Road Tripping to the Tallest Waterfalls in PA

A map showing how to find the the tallest waterfalls in Pennsylvania.

Does the thought of taking an epic cross-state road trip to see the tallest waterfalls in PA intrigue you?

Ganoga Falls at Ricketts Glen State Park in Pennsylvania.
94′ tall Ganoga Falls at Ricketts Glen State Park.

If so, you’re in the right place!

Dingmans Falls in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania.
Dingmans Falls in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania.

What follows is an east-west route I came up with that will take you to some of the tallest waterfalls in each region of Pennsylvania, while allowing for ample opportunity to improvise along the way.



Scroll down to preview this 540 mile cross-state road trip to 10 of the tallest waterfalls in PA!

Summertime view of Buttermilk Falls in Indiana County Pennsylvania
Summertime view of Buttermilk Falls in Indiana County.

Simply click on the blue text link in each waterfall description if you want to learn more about that waterfall.

Angel Falls in Pennsylvania's Loyalsock State Forest.
Angel Falls in Pennsylvania’s Loyalsock State Forest.

1. Raymondskill Falls

We’ll start off at Raymondskill Falls, billed by the National Park Service as the “tallest waterfall in PA” at 178 feet tall.

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

Those 178 feet are spread out over 3 tiers at this easy-to-reach waterfall in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

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

2. Dingmans Falls

Dingmans Falls is billed as being “the second tallest waterfall in PA” at 130 feet tall.

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

Dingmans Falls is located just minutes from Raymondskill Falls, and as an added bonus you’ll pass Silverthread Falls along the boardwalk trail leading to Dingmans Falls.

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

3. Ganoga Falls

Stop #3 on this road trip takes us to the world-famous Falls Trail at Ricketts Glen State Park, where you’ll find 94′ tall Ganoga Falls, along with 20 other spectacular waterfalls!

Ganoga Falls at Ricketts Glen State Park.
94′ tall Ganoga Falls at Ricketts Glen State Park is one of the tallest waterfalls in PA.

Unlike the first two stops on this road trip, there is some rather strenuous hiking involved to get to Ganoga Falls, but the scenery along the way more than makes up for it.

Hikers at Ganoga Falls at Ricketts Glen State Park.
Hikers at Ganoga Falls at Ricketts Glen State Park.

4. Bradford Falls

Bradford Falls is a 70-footer tucked away along Falls Creek on State Game Lands 36 in Bradford County.

Bradford Falls running high after heavy spring rains.
Bradford Falls running high after heavy spring rains.

In addition to several other waterfalls along Falls Creek that you’ll definitely want to check out, the Bradford Falls Trail features a real-life “bat cave”!

Peering into the bat cave along the Bradford Falls Trail.
Peering into the bat cave along the Bradford Falls Trail.

5. Angel Falls

Angel Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in the Loyalsock State Forest, at nearly 70 feet tall!

Summer at Angel Falls in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania.
Summer at Angel Falls in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania.

Angel Falls is located just upstream from Gipson Falls, yet another beautiful Sullivan County waterfall.

A summer afternoon at Gipson Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
A summer afternoon at Gipson Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

6. Chimney Hollow Falls

Chimney Hollow Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in PA and one of the tallest waterfalls in the Pine Creek Gorge Natural Area.

Steve standing on Chimney Hollow Falls, for a sense of scale.
Hiker standing on Chimney Hollow Falls, for a sense of scale.

A short but somewhat steep off-trail hike leads to the base of this 50-foot tall waterfall in the PA Grand Canyon region.

Standing at the bottom of Chimney Hollow Falls on a summer morning.
View from the bottom of Chimney Hollow Falls on a summer morning.

7. Round Island Run Falls

Round Island Run Falls may be THE most remote waterfall in all of Central Pennsylvania.

The three tiers of Round Island Run Falls, or Three Falls as it is sometimes called.
The three tiers of Round Island Run Falls, or Three Falls as it is sometimes called.

One of the neat features of this 20-25 foot tall waterfall is that you can walk BEHIND the upper tier of the falls!

My daughter behind the upper tier of Round Island Run Falls.
A young hiker behind the upper tier of Round Island Run Falls in the Sproul State Forest.

8. Buttermilk Falls in Indiana County

Continuing westward, Buttermilk Falls in Indiana County is our next stop.

View of Buttermilk Falls in Indiana County from the top of the stairs.
View of Buttermilk Falls in Indiana County from the top of the stairs.

An access project completed in 2017 allows you to walk down to and BEHIND Buttermilk Falls, where a young Fred Rogers (AKA Mister Rogers) might have played when his grandfather owned this property (now a county park).

View from behind Buttermilk Falls in Indiana County.
View from behind Buttermilk Falls in Indiana County.

9. Buttermilk Falls in Beaver County

Buttermilk Falls in Beaver County is located just a few hundred yards from the Beaver Falls exit of the PA Turnpike in a park that is also home to a historic stone quarry.

A summer morning at Buttermilk Falls in Beaver County.
A summer morning at Buttermilk Falls in Beaver County.

As with the prior two waterfalls mentioned, you can stand behind the 25 foot-tall Buttermilk Falls in Beaver County as well.

The author behind Buttermilk Falls in Beaver County PA.
The author behind Buttermilk Falls in Beaver County PA.

10. Big Run Falls

Finishing out our “tallest waterfalls in PA” road trip close to the Ohio border, Big Run Falls in Lawrence County is situated in a local nature park that was once home to a thriving amusement park.

Big Run Falls in Lawrence County Pennsylvania.
Big Run Falls in Lawrence County.

Big Run Falls in Cascade Park is essentially a 20 foot-tall roadside waterfall, with the best vantage point for viewing the falls being the overlook directly across from the parking area.

Picnic table at the roadside overlook near Big Run Falls in New Castle.
Picnic table at the roadside overlook near Big Run Falls in New Castle.

So there you have it!

Ten magnificently-tall Pennsylvania waterfalls you can visit along one epic road trip across the Keystone State.

View from the top of Bradford Falls, looking south towards Schrader Creek Road.
View from the top of 70′ Bradford Falls in Bradford County.

Depending on how much time want to allow, there are literally hundreds of additional waterfalls you could visit along the way, and you’ll find them broken down by region in my Ultimate Pennsylvania Waterfalls Guide.

The Ultimate Pennsylvania Waterfall Guide created by Rusty Glessner
The Ultimate Pennsylvania Waterfalls Guide by Rusty Glessner.

And if you enjoy road trips and waterfalls, but hiking not so much, be sure to check out Road Tripping to the Best Roadside Waterfalls in PA for a cross-state guide to the best waterfalls that you can literally see from your car!

How to find the 10 best roadside waterfalls in Pennsylvania.

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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.