Buttermilk Falls
North Point Rd
Long Lake, NY
One of the easiest waterfalls to reach in the whole Adirondacks, a foaming staircase of cascades on the Raquette River, with a swimming hole below.
Buttermilk Falls near Long Lake is proof that a beautiful waterfall does not have to be hard to reach. The walk from the parking area is only a couple hundred feet on a nearly level path, which makes this one of the most accessible falls in the entire Adirondacks, and yet the reward is a genuinely lovely one: a wide staircase of white water dropping some twenty feet over rock ledges as the Raquette River folds down toward Long Lake.
It is the kind of stop that turns a drive into a memory without costing an afternoon. Families with small children, travelers who cannot manage a long hike, and anyone passing through the central Adirondacks can pull off, stroll to the overlook, and stand right beside the churning water in minutes. On a hot summer day the pools below the falls invite a swim, and the surrounding forest makes an easy picnic spot.
What Guests Love
- An almost effortless walk from the parking area to the falls, good for families and all abilities
- The wide, white staircase of cascades tumbling over rock ledges on the Raquette River
- A swimming and wading hole below the falls on a warm summer day
- Picnic spots and the quiet Adirondack forest all around
Worth Knowing
- The trail is very short and mostly flat, so it is one of the easiest waterfall visits in the Adirondacks
- There are no lifeguards and no cell service here, and help is far away, so swim carefully and watch children on the wet rocks
- It is reached by North Point Road southwest of Long Lake, a scenic back road worth the short drive
- There are no services at the falls, so bring water and anything you need, and pack out all trash
Details
Long Lake, NY
Learn about Buttermilk Falls
The easiest falls in the Adirondacks
Most Adirondack waterfalls make you earn them with a hike into the backcountry. Buttermilk Falls is the opposite. The path from the small parking area to the falls runs only about a tenth of a mile, flat and short enough that almost anyone can make it, which is exactly why it is one of the most visited waterfalls in the region.
What you find at the end is a broad, frothing cascade named for the buttermilk-white water that pours down its rock steps. The falls total roughly twenty feet over a series of ledges rather than a single dramatic plunge, so the effect is a wide, lively wall of white water rather than one tall drop, easy to view from several angles and to photograph up close.
On the Raquette River
The falls sit on the Raquette River, one of the great water highways of the Adirondacks and a favorite of paddlers who thread its lakes and channels in canoes and the region's traditional guideboats. Long Lake itself is a long, narrow widening of the Raquette, and the river's flow feeds the cascade just downstream, so the falls are part of a much larger network of water that has carried travelers through this wilderness for centuries.
Below the falls the river slows into pools and picnic spots, and swimmers use the areas directly beneath the cascade or a little downstream on warm days. There are no lifeguards, no cell service, and emergency help is miles away, so this is a place to enjoy the water with real care, watching footing on the slick rock and keeping an eye on children.
Visiting Buttermilk Falls
The falls lie a few miles southwest of the hamlet of Long Lake, reached by turning onto North Point Road, a pretty back road that is worth the short drive in itself. A modest parking area serves the trail, and from there the walk to the water takes only a couple of minutes.
There are no facilities at the falls, so bring your own water and snacks and carry out everything you pack in. It pairs naturally with a stop in Long Lake, where you can find a beach, food, and a place to stay, making Buttermilk Falls an easy and rewarding add-on to any trip through the central Adirondacks.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Long Lake
Long Lake and its town beach
About 4 miles
The narrow, scenic lake and the hamlet's public beach, the hub for services, food, and lodging in this stretch of the Adirondacks.
Lake Eaton
About 6 miles
A small, heavily stocked lake near Long Lake with a public swimming beach and seasonal lifeguards, plus good fishing.
Raquette River paddling
In the area
Canoe and guideboat routes along one of the Adirondacks' classic water trails, connecting a chain of lakes and ponds.
Blue Mountain and the Adirondack Experience
About 15 miles
A summit hike with a fire tower and, in nearby Blue Mountain Lake, the acclaimed museum of Adirondack life and history.