10 Best Waterfalls in the Catskills: A Guide to the Region’s Most Stunning Cascades

Bastion Falls

Location: Route 23A, just below Kaaterskill Falls trailhead
Height: ~50 feet
Difficulty: Roadside

If you’ve driven to Kaaterskill Falls, you’ve probably already passed one of the most beautiful small waterfalls in the Catskills. Bastion Falls tumbles beside Route 23A, right at the hairpin turn, so most people blow past it without a second glance.

After a rainstorm, Bastion thunders with surprising volume for its size, sending spray across the rocks. The hemlock-shaded gorge gives it a moody, intimate feeling that’s completely different from its famous neighbor upstream.

Important: The safest way to access Bastion Falls is not from 23A but from the trail that leads down to the road from the base of Kaaterskill Falls. It’s a great way to extend your hike of Kaaterskill Falls.

Halcott Falls

Location: Near Halcott Center
Height: Variable cascades
Difficulty: Easy

This is for hikers who like their waterfalls uncrowded. Hidden just off Route 42 at the base of Halcott Mountain, this lesser-known gem has no formal trail to guide you.

Visit after a good rain for the best flow. In dry conditions, it can dwindle to a trickle. Come prepared for wet footing and the satisfaction of solitude.

Catskill 3500 High Peaks hikers know about these falls, but not most visitors to the area. It’s the kind of place that feels like your own discovery, even though locals have known about it for generations.

Vernooy Falls

Location: Near Kerhonkson
Height: Series of tiered falls, ~20-30 feet
Difficulty: Moderate

A Catskills classic that rewards your patience with understated beauty. The trail to Vernooy Falls follows an old woods road that climbs steadily through mature forest, eventually arriving at a series of wide, tiered falls beside the ruins of an old stone dam.

The water here is never in a hurry. It slides and pools and slides again, moving with the unhurried confidence of something that’s been doing exactly this for millennia.

In summer, the pools above the falls are cool and inviting, perfect for dipping hot feet after the climb. In winter, Vernooy produces some of the region’s most intricate ice formations.

Diamond Notch Falls

Location: Between West Kill and Hunter Mountains
Height: ~20 feet (double falls)
Difficulty: Moderate

Found along one of the Catskills’ most scenic through-hikes, Diamond Notch Falls spills in two stages right beside the trail, making it one of the easiest and most photogenic stops in the high peaks region. The double-falls create a natural amphitheater of stone and spray, and the hemlock grove surrounding it stays cool even on hot summer days.

This is a favorite rest stop for hikers tackling the Devil’s Path or completing the Hunter Loop, but it’s absolutely worth visiting as a destination in itself. The trail through Diamond Notch is beautiful in all seasons, a classic Catskills valley walk with the sound of rushing water never far away.

After heavy rain, the falls swell to impressive volume. In winter, the ice formations here are dramatic and very accessible without technical climbing. Diamond Notch is one of the most iconic and best waterfalls in the Catskills.

Russell Brook Falls

Location: Near Roscoe
Height: ~25 feet (multi-tiered)
Difficulty: Easy

One of the western Catskills’ most photogenic waterfalls, Russell Brook Falls drops in graceful, multi-tiered sheets through a gorge that stays cool and green all summer. The wide, terraced cascades spread across the rock face like a bridal veil, and you can reach them in under ten minutes from the trailhead.

A short side trail leads down to the base for the best views. After spring snowmelt or a good storm, Russell Brook transforms into a roaring whitewater spectacle. In low water, it becomes a more contemplative trickle, but it never loses its charm.

The easy access and reliable beauty make this a perfect family outing or a quick stop on a fly-fishing trip. After all, Roscoe is the “Trout Town USA”.

Artist Falls at Winter Clove

Location: Round Top (Winter Clove Inn property)
Height: 25 feet
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 2-3 minute walk from parking

A charming and accessible waterfall on Winter Clove Brook, Artist Falls offers something most Catskills waterfalls don’t: a historic covered bridge perched right on top of the cascade. The Alfred Clark Covered Bridge frames views both upstream and down into the plunge pool below, creating one of the most photographed scenes in the Catskills.

Years of erosion have carved out a large basin at the base of the falls, and the combination of whitewater, weathered wood, and hemlock forest gives the whole scene a timeless, pastoral quality—the kind of place Hudson River School painters would have set up their easels.

The Winter Clove Inn provides two short trails, both starting from the small parking lot across from the outdoor pool. One path leads up a slight embankment through a stand of large pines to the covered bridge on top of the falls, offering bird’s-eye views of the cascade and basin below. The other route skirts past an 1800s saw mill and descends to the creek level, where you can stand at the base and watch the water pour into the basin.

Access note: While located on inn property, Artist Falls is accessible to the public. If the small lot near the pool is full, there’s additional parking by the bowling alley further up the paved road. In winter, deep snow drifts often make the lower trail to the base impassable, but the covered bridge trail typically remains accessible.

This is an ideal waterfall for families, photographers, or anyone looking for maximum scenery with minimal effort. The covered bridge alone is worth the visit, and the falls provide a perfect foreground for that classic Catskills postcard shot.

Note: non-guests must ask for permission at the front desk to access this private property, see also the hikes to Rips Rock and Manitou Ledge.

Black Chasm Falls

Location: Off the Devil’s Path
Hike Length: 2.2 miles (3.54 km)
Total Ascent: 600ft (183m)
Intensity: Hardest Catskills Hikes

One of the most dramatic falls in the Catskills and, by far, the most difficult to access that I’ve been to.

Although it’s only a short distance from marked trails, getting down to Black Chasm Falls is very tricky and dangerous.

Note: This route is for experienced backcountry hikers only.

Buttermilk Falls (Peekamoose Valley)

Location: Peekamoose Valley, near Denning
Height: ~60 feet cascade
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: Roadside to short walk

Not to be confused with the several other Buttermilk Falls scattered across New York State, this one sits deep in the remote Peekamoose Valley. It’s easy to reach from a small roadside lot on Peekamoose Road and has become a popular swimming spot in summer; the pool below the falls is clear, cold, and deep enough for a proper plunge.

Note: Due to overuse and environmental damage, parking restrictions and reservations are now required during peak season (typically late spring through early fall). Check the DEC website for current regulations before visiting.

In winter, the gorge takes on a shadowy, almost menacing quality. The frozen falls look otherworldly, and the combination of ice, rock, and hemlock creates a scene straight out of a fantasy novel. This is not a winter swimming spot. The cold here is bone-deep and unforgiving.

One of the easiest waterfalls to access but also one of the best waterfalls in the Catskills.

Plattekill Falls

Location: Platte Clove Preserve, near Elka Park
Height: 60-65 feet
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Distance: ~1 mile round trip (0.5 miles each way)

Plattekill Falls is a magnificent 60-foot waterfall located in the Catskill Center’s Platte Clove Preserve at the head of the rugged and scenic Platte Clove. This is one of those picture-perfect waterfalls: a single powerful drop shooting off a cliff opening into a moss-covered, rock-rimmed amphitheater below.

The area was first highlighted by Hudson River School artists like Thomas Cole and Frederick Church, who hiked these rugged mountains and painted iconic scenes from the same views you’ll see on this trail.

The yellow-blazed Waterfall Trail from Platte Clove Road takes you past the historic red cabin (now an artist retreat), through rich forest, and down into the clove. The trail descends steadily through a steep gorge—proper hiking footwear is essential—before ending at creek level right at the base of the falls. Swimming is prohibited at the waterfall, but you can rock-hop along the stream bed and explore the surrounding geology.