A side valley that ends abruptly overlooking a much larger and deeper U-shaped valley. Many hanging valleys have waterfalls issuing from them.

Bridalveil Falls in Yosemite National Park, California

This picture of Yosemite Valley, California, shows a U-shaped valley with a hanging valley on the right hand side. A waterfall (Bridalveil Falls) plunges out of a hanging valley.

Hanging valleys are the result of a glacier in the main valley being able to cut down faster than the much smaller glaciers in the side valleys. Once the ice disappears, the side valleys are left hanging far above the main valley floor.