Waterfalls in New York

Overview of waterfalls in New York

Near Ithaca, Taughannock Falls plunges 215 feet in a state park near Trumansburg. Buttermilk Falls, in Buttermilk Falls State Park just south of Ithaca, cascades beside a park lot. Lucifer Falls drops 115 feet in Enfield Glen, inside Robert H. Treman State Park. Ithaca Falls sits inside the city, about a 2-minute walk from Lake Street. Visit Ithaca says the area has about 150 waterfalls.

Niagara Falls State Park covers the American side of Niagara Falls; it's free to walk in and open 24 hours, though parking costs extra. In the Catskills, Kaaterskill Falls, reached from the DEC lot on Laurel House Road, drops about 260 feet in two tiers on Forest Preserve land. In Erie County, Eternal Flame Falls is a 30-foot cascade in Chestnut Ridge Park with a small natural gas flame in a grotto behind the water.

At the south end of Seneca Lake, Watkins Glen has 19 waterfalls on the Gorge Trail in Watkins Glen State Park. As far as we can tell on Nov 7, 2026, that trail is closed for the season until mid to late May 2027. In Madison County near Cazenovia, Chittenango Falls drops 167 feet in Chittenango Falls State Park. The park is open year-round with restrictions, as far as we can tell on Nov 7, 2026.

Four agencies run the nine New York falls on this site: NY State Parks, the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the City of Ithaca and Erie County. The agency decides whether you pay, where you park and whether you can get in the water. For winter visits, see our frozen waterfalls guide.

Finger Lakes waterfalls: Ithaca and Watkins Glen

Five of the nine New York falls on this site are in the Finger Lakes. Four are in or near Ithaca.

• Taughannock Falls, near Trumansburg: a 215-foot plunge, per Wikipedia. NY State Parks puts the Gorge Trail at about three-quarters of a mile each way, wide and nearly flat.
• Buttermilk Falls, in Buttermilk Falls State Park just south of Ithaca: the main falls are a short walk from the Main Entrance lot. The Gorge Trail and Rim Trail make a loop of about 1.5 miles, per Wikipedia.
• Lucifer Falls, in Robert H. Treman State Park: a 115-foot falls in Enfield Glen, per NY State Parks. It is a short hike from the Upper Entrance on the Gorge Trail.
• Ithaca Falls, in the city: Ithaca Trails puts it about 0.1 mile each way from Lake Street, with a rough final stretch.
• Watkins Glen, in Watkins Glen State Park at the south end of Seneca Lake: NY State Parks counts 19 waterfalls in the gorge. The park's trail map puts the Gorge Trail at 1.5 miles and says Central Cascade plunges more than 60 feet. The Gorge Trail is closed until mid to late May 2027, as far as we can tell on Nov 7, 2026.

Our waterfalls near Ithaca page lists 6 falls within 50 straight-line miles of Ithaca.

Taughannock, Buttermilk, Robert H. Treman and Watkins Glen charge NY State Parks' $10 vehicle fee. Watkins Glen collects it only from mid-May to mid-October. We found no fee for Ithaca Falls.

Western New York: Niagara Falls and Erie County

Two of the falls are in western New York. Niagara Falls State Park covers the American side of Niagara Falls. The official park site says it is always free to walk in, and the park is open 24 hours, year-round.

Eternal Flame Falls is in Chestnut Ridge Park in Orchard Park, run by Erie County. The county's ranger-led route is 1.12 miles round trip with about 200 feet of elevation change. Erie County says the trail is not stroller or wheelchair accessible.

Central New York: Chittenango Falls

One of the falls is in Central New York, in Madison County.

• Chittenango Falls, in Chittenango Falls State Park near Cazenovia: a 167-foot cascade, per NY State Parks. The park describes a loop: view the falls from the top, walk down into the gorge to a footbridge, then climb back up the other side. It publishes no trail length.

The park page lists $5 per car, paid at an automated pay station from 7am to 7pm. Its posted fee dates are still May 23 to Sept 1, 2025. Leashed or crated pets are allowed in day-use areas unless a sign prohibits them.

New York waterfalls without a long hike

Four of the nine falls can be seen with a short walk. At Kaaterskill Falls, DEC lists a 0.3-mile accessible trail to a viewing platform, built of crushed stone at least 5 feet wide with a 10% maximum slope.

At Buttermilk Falls State Park the main falls are a short walk from the Main Entrance lot. Ithaca Falls is about 0.1 mile from Lake Street, but Ithaca Trails says the last stretch is rough and uneven. Niagara Falls State Park has no set trail, just viewpoints such as Prospect Point and Terrapin Point. At Chittenango Falls, NY State Parks says you can view the falls from the top, but it publishes no walking distance.

Tallest waterfalls on this site

Kaaterskill Falls is the tallest of the nine falls on this site, at about 260 feet in two drops, per Wikipedia. NYSDEC's Kaaterskill Falls Critical Environmental Area page calls it the "Highest waterfall in the state." Wikipedia calls it only one of the tallest, so treat the statewide title as disputed.

We found no official height for Buttermilk Falls, in Buttermilk Falls State Park. The park says Buttermilk Creek drops about 600 feet along the Gorge Trail.

Which fee or pass applies where

Five state parks charge a vehicle entry fee: $10 at Taughannock Falls, Buttermilk Falls, Robert H. Treman and Watkins Glen, and $5 at Chittenango Falls. Niagara Falls State Park is free to walk into but charges for parking, and we found no fee at Kaaterskill, Ithaca Falls or Eternal Flame Falls.

NY State Parks charges a $10 vehicle use fee at Taughannock Falls and at Buttermilk Falls State Park in 2026. Taughannock collects it every day from sunup to sundown, with pay stations when no attendant is on duty. Buttermilk collects it from April 1 to November 30, 6am to 6:30pm.

Robert H. Treman State Park, home of Lucifer Falls, charges the same vehicle fee: $10 per car on its fee table as listed Nov 4, 2026. The table gives April 1 to November 30, and the park page says fees are collected from April to mid November.

Watkins Glen State Park charges $10 per vehicle, which includes the pool, on its fee table as read Nov 7, 2026. It collects the fee sunrise to sunset, mid-May to mid-October, and lists no fee for the rest of the year.

Chittenango Falls State Park lists $5 per car and $35 per bus, paid at an automated pay station from 7am to 7pm. The posted dates are still May 23 to Sept 1, 2025, with no 2026 dates as of Nov 7, 2026.

The 2026 Empire Pass covers unlimited day-use vehicle entry to NY State Parks and DEC Forest Preserve areas. The 2026 Empire Pass costs $80, and holders who renewed and kept their card could save $8. New buyers can also get 3-season ($205) or 5-season ($320) passes, or a $750 Lifetime pass.

Kaaterskill Falls is on DEC Forest Preserve land, and DEC lists no entry fee. We found no fee for Ithaca Falls, a City of Ithaca natural area, or for Eternal Flame Falls in Erie County's Chestnut Ridge Park.

Niagara Falls State Park is free to walk into, but parking isn't. As listed on October 27, 2026, Lots 1 and 2 cost $10 a day through March 31, 2027. Lot 3 charges no fee between September 8 and May 21 and is free Tuesday through Thursday year-round. Maid of the Mist, Cave of the Winds and the trolley sell their own tickets.

Swimming rules at New York waterfalls

Most of these falls are not swimming sites. Swimming is not permitted at Ithaca Falls, and Ithaca Trails warns that currents near the falls are deadly. Cornell's gorge safety program says swimming is strictly prohibited in its gorges at all times. At Taughannock, swimming under the falls is prohibited.

Buttermilk Falls State Park is one exception. A lifeguarded pool at the base opens in summer; in 2026 it opened July 3 and was expected to close by mid-August, so the season is over.

Robert H. Treman State Park is another. Swimming there is allowed only in the lifeguarded area at Enfield Falls in the lower park, not at Lucifer Falls. In 2026 that area was open from late June to Labor Day weekend, and the season is over.

At Watkins Glen, the park's trail map bans swimming in or entering the gorge, with a $250 fine per person. The park's pool is listed for June 25 to September 6, 2027. Chittenango Falls State Park lists fishing, hiking and picnicking as activities, but not swimming.

At Kaaterskill, DEC bans entering the water within 150 feet upstream of the top of the falls. We found no swimming area at Niagara Falls State Park. View the falls from the overlooks instead.

New York waterfall closures and conditions (fall 2026)

Eight of the nine falls are open, as far as we can tell; the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail is closed for the season. Six were open as of Oct 2026, Lucifer Falls as of Nov 6, 2026 and Chittenango Falls as of Nov 7, 2026. NY State Parks and DEC list their other sites as open, and Ithaca Trails and Erie County post no alerts. Status notes, as of October 2026 unless dated:

• Lucifer Falls (Robert H. Treman State Park): open, as far as we can tell, as of Nov 6, 2026. The park's trail map says the Gorge Trail generally closes for winter from late November to late May. Call (607) 273-3440 before a late-November visit.
• Watkins Glen (Watkins Glen State Park): the Gorge Trail is closed, as far as we can tell, as of Nov 7, 2026. A park notice says it closed for the season on October 25, 2026 and will re-open in mid to late May 2027. The rim trails are open all year, sunrise to sunset. The park says they give no access to the Gorge Trail or waterfalls from November to May.
• Chittenango Falls: open, as far as we can tell, as of Nov 7, 2026. The park page says "Open year-round, with restrictions" but doesn't list them, so call (315) 423-3744. Wikipedia says the trail to the viewing bridge closes in winter because of ice, while the views from the top stay available.
• Niagara Falls State Park: open 24 hours, year-round. As listed on October 27, 2026, Maid of the Mist was to run until November 8 and the trolley until November 29, 2026.
• Kaaterskill Falls: the Molly Smith lot on Route 23A stays closed, and Route 23A pull-offs in Kaaterskill Clove are no-parking from May through October. DEC says illegally parked cars are ticketed and towed.
• Taughannock Falls: the park is open year-round, dawn to dusk. Call (607) 539-4078 about winter trail status, since the park page doesn't list which trails close. The 2026 beach season ended on Labor Day after repeated algal bloom closures.
• Buttermilk Falls State Park: the Gorge Trail usually closes for winter once ice forms, with no fixed spring reopening date. Ithaca Trails says the Rim Trail stays open year-round.
• Eternal Flame Falls: Erie County closes the trail at times for ice. Erie County closed the trail for ice in December 2025, and the trail was open again by July 2026.
• Ithaca Falls: the slope above the falls has a history of lead contamination from the former Ithaca Gun Company, so stay on the gravel trail.

Planning a New York waterfall trip

Visit Ithaca calls spring the surest time to see the Finger Lakes falls at full power, though snowmelt and spring rain make trails muddy.

For a short walk, Taughannock's Gorge Trail is about three-quarters of a mile each way and nearly flat. At Buttermilk Falls State Park the main falls sit by the Main Entrance lot. At Kaaterskill, the path from Laurel House Road runs 0.3 mile on firm gravel to a viewing platform and was built to be wheelchair accessible.

Eternal Flame Falls takes more effort: about 1.1 miles round trip with roughly 200 feet of elevation change, partly in the creek bed. Wear shoes that can get wet.

Watkins Glen's Gorge Trail climbs long stone staircases, including 180 stairs at Jacob's Ladder. When it is open, you can walk behind Cavern Cascade. Pets are not allowed on the Gorge Trail. At Chittenango Falls, up to two pets, crated or on a leash of 6 feet or less, are allowed in day-use areas unless a sign prohibits them.

DEC says the Kaaterskill lots fill, so have a backup plan. A hiker died there in June 2025 after falling from a rock ledge, so stay on the marked trail.

At Niagara Falls State Park, the new Cataract Stairs climb about 180 feet beside the American Falls on 274 steps, per Governor Hochul's office. If you plan to cross to the Canadian side, the park FAQ says American citizens must show a passport at the border.

New York waterfalls FAQ