Discover scenic waterfalls in New York State 

Straddling the New York/Canada border, Niagara Falls has long been the go-to destination for honeymooners, thrill-seekers, and tourists who wish to gaze in awe at what is often regarded as "one of the seven natural wonders of the Northeast."

At a seven-hour drive from Long Island, however, Niagara isn't the only scenic waterfall within driving distance, as many lesser-known falls are reaching their peak flow this spring.

"In the Finger Lakes area there are over 1,500 waterfalls," said Josh Teeter, New York State Parks Environmental Educator based in Taughannock Falls State Park in upstate Trumansburg.

Niagara, of course, remains the icon for falls fans. You can see it at Niagara Falls State Park in Niagara Falls, New York, on a Maid of the Mist boat ride or a Cave of the Winds hike to the base of the falls. Alternatively, you can cross the border to view it from the Table Rock Centre and its restaurant overlooking the Canadian side of the falls, which are illuminated nightly with colorful LED technology and fireworks.

To visit Canada, a valid United States Passport or an Enhanced Driver’s License must be presented at the border, according to niagarafallsusa.com. 

Waterfalls offer "a tranquil, quiet space where you can listen to nature and forget about the hustle and bustle of everyday life," said Lauri Ross Erenstoft, 67, who hiked Onondaga Falls near Syracuse while growing up in Levittown. A self-described "longtime lover of waterfalls," Erenstoft said she still frequents waterfalls in her current hometown of Atlanta.

Here are destinations where the added attractions include swimming under or walking behind waterfalls, ranging from smaller wonders to drops taller than Niagara (176 feet in tallest sections), as well as picnicking, camping and dining with a waterfall view.

Tioronda Falls and Fishkill Overlook Falls/Beacon Falls 

• Driving distance from LI  About two hours
• Cost Free

Looking for an easy day trip combining sightseeing with waterfall view dining? Beacon, a small Hudson River city, is home to scenic waterfalls near its Main Street dining and cultural scene, according to local tourism officials.

"Beacon’s waterfalls offer a unique charm that enhances the city's rich blend of history, nature and culture," Melaine Rottkamp, president and CEO of Dutchess Tourism, said in an emailed statement.

Tioronda Falls tumbles over a rock riverbed on Beacon’s Fishkill Creek, which runs through Madam Brett Park (South Avenue, Beacon), named for Catheryna Rombout Brett, a pioneering businessperson who helped shape the region’s early development, according to Rottkamp. Fishkill Overlook Falls, also known as Beacon Falls and also on Fishkill Creek, features an L-shaped, 8-foot drop dam that is lit up at night and, downstream, a rocky, 25-foot natural cascade.

"At The Roundhouse [restaurant and hotel], a stylishly repurposed 19th-century textile mill, you can take in views of Fishkill Overlook Falls, which glows beautifully when lit in the evening," Rottkamp said. (2 E. Main St., Beacon, 845-765-8369, roundhousebeacon.com)

Dia Beacon, a museum featuring art from the 1960s to the present, offers tours and live performances. (3 Beekman St., Beacon, 845-440-0100, diaart.org; $20, $5 ages 5-11)

More info dutchesstourism.com

Awosting Falls, Minnewaska State Park Preserve 

• Driving distance from LI  Two hours, 15 minutes; 2589 US-44, Gardiner, New York 
• Cost $10 vehicle fee

Awosting Falls, which earned its 50 minutes of fame as the episode four  location in the second season of the Apple TV + series, "Severance," puts on its own streaming show  this season.

"Spring and anytime after significant rainfall, is the best time to visit because the rush is best," park manager Eric Humphrey said of the scenic 65-foot-tall cascade, which "Severance" erroneously labeled, "the tallest waterfall on the planet."

Awosting is the most accessible of Minnewaska’s waterfalls, Humphrey said. Visitors can walk, bike or push a baby stroller to the base of the falls on a half-hour round trip along a 10-foot-wide gravel path from the parking lot at the park entrance, Humphrey said.

Looking up from the waterfall’s base, Awosting’s Shawangunk conglomerate cliff "really accents the waterfall area with its white color," Humphrey said. "The sound is always relaxing and the power of the water is amazing."

Visitors can swim in the park lakes, hike 85 miles of trails, and, at a recently opened visitor center, purchase gifts and see history, geology and wildlife exhibits, Humphrey said in an emailed statement.

More info 845-255-0752, parks.ny.gov

Kaaterskill Falls, Catskill Park Forest Preserve

• Distance from LI  Three hours and 15 minutes; Entrance on Laurel Hill Road, Hunter, New York
• Cost Free

Two centuries after Kaaterskill Falls was immortalized by Hudson River School of Art founder Thomas Cole’s 1826 oil painting, it’s still a big draw. With a 260-feet, two-tier drop, Kaaterskill is among the tallest cascading waterfalls in New York State, said Brent Lerash, communications manager for The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development in upstate Arkville.

Kaaterskill is the most accessible waterfall in the park, requiring a quarter-mile walk on a path from the parking lot to a viewing platform in the middle of the upper falls, Lerash said. The path is accessible to people with mobility devices or strollers. If you’re looking for a challenge, the 403 "primitive stone steps" to the pool at the bottom of the falls have no handrails and are "only for experienced hikers," Lerash said.

With crowds peaking beginning in May, Lerash said that one option is parking and riding with the Kaaterskill shuttle (fee), a picturesque, red trolley that runs between nearby Tannersville and Palenville (kaaterskilltrolley.com). 

Lerash said that preserve officials are also highlighting the more isolated Plattekill Falls in the Platte Clove Preserve in Elka Park, a 15-minute drive from Kaaterskill. At 51 feet tall, Plattekill is "a beautiful single cascade drop waterfall with tumbled rocks to sit on," Lerash said. It also features an artist lookout with a view favored by Thomas Cole.

More info catskillsvisitorcenter.org

Waterfalls at Taughannock Falls State Park, Watkins Glen State Park, Robert H. Treman State Park and Buttermilk Falls State Park

• Distance from LI  Four hours and 45 minutes
• Cost $9 vehicle fee 

Ithaca is known as a college town, but its quartet of state parks with scenic gorges also provides a crash course in waterfall appreciation.

"Each gorge is unique and has a different kind of feel to it," said Josh Teeter, a New York State Parks environmental educator based in Taughannock Falls State Park (1679 Taughannock Blvd., 607-387-6739, parks.ny.gov).

With four waterfall parks about a 30-minute drive apart, "people like to cram them all in one day," Teeter said. The cascades include 19 at Watkins Glen State Park (1009 N. Franklin St., Watkins Glen, 607-535-4511, parks.ny.gov), 12 at Robert H. Treman State Park (105 Enfield Falls Rd., Ithaca, 607-273-3440, parks.ny.gov) and five significant waterfalls at Buttermilk Falls State Park (106 E. Buttermilk Falls Rd., 607-273-5761, parks.ny.gov), Teeter said. Taughannock boasts the tallest single-drop waterfall — 215 feet tall — east of the Rocky Mountains, Teeter said.

You’ll also fall into a bargain if you manage to complete the 10 total miles of hiking required to reach all the falls in one day. Teeter: "If you pay at one state park, you can save the receipt and use it at any other park," he said.

Cool off at one of the park pools or at Treman, where "swimmers can jump off the diving board into a stream-fed pool and swim right over to the falls," Teeter said. Treman’s swimming area, which opens in mid-June, is patrolled by lifeguards and has a bathhouse/changing room and a lawn for sunbathing. 

More info parks.ny.gov

MORE WATERFALL TRIPS TO TAKE IN THE NORTHEAST

Fallingwater

• Distance from LI  Six hours and 15 minutes; 1491 Mill Run Rd., Mill Run, Pennsylvania
• Cost Guided architectural tours are available April 7 through Dec. 31, $39 ages 6 and older.

Leave it to visionary 20th-century architect Frank Lloyd Wright to build a house that's still standing strong atop a naturally occurring waterfall and astonishing visitors 90 years later.

"It’s actually right underneath the house," Clinton E. Piper, senior administrator of Special Projects, said of the house Wright built over Bear Run, a rocky 4-mile stream, in 1935 for the wealthy Kaufmann family.

"They [the Kaufmanns]naturally assumed the house would be built so they could look at the waterfall, but Wright’s notion was that you could really live with the falls," Piper said. Fallingwater, which opened to the public in 1964 and in 2019 was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was reroofed and waterproofed with construction work over the winter and is open for tours this spring, he said.

"The interesting thing is you will hear the falls while inside the house," but the falls themselves are better seen from outside "at an informal area where visitors can see the iconic view "everyone associates with Fallingwater," Piper said.

If you want to spend the night, check out the pet-friendly Comfort Inn ($95 per night; $25 per pet per night) that borders the Youghiogheny River is about a half-hour drive from Fallingwater (325 N. First St., Connellsville, 724-603-3580, choicehotels.com) Ohiopyle Suites ($135 per night), about a three-minute drive away, offers studio and condominium rentals. (28 Sherman St., Ohiopyle, 724-329-8850, youghplazamotel.com)

More info 724-329-8501, fallingwater.org.