Malham's classic limestone scenery features cliffs, crags, and scars. Malham Cove is a limestone pavement formed after the last ice age by meltwater, largely from Malham Tarn. This carved out the cove as it fell over the edge of the sheer rock face as a waterfall.

The resulting limestone pavement on the surface of the cove is characterised by limestone blocks called clints and fissures called grykes. The grykes are rich in plant life including wood sorrel, wood garlic, and anemone.

The cove lies on the edge of a break in the earth's crust, and has the appearance of a great abyss. The writer Charles Kingsley described it as "that awful cliff" in his classic children's book The Water Babies.

The scenery of Malhamdale has inspired painters such as Turner and Ruskin as well as writers such as William Wordsworth and the contemporary author Bill Bryson.

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