10 Best Historic Waterfalls in New York 2026

The USGS gazetteer describes it as: 20 ft. high; along Otter Creek in Otter Creek State Forest, in the Town of Greig, 2.3 mi. NNE of Greig. Name history: Named for the road which leads to the falls. Older records also call it First Rapid and Bridge Rapid. The nearest town is Lowville, about 8.9 miles to the northwest. The nearest other named waterfall is Singing Waters Falls, about 3.7 miles to the south.

The USGS gazetteer describes it as: 18 ft. high; in the Village of Evans Mill on Pleasant Creek, 2.6 mi. SW of Westwood Corners. Name history: Named for Pleasant Creek, on which the falls are located. Older records also call it The Falls and The Falls at Evans Mills. The nearest town is Fort Drum, about 3.0 miles to the southeast. The nearest other named waterfall is Childs Falls, about 6.0 miles to the northeast.

The USGS gazetteer describes it as: 25 ft. high; in the French Creek Wildlife Management Area, in the Town of Clayton, on an unnamed tributary of French Creek 1.9 mi. ENE of Saint Lawrence. Name history: Named for the Sperry family, early settlers and owners of a mill in the area. Older records also call it French Creek Falls and Putnam Falls. The nearest town is Clayton, about 4.4 miles to the northeast. The nearest other named waterfall is Catfish Falls, about 4.4 miles to the southeast.

The USGS gazetteer describes it as: 35 ft. high; on private land in the Town of Watertown, along an unnamed stream at the head of Rutland Hollow. Name history: The name refers to the butternut trees (Juglans cinerea) that grow around the falls. Older records also call it Rutland Hollow Falls. The nearest town is Watertown, about 2.5 miles to the west. The nearest other named waterfall is Burrville Cider Mill Falls, about 2.3 miles to the south.

The USGS gazetteer describes it as: 15 ft. high; on private land in the Town of Philadelphia on Black Creek, 1.5 mi. N of Strickland Corners. Name history: Named for Cadwallader Child (1776-1857), who surveyed the area and settled nearby, and the Child family who lived near the falls until the 1940s. Older records also call it Child Falls. The nearest town is Philadelphia, about 1.3 miles to the north. The nearest other named waterfall is Pleasant Creek Falls, about 6.0 miles to the southwest.

The USGS gazetteer describes it as: 12 ft. high; in the Town of Fowler on the West Branch Oswegatchie River, 0.2 mi. S of Fullerville. Name history: Named in association with the nearby unincorporated community of Fullerville. Older records also call it Twin Falls. The nearest town is Gouverneur, about 7.7 miles to the northwest. The nearest other named waterfall is Hazleton Falls, about 0.6 miles to the south.

The USGS gazetteer describes it as: 12 ft. high; in the Town of Russell along the Grass River 1.1 mi. SE of Pyrites. Name history: Named for the Hart family who settled nearby in the 1800s. Older records also call it Hart’s Falls. The nearest town is Canton, about 6.4 miles to the north. The nearest other named waterfall is Jacksons Falls, about 0.5 miles to the south.

The USGS gazetteer describes it as: Southernmost of three large waterfalls on the Genesee River in the City of Rochester, New York. The city cites the height as 96 feet. Name history: """High Falls"" is the name that has been applied to this waterfall since the early 1990s, when the city government advanced that name at a time of redevelopment in that part of Rochester. ""High Falls' is in common use by the public, and the name has been applied to other features such as a public park, businesses and others. The cataract had previously been known as Upper Falls, and had been given other names before that, but none are ever used today." Older records also call it Upper Falls. It is right in Rochester. The nearest other named waterfall is Middle Falls, about 1.3 miles to the northwest.

The USGS gazetteer describes it as: 10 ft. high; along Otter Creek, in Independence River Wild Forest and Adirondack Park in the Town of Greig, 2.6 mi. NE of Brantingham. Name history: Named for a shingle mill that operated at the falls in the 1800s. Older records also call it Shingle Mills Falls. The nearest town is Lowville, about 12 miles to the west. The nearest other named waterfall is Eatonville Falls, about 3.9 miles to the west.

The USGS gazetteer describes it as: Located along South Gully, 1 km (0.6 mi) S of its confluence with Sandburg Creek, 1.6 km (1 mi) S of Ellenville and 0.6 km (0.4 mi) SE of Nevele Country Club. Name history: "Reportedly named for the word ""eleven"" spelled backwards." Visitors rate it 4.0 stars across 23 Google reviews. The nearest town is Ellenville, about 1.6 miles to the north. The nearest other named waterfall is Verkeerder Kill Falls, about 3.5 miles to the east.