Great Falls
New Jersey · 75-foot drop · Last verified 2026-05-15
Right now
Heads up:
- Air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups (AQI 109). Sensitive groups should limit time outside.
Tonight
67°F
Partly Cloudy
Monday
90°F
Sunny
Today's daylight
Sunrise 5:37 AM · Sunset 8:08 PM · 14h 31m
Snapshot built 8m ago. Sources: NWS OKX.
Great Falls is a waterfall in Passaic County, New Jersey. It drops roughly 75 feet. Access details and conditions have not yet been verified in person by Fallspots — the data on this page comes from OpenStreetMap and USGS GNIS.
The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a 77-foot (23 m) high waterfall on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey. One of the United States' largest waterfalls, it played a significant role in the early industrial development of New Jersey starting in the earliest days of the nation. The falls and surrounding area are protected as part of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service. Congress authorized its establishment in 2009.
When to go (from the climate data, not our opinion)
Monthly averages from Open-Meteo's reanalysis dataset (2020–2024). Highlighted months are when we think the waterfall is at its best — but the numbers are the numbers regardless.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip (in) | Snow days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 26 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Feb | 43 | 26 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Mar | 52 | 33 | 4.7 | 4.8 |
| Apr | 60 | 41 | 5.5 | 0.4 |
| May | 71 | 51 | 3.7 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 81 | 61 | 3.2 | 0 |
| Jul | 87 | 68 | 5.1 | 0 |
| Aug | 84 | 66 | 4.3 | 0 |
| Sep | 76 | 59 | 5 | 0 |
| Oct | 66 | 49 | 4.6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 54 | 38 | 3.3 | 1.2 |
| Dec | 44 | 30 | 5 | 4.8 |
Source: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API · ERA5 reanalysis 2020–2024.
Compare to nearby falls
If this one isn't the right fit, here's how it stacks up against the closest documented falls. Every column is filterable on the site — not buried in 13,000 reviews.
| Waterfall | Distance | Height | Trail | Dogs | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Falls (this page) | — | 75 ft | — | — | — |
| Bridal Veil Falls | 2 mi | — | — | — | — |
| Buttermilk Falls | 5 mi | — | — | — | — |
| MacMillan Brook Falls | 11 mi | — | — | — | — |
| Chikahoki Falls | 12 mi | — | — | — | Free |
| Boonton Falls | 12 mi | — | — | — | — |
Related waterfalls
Similar height (~75 ft)
- Big Bradley Falls75 ft
- Curtain Falls75 ft
- Dead Point Falls75 ft
- Drift Creek Falls75 ft
- Plattekill Falls75 ft
Questions visitors ask about Great Falls
Answers built from our structured data. If a question isn't here, the fact is unverified — we'd rather omit than guess.
How tall is Great Falls?
Great Falls is 75 feet (23 m) tall. Height is sourced from OSM.
How far is Great Falls from a major city?
Great Falls is 1 miles from Paterson (about 1 minutes' drive).
More waterfalls in New Jersey
Where it is
40.9167, -74.1817
Sources and live status
Where we got the data, and where to check current conditions before you drive.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Falls_(Passaic_River)
Wikidata (Q5599145)
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5599145
GeoNames (5102453)
https://www.geonames.org/5102453/
Last verified by Fallspots: 2026-05-15
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Marina and Theo verify pages one road trip at a time. If you've been to Great Falls recently, your local knowledge improves the page for everyone. Pick the kind of contribution that fits — every email lands in our inbox and gets read (and credited when we publish).
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