27 Must-See Waterfalls in the Poconos

Indian Ladder Falls in the Delaware Water Gap.

The Poconos region of Northeastern Pennsylvania is home to some of the tallest waterfalls in the Keystone State.

Long known as a honeymoon-haven and summer-home mecca for residents of New York City, Philadelphia, and northern New Jersey, it also offers up an exceptional array of waterfalls for photographers and nature lovers to discover and enjoy.

Waterfall along Upper Hornsbeck Creek.
Waterfall along Upper Hornbecks Creek in the Poconos.

Here is my hand-picked list of 27 must-see waterfalls in the Poconos, complete with directions to each one.

Simply click on the blue text link in each waterfall description to see directions to and additional photos of that waterfall.


Raymondskill Falls

Raymondskill Falls in Pennsylvania
Upper and middle tiers of Raymondskill Falls in Pike County PA.

What better place to start a list of waterfalls in the Poconos than with Raymondskill Falls, the tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania.

Located in Pike County, this three-tiered waterfall is billed by the National Park Service as being 178 feet tall.

The upper and lower tiers of Raymondskill Falls are pictured above, the bottom tier is pictured below.

The bottom tier of Raymondskill Falls in PIke County.
The bottom tier of Raymondskill Falls in Pike County.

Just upstream from Raymondskill Falls is an unnamed (as far as I can tell) but outstanding waterfall I’ll simply refer to here as Raymondskill Creek Falls, located along an obvious but unblazed trail.

Unnamed waterfall on Raymondskill Creek in Pike County PA
Unnamed waterfall on Raymondskill Creek in the Poconos.

Dingmans Falls

Dingmans Falls in Pike County, Pennsylvania
Dingmans Falls in Pike County, Pennsylvania

Dingmans Falls in Pike County is billed by the National Park Service as being the second tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania at 130 feet tall.


Silverthread Falls

Silverthread Falls in the Delaware Water Gap.
Silverthread Falls in the Poconos.

Silverthread Falls is located 0.2 miles from Dingmans Falls in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and is listed as being 80 feet tall.


Shohola Falls

Shohola Falls on State Game Lands 180 in Pike County Pennsylvania
Shohola Falls on State Game Lands 180 in Pike County, Pennsylvania

Shohola Falls is located just a short walk from a parking area on State Game Lands 180 in Pike County.


Upper Hornbecks Creek Waterfalls

Hornsbeck Trail in the Delaware Water Gap Pike County Pennsylvania
Upper Hornbecks Trail in the Delaware Water Gap.

Upper Hornbecks Creek in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is home to to an array of small, unnamed waterfalls, as well as one 40-footer locally known as Indian Ladder Falls.

The smallest waterfall located near the top of Hornbecks Creek is pictured below.

The Hornsbeck Creek waterfall trail in Pike County Pennsylvania.
The Hornsbeck Creek waterfall trail in Pike County, Pennsylvania.

Another rather unique waterfall follows shortly after when hiking downstream.

Unnamed waterfall along Hornsbeck Creek in Pike County Pennsylvania.
Unnamed waterfall along Hornbecks Creek in the Poconos.

Indian Ladder Falls is next, the largest waterfall on Upper Hornbecks Creek.

Indian Ladder Falls in Pike County Pennsylvania
Indian Ladder Falls in Pike County, Pennsylvania

Downstream from Indian Ladder Falls is this magnificent specimen, nestled between two large rock formations.

Waterfall along Upper Hornsbeck Trail in Pike County Pennsylvania
Waterfall along Upper Hornsbeck Trail in Pike County Pennsylvania

And the fifth waterfall you’ll encounter when hiking down along Upper Hornbecks Creek is this “sweeping beauty”.

The Upper Hornsbeck Creek Trail in the Delaware Water Gap
The Upper Hornbecks Creek Trail in the Delaware Water Gap.

Nay Aug Falls

Nay Aug Falls on Roaring Brook in Lackawanna County
Nay Aug Falls on Roaring Brook in Lackawanna County

Nay Aug Falls is located in a city park in the heart of Scranton, Lackawanna County.


Tobyhanna Falls

Tobyhanna Falls in the PA Pocono Mountains
Tobyhanna Falls in the Poconos.

Tobyhanna Falls is located just off of Interstate 80 in the Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area in Monroe County.


Hawk Falls

Hawk Falls at Hickory Run State Park in Pennsylvania
Hawk Falls at Hickory Run State Park in Pennsylvania

Hawk Falls at Hickory Run State Park is a 25-foot tall waterfall located at the end of a short hike from Route 534 in Carbon County.

There are also two man-made waterfalls at Hickory Run State Park worth checking out.

Chapel Falls on Hickory Run is located right along Route 534.

The Chapel at Hickory Run State Park
Chapel Falls at Hickory Run State Park

Stametz Dam Falls is a man-made spillway located along the super-popular Shades of Death Trail at Hickory Run State Park.

Stametz Dam Spillway along the Shades of Death Trail at Hickory Run State Park
Stametz Dam Spillway along the Shades of Death Trail at Hickory Run State Park in the Poconos.

Buttermilk Falls at Lehigh Gorge State Park

Buttermilk Falls at Lehigh Gorge State Park.
Buttermilk Falls at Lehigh Gorge State Park.

Buttermilk Falls at Lehigh Gorge State Park is a cascading waterfall along the Lehigh Gorge Rail Trail, 1/4 mile north of the Rockport Access to the park and rail trail.


Luke’s Falls at Lehigh Gorge State Park

Fall foliage around Luke's Falls in October, 2021.
Fall foliage around Luke’s Falls in October, 2021.

Luke’s Falls at Lehigh Gorge State Park is an easy 1/4 mile hike/bike ride south of the Rockport Access along the Lehigh Gorge Rail Trail.


Fall Brook Falls

The second waterfall at Salt Springs State Park.
The second / middle waterfall at Salt Springs State Park.

Fall Brook at Salt Springs State Park is home to three waterfalls in a glacially-carved gorge in Susquehanna County.

The first / lower falls on Fall Brook.

The first waterfall on Fall Brook at Salt Springs State Park
The first / lower waterfall on Fall Brook at Salt Springs State Park

The second / middle falls on Fall Brook.

Second waterfall on Fall Brook at Salt Springs State Park
Second waterfall on Fall Brook at Salt Springs State Park

And the third / upper falls on Fall Brook.

Third Falls on Fall Brook at Salt Springs State Park
Third Falls on Fall Brook at Salt Springs State Park

All three falls are nestled away in a fantastic old-growth hemlock forest.


Childs Park Falls

Childs Park in the Delaware Water Gap region of Pike County is currently closed for repair due to winter storm damage back in 2018, but is tentatively scheduled to reopen sometime in 2024.

When it does, there are three outstanding waterfalls to see there.

Factory Falls is a beautiful 18-footer located near the ruins of an old woolen mill.

How to find Factory Falls in the Delaware Water Gap
Factory Falls in the Delaware Water Gap.

Fulmer Falls is a 56-footer just below Factory Falls.

Fulmer Falls at Childs Park in Pike County Pennsylvania
Fulmer Falls at Childs Park in Pike County, Pennsylvania.

Finally, Deer Leap Falls is a narrow 30-foot tall waterfall that seems to slice its way through an enormous rock formation.

Deer Leap Falls in Pike County, Pennsylvania
Deer Leap Falls in Pike County, Pennsylvania

Glen Onoko Falls

Glen Onoko, located on State Game Lands 141, adjacent to Lehigh Gorge State Park and Jim Thorpe, is currently closed due to safety concerns raised by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and local EMS providers.

Glen Onoko Falls Trail trailhead near Jim Thorpe Pennsylvania
Glen Onoko Falls Trail trailhead near Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

If and when those concerns are addressed, there are four amazing waterfalls to be seen along the famous Glen Onoko Falls Trail, where visitors have been coming for nearly 150 years.

Chameleon Falls, checking in at 30 feet tall, is the first major waterfall on Glen Onoko Run when hiking up from the bottom.

Chameleon Falls along the Glen Onoko Falls Trail near Jim Thorpe Pennsylvania
Chameleon Falls along the Glen Onoko Falls Trail near Jim Thorpe

Onoko Falls is the second (and tallest at 60 feet) waterfall you’d come to hiking up the Falls Trail.

Onoko Falls along the Glen Onoko Falls Trail
Onoko Falls along the Glen Onoko Falls Trail

Terrace Falls is the third set of waterfalls on Glen Onoko Run, no doubt named for the terraced look of the rock formation it flows over.

Terrace Falls at Glen Onoko near Jim Thorpe Pennsylvania
Terrace Falls at Glen Onoko

And finally, Cave Falls is near the top of Glen Onoko Run, and named so because there is a “cave”, or depression behind the waterfall that a person can stand in.

Cave Falls on Glen Onoko Run near Jim Thorpe Pennsylvania
Cave Falls on Glen Onoko Run near Jim Thorpe

Nearby Attractions

Located just west of the Poconos you’ll find the Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania’s most-famous waterfall hike, featuring 21 named waterfalls along a 4 mile loop hike.

Exploring the Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen State Park.
Scenes from the Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen State Park.

And while it’s not located along the Falls Trail, Adams Falls is the easiest waterfall to reach at Ricketts Glen State Park.

The multiple tiers of Adams Falls at Ricketts Glen.
The upper and middle tiers of Adams Falls at Ricketts Glen State Park.

This 36-foot tall three-tiered beauty is located just off of Route 118 along the Evergreen Trail.

The bottom tier of Adams Falls at Ricketts Glen State Park.
The bottom tier of Adams Falls at Ricketts Glen State Park.

Hickory Run State Park is one of the prettiest state parks in the Poconos region.

Hickory Run Lake at HIckory Run State Park.
Hickory Run Lake at HIckory Run State Park.

Featuring more than 40 miles of hiking trails, picturesque waterfalls, unique natural areas, and spectacular scenic overlooks, Hickory Run State Park has a LOT to offer!

A lone tree standing in the Boulder Field at Hickory Run State Park.
A lone tree standing in the Boulder Field at Hickory Run State Park.

When you’re ready to take your Keystone State waterfall adventures even further, check out this interactive map I’ve created that provides you with directions to HUNDREDS of Pennsylvania’s finest waterfalls!


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Rusty Glessner
Rusty Glessner is a professional photographer, lifelong Pennsylvanian, and a frequently-cited authority on PA's best travel destinations.