10 Must-See Waterfalls Near Worlds End State Park

High Rock Falls at Worlds End State Park in Sullivan County Pennsylvania.

Worlds End State Park lies at the very heart of Sullivan County, one of Pennsylvania’s most fertile waterfall regions.

And while the park itself is home to only one waterfall (High Rock Falls), it is within a short distance of 10 outstanding waterfalls that’ll I’ll map out for you in this write-up.

The Park Office at Worlds End State Park.
The Park Office at Worlds End State Park.

So if you’re looking for the ultimate waterfall-hunting excursion while visiting Worlds End State Park, read on!


Mapping out the Waterfalls

A map of 10 waterfalls near Worlds End State Park in Sullivan County Pennsylvania
10 waterfalls near Worlds End State Park in Sullivan County

Of the ten waterfalls included in this write-up, one lies inside the boundaries of Worlds End State Park, one sits on private property (but is easily viewed from a public road), and the other eight are located in the Loyalsock State Forest which surrounds park.


High Rock Falls

High Rock Falls at Worlds End State Park
High Rock Falls at Worlds End State Park

High Rock Falls is the only waterfall located within the boundaries of Worlds End State Park.

It is located along the High Rock Trail, which has its trailhead just a few minutes from the park office.

A map to High Rock Falls at Worlds End State Park
A map to High Rock Falls at Worlds End State Park

High Rock Run is an intermittent tributary of Loyalsock Creek, so don’t expect a lot during a dry spell.

But if you catch it after the spring thaw or a heavy rain, it’s a superb scene.

Spring thaw at High Rock Falls in Worlds End State Park
Spring thaw at High Rock Falls in Worlds End State Park

GPS coordinates for the High Rock Trail Head are : 41.47046 -76.57893.

GPS coordinates for High Rock Falls are: 41.47421 -76.58084 .

The hike (one way) is roughly 0.3 miles.


Alpine Falls

Alpine Falls in Sullivan County.
Alpine Falls in Sullivan County.

Alpine Falls is located along the Loyalsock Trail, but can be reached via an alternate trailhead on Loyalsock Road (a dirt State Forest road).

A map to Alpine Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
A map to Alpine Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

GPS coordinates for Alpine Falls parking pull-off: 41.48478 -76.54538.

GPS coordinates for Alpine Falls: 41.47822 -76.55341.

This is a pretty straight-forward hike.

Follow the Crane Spur Trail (an abandoned log road) for 0.6 miles, hang a right on the well-blazed Loyalsock Trail, and follow that for 0.1 miles to the top of Alpine Falls.

The upper tier of Alpine Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
The upper tier of Alpine Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

The upper tier of Alpine Falls is 7-8 feet tall.

Alpine Falls along the Loyalsock Trail.
Alpine Falls along the Loyalsock Trail.

The middle and lower tiers of Alpine Falls are the real photo-op here.

Alpine Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
Alpine Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

When you are finished at Alpine Falls, simply retrace your steps to the parking area along Loyalsock Road.


Tamarack Falls

Tamarack Falls off of Loyalsock Road in the Loyalsock State Forest.
Tamarack Falls off of Loyalsock Road in the Loyalsock State Forest.

Tamarack Falls lies on another intermittent tributary of Loyalsock Creek, and so it is best to visit this one after a heavy rain / snowmelt event.

A map to Tamarack Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
A map to Tamarack Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

GPS coordinates for Tamarack Falls parking pull-off along Loyalsock Road: 41.47627, -76.53157.

GPS coordinates for Tamarack Falls: 41.46847, -76.53141.

A rainbow at the base of Tamarack Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
A rainbow at the base of Tamarack Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

This is an off-trail hike, so the best advice I can give you is use the GPS coordinates and follow the stream.

The hike is roughly 1/2 a mile (one way).


Coal Run Falls

Coal Run downstream from Sones Pond in the Loyalsock State Forest.
Coal Run downstream from Sones Pond in the Loyalsock State Forest.

Coal Run contains a series of small, unnamed waterfalls and cascades along a 1/2 mile stretch of this stream just below Sones Pond.

Sones Pond in the Loyalsock State Forest.
Sones Pond in the Loyalsock State Forest.

My advice is to just park at the Sones pond lot (restrooms available there as well) and hike downstream on Coal Run.

A map to the waterfalls along Coal Run in the Loyalsock State Forest.
A map to the waterfalls along Coal Run in the Loyalsock State Forest.

GPS coordinates for Sones Pond parking lot: 41.47157, -76.51457.

GPS coordinates for Coal Run Falls: 41.46893, -76.51380.

Unnamed waterfall along Coal Run in the Loyalsock State Forest.
Unnamed waterfall along Coal Run in the Loyalsock State Forest.

There are numerous small waterfalls along Coal Run, with the tallest ones being withing a 1/4 mile of Sones Pond.

The further downstream from the pond you get, the smaller the falls become.

Coal Run in the Loyalsock State Forest
Coal Run in the Loyalsock State Forest

Dutchman Falls

Dutchman Falls in the summer.
Dutchman Falls in the summer.

Dutchman Falls (not to be confused with Dutchmans Run Falls) is a magnificent 27 foot tall, two-tiered waterfall located near the eastern terminus of the Loyalsock Trail.

A map to Dutchman Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
A map to Dutchman Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

GPS coordinates for the Dutchman Falls parking area: 41.44810, -76.45342.

GPS coordinates for Dutchman Falls: 41.45014, -76.45085

A side view of Dutchman Falls in Sullivan County.
A side view of Dutchman Falls in Sullivan County.

The hike to Dutchman Falls is short (0.3 miles one-way) but relatively steep.


Vinegar Run Falls

Fall foliage at Vinegar Run Falls in Sullivan County.
Fall foliage at Vinegar Run Falls in Sullivan County.

Vinegar Run Falls is literally roadside along Route 154 as you loop back towards Worlds End State Park.

It is important to note: Vinegar Run Falls sits on private property!

Fortunately, there are roadside pull-offs before and after the bridge over Vinegar Run, on the state-owned right-of-way opposite the falls.

A map to Vinegar Run Falls along Route 154 in Sullivan County.
A map to Vinegar Run Falls along Route 154 in Sullivan County.

GPS coordinates for Vinegar Run Falls are: 41.45917, -76.54583.

From the curb along Route 154 you have an excellent view of Vinegar Run Falls.

Winter view of Vinegar Run Falls in Sullivan County.
Winter view of Vinegar Run Falls in Sullivan County.

Be sure to use caution when crossing the road, even though this is a lightly-travelled highway.


Cold Run Falls

Cold Run Falls is actually a series of small, unnamed waterfalls along the newly-created Cold Run Trail (a 1.5 mile spur of the Canyon Vista Trail).

Unnamed waterfall along Cold Run in the Loyalsock State Forest.
Unnamed waterfall along Cold Run in the Loyalsock State Forest.

The trail is so new it doesn’t appear on the official park maps yet, but for the purposes of seeing the waterfalls along Cold Run you have 2 options.

One is to park along Route 154 at the Canyon Vista trail head and hike in that way.

The second option is to park near the headwaters of Cold Run along Cold Run Road and hike down from the top.

A map to the falls on Cold Run n the Loyalsock State Forest.
A map to the falls on Cold Run in the Loyalsock State Forest.

If you go with option #2, the GPS coordinates for the pull-off along Cold Run Road is 41.45822, -76.56117

The falls themselves can be found all along Cold Run and the Cold Run Trail that parallels it.

The largest falls along Cold Run are closest to the bottom, near GPS coordinates 41.46256, -76.55307.


Mineral Spring Falls

Mineral Springs Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
Mineral Spring Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

Mineral Spring Falls is truly roadside.

Mineral Spring Falls in Sullivan County PA
Mineral Spring Falls in Sullivan County PA

You can see it from your vehicle, or pull-off along Mineral Spring Road for closer inspection.

A map to Mineral Springs Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
A map to Mineral Spring Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

The GPS coordinates for Mineral Spring Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest: 41.44936, -76.57637.

Upper Mineral Spring Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest Sullivan County
Upper Mineral Spring Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest, Sullivan County

There’s also a small waterfall I refer to as Upper Mineral Spring Falls located just upstream, not visible from the road.


Rusty Run Falls

A downstream view of Rusty Run Falls.
A downstream view of Rusty Run Falls.

Rusty Run Falls can be found via a 1.2 mile hike along a bridle trail (horses allowed) in the Loyalsock State Forest.

A map showing the locations of Rusty Run Falls and the trail head parking area.
A map showing the locations of Rusty Run Falls and the trail head parking area.

The parking area for the Rusty Run Falls hike is located along Shanerburg Road at GPS coordinates 41.433749, -76.546954.

A close-up look at Rusty Run Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
A close-up look at Rusty Run Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

Rusty Run Falls is located at GPS coordinates 41.42228, -76.55346.


Cottonwood Falls

Springtime at Cottonwood Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
Springtime at Cottonwood Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

Although the hike to Cottonwood Falls starts in Worlds End State Park, the falls themselves lie outside the park boundaries in the Loyalsock State Forest.

A map to Cottonwood Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
A map to Cottonwood Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

Cottonwood Falls lies along the Double Run Trail, where the trailhead is along Route 154, next to the “Chapel”.

The Chapel at Worlds End State Park along the Double Run Trail.
The Chapel at Worlds End State Park, along the Double Run Trail.

GPS coordinates for the Double Run Trailhead: 41.46577, -76.57854.

GPS coordinates for Cottonwood Falls: 41.46252, -76.58515.

The hike itself is roughly a 1/2 mile along the Double Run Trail.

Bridge along the Double Run Trail at Worlds End State Park
Bridge along the Double Run Trail at Worlds End State Park

There are plenty of photo-ops at small waterfalls and cascades on the way to Cottonwood Falls.

Small unnamed waterfall along Double Run at Worlds End State Park.
Small unnamed waterfall along Double Run at Worlds End State Park

Cottonwood Falls is a remarkable little waterfall, any time of year.

Winter at Cottonwood Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
Winter at Cottonwood Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it – 10 great waterfall spots in and around Worlds End State Park!

Alpine Falls close-up, along the Loyalsock Trail.
Alpine Falls close-up, along the Loyalsock Trail.

This would make for a fine daylong excursion, or a series of visits if you want to break it up into chunks.


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A Poconos mountain cabin vacation rental.
Photo courtesy of Vrbo.

Browse HUNDREDS of awesome cabins, lodges, and chalets near Worlds End State Park at the Vrbo link below.

Disclaimer: If you book a vacation rental through this Vrbo link, I get a small commission (at NO additional cost to you!), which helps offset the expense of hosting the PA Bucket List website.

Nearby Attractions

The area around Worlds End State Park is also known for incredible mountain vistas, and you’ll find directions to some of the finest in my write-up “The 8 Best Scenic Overlooks Near Worlds End State Park“.

Loyalsock Canyon Vista Sullivan County Pennsylvania
Loyalsock Canyon Vista at Worlds End State Park.

And you won’t want to miss my write-up “The 20 Best Things to Do at Worlds End State Park” either!

Cabin at Worlds End State Park.
Cabin at Worlds End State Park.

Looking for even more nearby waterfalls?

Ketchum Run is home to 4 great waterfalls, and the trailhead is just minutes from Worlds End State Park, off of High Knob Road.

Ketchum Run Falls in the summer.
Ketchum Run Falls in the summer.

Dry Run Falls is close-by as well, and quite possibly the best looking roadside waterfall in Sullivan County.

Incredible fall foliage around Dry Run Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.
Incredible fall foliage around Dry Run Falls in the Loyalsock State Forest.

And for some off-trail excitement, Dutters Run in the Loyalsock State Forest is hard to beat!

Third Falls along Dutters Run in the fall.
Third Falls along Dutters Run in the fall.

And if you’re REALLY into waterfalls, you’ll want to check out The Ultimate Pennsylvania Waterfalls Guide, with directions to HUNDREDS of PA waterfalls!

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

If scenic vistas are your thing, be sure to check out High Knob Overlook, easily one of the most popular roadside attractions in all of Sullivan County!

October in Sullivan County as viewed from High Knob Overlook.
October in Sullivan County as viewed from High Knob Overlook.

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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.