Waterfall Hikes in NJ

The NJ Hiking website has some nice information if you like - as I do - hiking to a waterfall. Though waterfalls look best in the spring or after heavy rain, trails can be muddy then, so decide if you want the best view or dry boots and socks. (Winter frozen waterfalls and water is also pretty cool.) Some falls are an easy walk from a parking area and others are real ikes on trails. Their waterfall hikes collection is at njhiking.com/tag/waterfall/.

Here are just 4 examples.

Buttermilk Falls is a very short climb from a parking area up the stairs around the falls, but you can continue on the blue trail at the top, but it is steep right from the start and more than a stroll in the woods. Alternatives: Buttermilk Falls trail to an unmarked woods road to Hemlock Pond and return; roughly 5 miles. 

Ramapo Valley Falls is a short, easy hike to get to this waterfall but you can also do a longer loop hike in this popular park in Bergen County. Ramapo Valley County Reservation to Hawk Rock and Cactus Ledge viewpoints, continuing to Bear Swamp Lake, and ending with a pretty waterfall is 7.4 miles on a rocky trail surface, hills, and multiple stream crossings on rocks or logs. You can also do a short 1.4 miles yellow trail to the waterfall and back the same way.

Hemlock Falls was my childhood hike destination in Essex County and we hiked to it and biked to it from every direction. It is the tallest waterfall in South Mountain Reservation and can be reached via a short easy hike, or take in the view from historic Washington Rock on a longer hike to the falls.

Chikahoki Falls can be found in Norvin Green State Forest. This route takes in Chikahoki Falls, Otter Hole, and an awesome viewpoint at Wyanokie High Point with 360° views of the area, including NYC on a clear day. It is 7.7 miles on a rugged, rocky, path with a few decent elevation changes. There is an extensive trail system so it’s easy to create other shorter or longer loops. Ringwood, Passaic County, NJ.