Raymondskill Falls — Delaware Water Gap
Photo: Nicholas
(CC via Wikimedia)
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Black Diamond Spot 400-Rrechargeable, comfortableCheck price on Amazon →Raymondskill Falls at a glance: Pennsylvania’s tallest waterfall drops about 150 feet in three tiers near Milford, and a half-mile loop with two fenced overlooks puts you in front of it within minutes of the car. Short does not mean flat: stairs and a rocky, rooty descent earn the trail its moderate rating, and the optional spur to the creek is genuinely steep. No dogs allowed, no fee charged, and spring flow is when the falls justify every superlative.
Stack Raymondskill’s three tiers on top of each other and you get roughly 150 feet of falling water, which makes it the tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania and, by the National Park Service’s favorite statistic, only a few feet shorter than Niagara. The comparison flatters Niagara’s width more than Raymondskill’s height, but the point stands: this is the biggest waterfall drama the state offers, and it costs a half-mile loop to see. More than 2,000 visitors have rated the walk, and they average it near-perfect.
The loop leaves the parking area off Raymondskill Road and reaches its first payoff almost immediately. The upper overlook frames the top pool and the broad upper cascade, a composed, postcard sort of view. The trail then descends — stairs, rock and roots — to the middle overlook, which is the one people remember: a straight-on look at the main drop as it thunders into the gorge, close enough that spray reaches the platform in high water. Both platforms are fenced, and the fencing matters, because the gorge walls are sheer and the rock stays wet.
From the middle overlook an optional spur continues down to Raymondskill Creek at the base of the gorge. It is short but legitimately steep, and the climb back up is the hardest work of the visit. The reward is the bottom-up view of the full falls stack and a quiet stretch of creek to explore. Skip it if footing is a concern; the two overlooks carry the trip on their own.
The whole circuit runs about half a mile, and the average visit clocks in around twenty minutes of walking, which is exactly why the trail pairs so naturally with its neighbors. The Cliff Trail and Hackers Falls trailheads sit directly across Raymondskill Road, adding river-bluff views and a second, gentler waterfall for those who want a real hike. Dingmans Falls, the state’s second-tallest waterfall, sits fifteen minutes south, and doing both in an afternoon is the standard Delaware Water Gap waterfall tour.
Moderate for its length, easy in absolute terms. The National Park Service’s own rating acknowledges what reviewers confirm: the descent to the overlooks is rocky and rooty enough to demand attention, the stairs add up on the return, and the 178 feet of elevation change happens fast. Nobody fit finds it difficult, but flip-flops produce regret here every summer weekend. Trail runners or hiking shoes are the right call.
Two groups should plan around the trail’s character. Anyone with knee or balance issues can enjoy the upper overlook, which arrives quickly on the gentlest stretch, and simply skip the lower platforms. And in winter the exposed rock and stairs ice over reliably — reviewers report needing spikes well into March in cold years — so treat a freeze-thaw visit as a traction-gear outing, not a casual stop.
Spring owns this waterfall. Snowmelt and April rain push the most water over the tiers, and the middle overlook in full spring flow is among the best waterfall views in the Northeast. After a dry August the falls can thin to an elegant trickle, still pretty, no longer thunderous. The reliable rule for any season: visit within a day or two of real rain and the falls perform. Morning light also favors the middle overlook, which faces the drop directly and photographs best before the sun crests the gorge rim.
Fall wraps the gorge in color through October and early November and brings the photographers. Summer weekends bring the crowds; the lot is modest, fills by mid-morning on nice Saturdays, and overflow lands at the lower Raymondskill lot down the road. Note the winter logistics too — the upper parking lot closes from early January to mid-April, which lengthens the walk in exactly the season the stairs are iciest.
Raymondskill Falls sits inside the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, a few minutes from Milford and about 75 minutes from the George Washington Bridge, making it among the most accessible big waterfalls for New York day-trippers. There is no entrance fee and no permit, just the parking scramble on peak weekends. A composting restroom operates seasonally at the lot.
The rules are federal and enforced. Pets are not permitted on the trail, so leave dogs at home rather than in the car. Swimming and wading within 50 feet of the falls are prohibited, and food, picnics and alcohol are banned at the site — this is a look-and-photograph stop, not a hangout. The fenced platforms exist because people have died scrambling for closer angles in the Water Gap’s gorges; stay behind them.
Cell service is spotty along Raymondskill Road, so download maps before leaving Milford. If the visit feels too short, that is the design: pair it with the Cliff Trail across the road, Hackers Falls, or the Dingmans Falls boardwalk to build the half-day the scenery deserves.
A 4.7 rating from more than 2,100 visitors is remarkable for a trail this short, and the reviews explain the math: maximum waterfall per step. The middle overlook draws the superlatives, the quick access draws the families, and the spring-flow visits produce the five-star raves. The word “short” appears constantly, and almost always approvingly.
The recurring advice: wear real shoes despite the distance, go after rain, arrive early on summer weekends, and bring spikes in winter. The only regulars’ complaint is the no-dogs rule, which is the Park Service’s call, not the trail’s. As the state’s tallest waterfall with its easiest access, Raymondskill is the anchor stop of any Delaware Water Gap waterfall day.
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