Maple Falls
One for the list
Is it plungeworthy?
A waterfall on Maple Brook.
The details
- Watercourse
- Maple Brook
- Coordinates
- 40.73455, -74.30376
About Maple Falls
Maple Falls is a waterfall in New Jersey, on Maple Brook.
It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.
Plungeworthy rates Maple Falls 3/10 — one for the list. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
Maple Falls is the tallest waterfall in South Mountain Reservation — 29 and a half feet on Maple Brook — and most of the reservation's regular visitors have no idea it exists. There's no sign, no marked spur, and no view from any official trail.
The reason it stays hidden: the last couple hundred feet are off-trail, following the brook upstream from a woods road below steep flanking cliffs. It's a short scramble, not a bushwhack, but it filters out everyone who won't leave the blazes.
Its drainage is small, so the falls is honest only after rain — catch it within a day or two of a storm and it earns the trip; in a dry week it's a wet cliff.
Getting there
- Trailhead
- Locust Grove lot off Glen Avenue, Millburn (South Mountain Reservation, Essex County)
- Parking
- Free at Locust Grove
- Road
- Glen Avenue — paved
- Hike
- 1 mi round trip (Moderate — easy half mile on the White/Rahway (Fairy) Trail, then off-trail upstream along Maple Brook)
- Heads up
- From the bridge intersection, take the woods road to the brook and work upstream a couple hundred feet. Steep cliffs flank the falls — approach from the streambed, not the slopes.
When to go
Within a day or two after heavy rain — the small drainage drains fast. Spring is the most reliable window.
Rules & fees
- Fee / pass
- Free
- Dogs
- Leashed, six feet (off-leash only at the reservation's Bear Lane dog park)
- Hours
- Dawn to dusk
- Warnings
- The off-trail stretch has no path and the flanking cliffs are steep — stay in the streambed and skip it at high water.
Researched from Explore North Jersey — Maple Falls, South Mountain Reservation · Essex County Parks — South Mountain Reservation. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Maple Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.
Where it is
Planning a visit? We want your photo.
Maple Falls doesn't have a photo yet. If you make the trip, send one to hello@plungeworthy.com and we'll publish it here with credit to you.
Before you go
The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.
Common questions
Where is Maple Falls?
Maple Falls is a waterfall in New Jersey, at 40.73455, -74.30376.
Is Maple Falls worth visiting?
One for the list — Plungeworthy rates it 3/10.
Gear for the trip
As an Amazon Associate, Plungeworthy earns from qualifying purchases.
