gallons of water drop 100 feet over the falls each second.

This water feature was created about 14,000 years ago, by the movement of a glacial ice sheet that helped shape the flow of the Big Sioux River. The movement of the water exposed the Sioux quartzite bedrock, the hard red-pink stone of the falls.