Waterfall Hikes in New York

Waterfall Hikes in New York at a Glance

This page lists 9 waterfall hikes in New York from the Summit Seeker trail database. Summit elevations run from 790 ft (Salmon River Falls) to 2,000 ft (Kaaterskill Falls).

9 of the 9 routes have a distance we can quote from a published source. The shortest is Salmon River Falls at 0.4 mi; the longest is Rainbow Falls (Ausable Club) at 8.5 mi. Elevation gain ranges from about 50 ft (Tinker Falls) to 1,100 ft (Rainbow Falls (Ausable Club)). Together the quoted routes add up to 18.5 miles of hiking. By their own ratings they break down as 1 moderate, 1 hard, 1 easy.

8 of the 9 guides name a specific trailhead or parking area; the others give the summit location and route line only.

Figures are as recorded in each trail's own data and are planning estimates (≈ marks a figure estimated from the mapped track); confirm conditions and route length with the land manager before you go.

Every waterfall hike in New York, with route facts

Trail	Summit	Route	Distance	Gain	Time	Difficulty	Trailhead
Kaaterskill Falls	2,000 ft	—	0.6 mi round trip	—	—	—	Laurel House Road parking area
Rainbow Falls (Ausable Club)	1,980 ft	Lake Road	8.5 mi round trip	1,100 ft	—	Hard	St. Huberts parking area (AMR)
Awosting Falls	1,430 ft	Awosting Falls Carriageway	1.1 mi round trip	—	—	—	Lower Awosting parking lot
Tinker Falls	1,430 ft	—	0.5 mi round trip	50 ft	—	Easy	Tinker Falls Parking Area, Route 91
Eternal Flame Falls	1,180 ft	Eternal Flame Trail	1.12 mi round trip	—	—	—	Eternal Flame Parking Lot
Lucifer Falls	1,030 ft	Gorge Trail	2.2 mi one way	675 ft	—	Moderate	Robert H. Treman State Park lower entrance
Lower Falls (Letchworth)	870 ft	Gorge Trail	3 mi round trip	—	—	—	—
Chittenango Falls	790 ft	Gorge Trail	1.1 mi loop	—	—	—	Chittenango Falls State Park day-use parking lot
Salmon River Falls	790 ft	Salmon River Falls Accessible Trail	0.4 mi round trip	—	—	—	Falls Road Parking

Route notes

Kaaterskill Falls — 0.6 mi round trip from Laurel House Road parking area.
Rainbow Falls (Ausable Club) — 8.5 mi round trip via the Lake Road from St. Huberts parking area (AMR), 1,100 ft of elevation gain, rated Hard.
Awosting Falls — 1.1 mi round trip via the Awosting Falls Carriageway from Lower Awosting parking lot. Parking: The vehicle entry fee is $10 per vehicle..
Tinker Falls — 0.5 mi round trip from Tinker Falls Parking Area, Route 91, 50 ft of elevation gain, rated Easy.
Eternal Flame Falls — 1.12 mi round trip via the Eternal Flame Trail from Eternal Flame Parking Lot.
Lucifer Falls — 2.2 mi one way via the Gorge Trail from Robert H. Treman State Park lower entrance, 675 ft of elevation gain, rated Moderate. Parking: The vehicle fee is $10 per car..
Lower Falls (Letchworth) — 3 mi round trip via the Gorge Trail.
Chittenango Falls — a 1.1-mile loop via the Gorge Trail from Chittenango Falls State Park day-use parking lot. Parking: The daily vehicle fee is $5 per car..
Salmon River Falls — 0.4 mi round trip via the Salmon River Falls Accessible Trail from Falls Road Parking. Parking: There is no fee..

1,430 ft