Waterfalls
Adirondack Waterfalls
The Adirondack landscape is carved by countless cascades and plunges, with hundreds of waterfalls offering sights ranging from accessible roadside stops to spectacular, deep-plunging wilderness spectacles. Visitors can choose easy walks on groomed paths and bridges, or they can embark on moderate backcountry hikes to towering features and long-flowing ribbons of rushing water. With waterfalls found near every town, the spring thaw and heavy rains turn these natural formations into roaring, powerful displays that truly capture the wild, untamed beauty of the Adirondacks. See them for yourself.
Regions full of waterfalls
Experience Our Adirondacks
Hamilton County is home to an extraordinary number of waterfalls, from easily accessible roadside cascades to towering backcountry plunges. The flows here offer incredible diversity, ranging from gently tumbling water over stair-like ledges to steep, breathtaking plunges into rocky gorges. To guide your discovery, the region offers a Waterfall Challenge, which encourages visitors to seek out and safely explore many of these unique natural wonders and earn a commemorative patch for their efforts.
Lake Placid
Lake Placid, Keene, and Keene Valley don't just have waterfalls close to town, they also serve as base camps for exploration into Wilderness Areas that host some of the Adirondack Park's best waterfalls. With the popular Split Rock Falls for swimming, and numerous backcountry waterfalls in the High Peaks Wilderness Area like Indian Falls, there's no shortage of cascades to add to an itinerary in this region.
Lake Champlain Region
While many visit for this region's namesake water feature, everyone should know about the many waterfalls that plunge, snake, or cascade their way through here. From arguably the Adirondacks' most well-known waterfall system, Ausable Chasm, to several that sit close to parking areas or town parks, there's a waterfall to watch for everyone in the Lake Champlain Region.
Tupper Lake
Tupper Lake is home to the iconic Bog River Falls, one of the areas favorite swimming areas for well over 100 years. In addition to this treasured location, nearby waterfalls in Cranberry Lake connect to form the Cranberry Lake Waterfall Tour. This journey to the area's best flows is close to Tupper Lake, consists of six waterfalls, and is very family friendly. Check it out below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Springtime! While there's no exact date for when our mountain snow will start melting, it is generally April–June that our waterfalls will be flowing fast. Be careful though, rushing waterfalls are dangerous, and these falls can often be slippery near the viewing areas.
Yes, you can! While many backcountry waterfalls will be difficult to reach, and require experience and the right gear to get to, some roadside waterfalls make for quite the frozen spectacle in the winter. If you do decide to choose a waterfall that requires hiking, use extreme caution, stay away from the edge of the water, and wear microspikes.
While swimming near or underneath waterfalls comes with inherent risks, there's an endless amount of falls that are safe to take a dip at, given you are a confident swimmer. Many are safer than others, so exercise caution while swimming at a waterfall, and do your research before you go. Some common waterfalls to swim at in the Adirondacks are Split Rock Falls in New Russia and Bog River Falls in Tupper Lake!