State guide

Waterfalls in New Jersey

7 waterfalls across 5 counties, ranked 39th nationally. The main waterfall regions are Watchung Ridges and Northern Piedmont and Kittatinny Ridge and Delaware Valley.

Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System, with visitor ratings from Google Maps listings.

Photo of Great Falls in Passaic County, New Jersey
Pictured: Great Falls, NJ

Towns

Where New Jersey's Waterfalls Are

New Jersey packs several distinct geologic provinces into a small state, and its waterfalls follow the rock. The southern half is Coastal Plain, flat and sandy, with no falls at all. North of a line running roughly from Trenton toward Perth Amboy, older and harder rock rises to the surface, and that is where all 7 of the named waterfalls in our directory are found, a total that ranks the state 39th nationally. The most famous of them sits in the middle of a city: the Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson.

The Great Falls exists because of the Watchung Mountains, long ridges of hard basalt that formed from lava flows around 200 million years ago in a rift basin that also produced the Palisades. Where the Passaic River crosses the first of these basalt ridges, it plunges into a narrow chasm, a setting that powered Paterson's mills and made the city an early industrial center. Farther northwest, the Highlands and the Kittatinny Ridge are built from ancient gneiss and folded sedimentary rock, and streams falling off these ridges toward the Delaware River form ravine cascades in Sussex and Warren counties. Morris and Essex counties add smaller falls in wooded reservations.

New Jersey Waterfall Regions

Watchung Ridges and Northern Piedmont

4 waterfalls · Passaic County, Essex County, and Morris County

This is urban and suburban waterfall country. The Great Falls of the Passaic, listed here as both Great Falls and Passaic Falls, roars through a basalt gorge in Paterson, viewed from an overlook and a footbridge within a national historical park that also preserves the city's industrial history. In Essex County, the wooded South Mountain area around Short Hills holds small cascades along stream ravines, including Maple Falls. Pottersville Falls, on the Lamington River where Hunterdon, Morris and Somerset counties meet, is a small drop in a historic village setting. These falls are easy to reach and make good short outings from New York and northern New Jersey.

Start with: Great Falls, Passaic Falls, Maple Falls, Pottersville Falls

Kittatinny Ridge and Delaware Valley

3 waterfalls · Sussex County and Warren County

In the state's rural northwest corner, the Kittatinny Ridge and the valleys of the Delaware River offer a wilder setting. Tillman Falls in Sussex County lies within Tillman Ravine, a shaded gorge in Stokes State Forest where a brook drops through hemlocks and slate. Warren County adds Bass Lake Falls and Foul Rift Falls, the latter on the Delaware River near Belvidere, where a band of resistant rock creates rapids. Nearby Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area extends along the river, and the region as a whole has a quieter, more forested character than the rest of the state.

Start with: Tillman Falls, Bass Lake Falls, Foul Rift Falls

All 7 Waterfalls in New Jersey

Ordered by Google rating and review volume, then by documented USGS history.

  1. Great Falls

    Paterson, NJ · Passaic County
    4.5 (254 reviews)

    Great Falls is a waterfall in Passaic County, New Jersey, about 0.5 miles west of Paterson.

    Rating
    4.5 (254 Google reviews)
    Address
    Paterson, NJ
    Nearest town
    Paterson, NJ (0.5 mi)
    View details Directions

  2. Passaic Falls

    Paterson, NJ · Passaic County
    4.3 (178 reviews)

    Passaic Falls is a waterfall in Passaic County, New Jersey, about 0.5 miles west of Paterson. It appears on the USGS Paterson topographic map.

    Rating
    4.3 (178 Google reviews)
    Address
    Paterson, NJ 07522
    Nearest town
    Paterson, NJ (0.5 mi)
    USGS topo
    Paterson quad
    View details Directions

  3. Maple Falls

    Short Hills, NJ · Essex County
    4.0 (25 reviews)

    Maple Falls is a waterfall in Essex County, New Jersey, about 1.5 miles southeast of Short Hills. It appears on the USGS Roselle topographic map.

    Rating
    4.0 (25 Google reviews)
    Address
    Millburn, NJ 07041
    Nearest town
    Short Hills, NJ (1.5 mi)
    USGS topo
    Roselle quad
    View details Directions

  4. Pottersville Falls

    Gladstone, NJ · Morris County
    5.0 (3 reviews)

    Pottersville Falls is a waterfall in Morris County, New Jersey, about 3.2 miles west of Gladstone. USGS notes: Located on the Lamington River, at the angle of junction of Hunterdon, Morris, and Somerset Counties.

    Rating
    5.0 (3 Google reviews)
    Address
    Chester Township, NJ 07930
    Nearest town
    Gladstone, NJ (3.2 mi)
    USGS topo
    Gladstone quad
    View details Directions

  5. Tillman Falls

    Crandon Lakes, NJ · Sussex County
    3.6 (16 reviews)

    Tillman Falls is a waterfall in Sussex County, New Jersey, about 2.5 miles northwest of Crandon Lakes. It appears on the USGS Culvers Gap topographic map.

    Rating
    3.6 (16 Google reviews)
    Address
    Walpack Township, NJ 07851
    Nearest town
    Crandon Lakes, NJ (2.5 mi)
    USGS topo
    Culvers Gap quad
    View details Directions

  6. Bass Lake Falls

    Hardwick, NJ · Warren County
    3.0 (4 reviews)

    Bass Lake Falls is a waterfall in Warren County, New Jersey, about 2.4 miles southwest of Hardwick. It appears on the USGS Flatbrookville topographic map.

    Rating
    3.0 (4 Google reviews)
    Address
    Hardwick Township, NJ 07825
    Nearest town
    Hardwick, NJ (2.4 mi)
    USGS topo
    Flatbrookville quad
    View details Directions

  7. Foul Rift Falls

    Belvidere, NJ · Warren County
    3.0 (4 reviews)

    Foul Rift Falls is a waterfall in Warren County, New Jersey, about 1.6 miles southwest of Belvidere. It appears on the USGS Belvidere topographic map.

    Rating
    3.0 (4 Google reviews)
    Address
    White, NJ 07823
    Nearest town
    Belvidere, NJ (1.6 mi)
    USGS topo
    Belvidere quad
    View details Directions

Highest Rated in New Jersey

  1. Great Falls 4.5 from 254 reviews · Paterson
  2. Passaic Falls 4.3 from 178 reviews · Paterson
  3. Maple Falls 4.0 from 25 reviews · Short Hills

Waterfalls with at least 25 Google reviews.

New Jersey Waterfalls by the Compass

The farthest-apart named falls in New Jersey are about 48 miles apart.

Names and History

3 waterfalls have alternate historical names on record, such as Passaic Falls (also Falls of Passaic) and Pottersville Falls (also Lamington Falls).

Best Time to See Waterfalls in New Jersey

Northern New Jersey's falls run strongest in spring, typically March through May, when snowmelt and steady rain fill streams in the Highlands and the Kittatinny. The Great Falls is on a large river and flows year-round, but it is most dramatic after heavy rain or snowmelt, and during dry late summers its flow can drop sharply. Summer thunderstorms bring brief surges, while August and September are often low-water months for small ravine streams. Fall foliage in the northwest usually peaks in mid to late October, making autumn a pleasant if lower-flow season. Winter can produce ice along the basalt gorge and in shaded ravines, though footing becomes treacherous.

Planning a Waterfall Trip in New Jersey

Land managers vary widely for such a small state. The Great Falls is within Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, run by the National Park Service in an urban setting with street parking and city amenities nearby. Essex County's falls are in county park reservations, while Sussex and Warren county falls fall under state forests and parks such as Stokes State Forest, along with the federally managed Delaware Water Gap area. Some sites are small and have limited parking that fills on fall weekends. Hazards include slick shale and basalt, steep ravine walls, and fast water on the Delaware River. Ticks are abundant in the northwest from spring through fall. At the Great Falls, stay behind the fences along the gorge rim.

More: waterfall safety · packing list

Find Waterfalls Near a New Jersey Town

Waterfalls by County

CountyWaterfallsShareMost visited
Passaic229%Great Falls
Warren229%Bass Lake Falls
Essex114%Maple Falls
Morris114%Pottersville Falls
Sussex114%Tillman Falls

All New Jersey Waterfalls A to Z

New Jersey Waterfalls: FAQs

How many waterfalls are in New Jersey?

Our directory lists 7 waterfalls in New Jersey (6 officially named in the USGS Geographic Names Information System and 1 added from Google Maps listings), 39th among the 50 jurisdictions in our directory and 0.3% of the national total. 71% of them are in just three counties: Passaic, Warren, and Essex.

What is the most visited waterfall in New Jersey?

By Google review count, Great Falls in Passaic County leads with 254 reviews and a 4.5 rating. Passaic Falls is next.

Why is there a large waterfall in the middle of Paterson?

The Passaic River crosses a ridge of hard basalt, part of the Watchung Mountains, and drops into a narrow gorge it has cut through the rock. Paterson was founded around the falls to use their water power for mills.

Does southern New Jersey have any waterfalls?

Essentially none. The southern half of the state is flat Coastal Plain sand and gravel, so all of the falls in our directory are in the northern counties.

Which New Jersey town has the most waterfalls nearby?

Crandon Lakes has 31 named waterfalls within 30 miles, the most of any town in our New Jersey directory.