East & South Suburbs (Onondaga & Madison County)
Chittenango Falls State Park
Location: Cazenovia/Chittenango, NY
Feature: 167-Foot Stepped Cascade
A stunning, massive waterfall visible directly from the top viewing area. A short but steep switchback trail loops down into the gorge and crosses a wooden footbridge for an incredible view from the bottom.
Delphi Falls County Park
Location: 2006 Cardner Rd. Cazenovia, NY 13035
Phone: (315) 366-2376
Feature: Two-Tiered Falls & Flat ADA Path
An incredibly accessible county park. A wide, flat, crushed-stone pathway leads you directly to the base of a beautiful 65-foot lower waterfall. Excellent for quick walks and family outings.
Pratts Falls County Park
Location: 7671 Pratts Falls Rd, Manlius, NY 13104
Phone: (315) 683-5550
Feature: 137-Foot Ribbon Cascade
Carved completely out of a steep limestone gorge, this park offers beautiful wooded ridge trails alongside an impressive cascade. Features great picnic sites, playground fields, and a historic site marker.
Tinker Falls (Labrador Hollow Unique Area)
Location: Tinker Falls Trail, Tully, NY 13159
Phone: (607) 674-4017
Feature: Overhanging Amphitheater Falls
A dramatic, classic overhanging waterfall. A flat wooden boardwalk converts to a short trail leading deep into the rock cutout, allowing hikers to actually walk directly behind the falling curtain of water.
Three Falls Woods
Location: 4618 Sweet Rd, Manlius, NY 13104
Feature: Hidden Limestone Cascades & Caves
A locally preserved rugged trail system tracing through unique limestone formations, historic old cedar groves, karst topography, and seasonal hidden cascading waters.
Fiddlers Green Park
Location: 4691 Solvay Rd, Jamesville, NY 13078
Phone: (315) 446-3910
Feature: Butternut Creek Trails & Historic Village Walk
A peaceful community park offering short, rustic walking paths alongside Butternut Creek. Perfect for quiet walking routes, birding, and enjoying localized fishing access.
Oxbow Falls County Park
Location: 6919 Oxbow Rd, Canastota, NY 13032
Feature: 100-Foot Helderberg Escarpment Falls
Features great views of the historic Oneida Lake valley, a glacial kettle hole, multiple wooded hiking trails, disc golf courses, and an impressive drop over the steep escarpment rocks.
West Suburbs & Finger Lakes Border
Carpenter Falls & Angel Falls
Location: New Hope / Skaneateles Lake, Niles, NY 13118
Feature: 90-Foot Plunge & Hidden Secondary Gorge Falls
A spectacular, aggressive ravine managed by the DEC. An upper observation platform provides views of the massive 90-foot plunge, while a rugged trail climbs down into Bear Swamp Creek to reveal Angel Falls.
Guppy Falls (Skaneateles Conservation Area)
Location: 3905 Gully Rd, Skaneateles, NY 13152
Feature: Hidden Ravine Cascade & Shaded Loop Trails
Tucked deep inside the northern segments of the town conservation lands. Features a wonderful, rustic wood-loop hike passing an old historic masonry dam structure and a gorgeous hidden deep-forest cascade.
Camillus Unique Area
Location: 6195 Thompson Rd, Camillus, NY 13031
Feature: Historic Feeders, Forest Canopy Walks & Hidden Runs
An expansive multi-trail layout following old agricultural lands and valley ridges. Includes historical links to the old Erie Canal networks, dense forest covers, and seasonal hidden hillside creek flows.
Cowsheds Falls (Fillmore Glen State Park)
Location: 1686 State Route 38, Moravia, NY 13118 (~35 min from Skaneateles)
Feature: Massive Amphitheater Gorge Wall Drop
Located immediately inside the entrance trail network of Fillmore Glen. A towering, majestic stone backdrop curve where cows traditionally sought shelter from storms during early homesteading centuries.
North Country Wilderness & Outliers
Salmon River Falls Unique Area
Location: 185 Falls Rd, Richland, NY 13144 (Oswego County)
Phone: (607) 753-3095
Feature: 110-Foot Massive Wilderness Plunge
A breathtaking, wide 110-foot waterfall. An accessible flat trail leads directly along the gorge rim to multiple sweeping lookout platforms. A specialized trail also provides access to the upper river flats.
Pixley Falls State Park
Location: 11430 State Route 46, Boonville, NY 13309 (Oneida County Area)
Feature: 50-Foot Woodland Gorge Cascade
A fantastic, isolated mountain-style park featuring a steep, rapid waterfall crashing through a hemlock-shaded gorge. Features an easy, scenic stream-side trail loop.
Wolcott Falls Park
Location: 6063 Auburn St, Wolcott, NY 14590 (Wayne County Border)
Phone: (518) 386-8607
Feature: 50-Foot Village Maintained Drop
Incredibly easy to access with a viewing platform located mere footsteps right off the public parking spaces. Includes a short pocket-trail leading safely down right to the splash pool edge.
Premium Scenic Trails (No Waterfalls)
Green Lakes State Park Loops
Location: 7900 Green Lakes Rd, Fayetteville, NY 13066
Phone: (315) 637-6111
Feature: Glacial Meromictic Lake Flat Paths
No waterfalls present, but features some of the most famous flat nature walks in North America. Pristine, level walking trails circle two deep, emerald-green glacial lakes shaded by old-growth forests.
Beaver Lake Nature Center
Location: 8477 E Mud Lake Rd, Baldwinsville, NY 13027
Phone: (315) 638-2519
Feature: Multi-Mile Wetland Boardwalk Tracks
A phenomenal county-run nature preserve offering over 9 miles of pristine, deeply protected thematic walking loops, observation docks, bog paths, and unmatched local migratory birding.