The best historic waterfalls in Connecticut are Chapman Falls, Great Falls, Wadsworth Falls and 2 more. Falls with a written record: a USGS naming history, a gazetteer description or older recorded names.
See every waterfall on the Connecticut waterfalls page or the Connecticut waterfall map, or browse by town: Moodus, Canaan, Durham, Norwich, Heritage Village.
How we picked: We took the 5 publicly accessible Connecticut waterfalls that have a written record in the USGS Geographic Names Information System (a naming history, a gazetteer description, or older variant names) and ranked them by how much of that record exists, then by Google review volume.
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1. Chapman Falls
Chapman Falls near Moodus takes the top spot, rated 4.7 out of 5 from 118 reviews.
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Older records also call it Chapman's Falls and Foxtown Falls. Visitors rate it 4.7 stars across 118 Google reviews. The nearest town is Moodus, about 5.8 miles to the west. The nearest other named waterfall is Silver Falls, about 8.0 miles to the southeast.
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2. Great Falls
Great Falls, near Canaan, is next up, rated 4.5 out of 5 from 100 reviews.
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Older records also call it Turner's Falls and Fishing Falls. Visitors rate it 4.5 stars across 100 Google reviews. The nearest town is Canaan, about 4.9 miles to the northeast. The nearest other named waterfall is Bear Rock Falls, about 7.7 miles to the northwest.
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3. Wadsworth Falls
Wadsworth Falls, near Durham, is next up, rated 4.7 out of 5 from 86 reviews.
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Older records also call it Middlefield Falls and Little Falls. Visitors rate it 4.7 stars across 86 Google reviews. The nearest town is Durham, about 3.1 miles to the south. The nearest other named waterfall is Westfield Falls, about 3.9 miles to the north.
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4. Yantic Falls
Yantic Falls near Norwich rounds out this stretch of the list, rated 4.6 out of 5 from 122 reviews.
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Older records also call it Unca's Leap. Visitors rate it 4.6 stars across 122 Google reviews. The nearest town is Norwich, about 1.0 miles to the southeast. The nearest other named waterfall is Quinebaug Falls, about 2.9 miles to the northeast.
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5. Roxbury Falls
Head to Roxbury Falls near Heritage Village, rated 3.1 out of 5 from 9 reviews.
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Older records also call it Shepaug Falls. Visitors rate it 3.1 stars across 9 Google reviews. The nearest town is Heritage Village, about 4.4 miles to the southeast. The nearest other named waterfall is Buttermilk Falls, about 18.5 miles to the northeast.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best historic waterfall in Connecticut?
Chapman Falls tops our 2026 list. Older records also call it Chapman's Falls and Foxtown Falls. It is near Moodus in Lower Connecticut River Valley County.
How many historic waterfalls are in Connecticut?
5 of the 11 waterfalls we track in Connecticut qualify. This page ranks the top 5; every waterfall in the state is on the Connecticut waterfalls page.
How was this list made?
We took the 5 publicly accessible Connecticut waterfalls that have a written record in the USGS Geographic Names Information System (a naming history, a gazetteer description, or older variant names) and ranked them by how much of that record exists, then by Google review volume.
Which counties are they in?
The 5 on this list are in Lower Connecticut River Valley County, Northwest Hills County, and Southeastern Connecticut County.
More Connecticut Waterfalls by Type
Or browse every type on the historic waterfalls by state page and the waterfall types hub.