Photo: FirozAnsari · CC BY-SA 4.0Passaic Falls
If you're passing
Is it plungeworthy?
A dam.
The details
- Type
- Dam
- Coordinates
- 40.91581, -74.18185
About Passaic Falls
Passaic Falls is a dam in New Jersey.
It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.
Plungeworthy rates Passaic Falls 4.1/10 — if you're passing. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
The Great Falls of the Passaic is New Jersey's anchor waterfall — 77 feet high, 260 feet wide, roaring through a basalt gorge in the middle of Paterson. It's a National Historical Park, and it's frequently cited as the second-largest waterfall by volume east of the Mississippi.
It is also, unapologetically, a working waterfall: Alexander Hamilton's Society for Useful Manufactures founded Paterson around this drop, and the 1914 hydroelectric plant beside it still runs three turbines today. That diversion is why the falls shows water year-round when most New Jersey falls dry up.
A new 100-foot footbridge across the gorge opened in February 2026, replacing one closed since 2021 — the eighth bridge to span the chasm — with a wider, more wheelchair-friendly deck. In 1827, Sam Patch made his name jumping off its predecessor.
Getting there
- Trailhead
- Overlook Park, McBride Avenue, Paterson; alternate view from Mary Ellen Kramer Park off Maple Avenue
- Parking
- Free two-hour lot at Overlook Park — limited on weekends and holidays
- Road
- City streets
- Heads up
- NPS unit: Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, established 2011. Portable toilets 9am-4pm when staffing allows.
When to go
Spring and early summer for peak flow, but the hydro diversion keeps it running in every season — this is the one New Jersey waterfall that never no-shows.
Cold snaps build ice formations on the gorge walls that are worth the trip on their own.
Rules & fees
- Fee / pass
- Free — no entrance fee
- Dogs
- Leashed — hard six-foot leash, no retractables (NPS rule)
- Hours
- Overlook Park dawn to dusk
- Warnings
- Stay behind the railings — the gorge is sheer and the current below is industrial-strength.
Researched from NPS — Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park · NPS — Great Falls hydroelectric plant · Wikipedia — Great Falls (Passaic River) · News 12 NJ — new pedestrian bridge at Great Falls. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Passaic Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.
Where it is
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 Passaic Falls?
Passaic Falls is a waterfall in New Jersey, at 40.91581, -74.18185.
Is Passaic Falls worth visiting?
If you're passing — Plungeworthy rates it 4.1/10.
Gear for the trip
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