Accessible Waterfalls for People Using Wheelchairs, Strollers or Walkers

Everyone loves waterfalls but many times these natural wonders aren’t accessible to everyone. Often waterfalls are located at the end of long hikes down into steep gorges. Climbing dozens of steps in and out of a gorge isn’t possible for every person. Here is a list of all the waterfalls that we have discovered that are easy to reach and accessible to everyone.

Delphi Falls – Cazenovia (Madison County)

This park was a major find. Not just a beautiful waterfall but a truly gorgeous park. Delphi Falls was only recently acquired by Madison County and turned into a park. The straight, flat, gravel path makes this waterfall easy to get to. There are picnic tables and grills for people who want to extend their visit. The restrooms are porta-potties but they are handicap-accessible ones. When we visited, we pretty much had the place to ourselves, it was great!

Hector Falls – Hector (Schuyler County)

Hector Falls is pretty much the easiest waterfall to view on this entire list. You don’t even have to get out of your car. This waterfall is on Route 414 as you approach Watkins Glen. There is a very small parking area on either side of the bridge where you can park and get a better view of the falls. These falls are best seen after a heavy rain, or in the spring.

Honeoye Falls – Honeoye Falls (Monroe County)

You can view these famous falls from the viewing platform on West Main Street or as you travel over the bridge on Route 65. You don’t want to stop your car on the bridge. There is parking available and you can use the pedestrian walkway to see the falls without causing a pile-up. The viewing platform gives visitors a great vista to capture a photo or just take in the charming postcard-like setting.

Aunt Sarah’s Falls – Montour Falls (Schuyler County)

Depending on when you visit, this waterfall can be powerful and intense, almost spilling over into the highway, or barely a trickle at the height of Summer. Aunt Sarah’s Falls is truly magnificent in the wintertime when it is frozen. This is by far one of the easiest falls to see on the list as it is literally right on the road. There is a small parking area across the street where you can stop and appreciate this exquisite waterfall.

Glen Eldridge Falls – Hector (Schuyler County)

This beautiful waterfall is located right along the side of the road. This waterfall is a great example of the gorges in the area and how the water has cut through the shale rock over the centuries, creating stunning landscapes.

Wolcott Falls – Wolcott (Wayne County)

Wolcott Falls is a tiny little park that is easy to miss. Enter the parking lot and there is a viewing area on the right. This provides a nice view of the falls. However, the best view is one that most people miss. The entrance to the trail is at the far end of the park. This is a wide, gravel trail that gradually slopes to the bottom. This spot provides the best view of the falls.

Holley Canal Falls – Holley (Orleans County)

Holley Canal Falls is a great park that has made almost all areas accessible to everyone. Most of the paths are paved or at least graveled. The waterfall is quite close to the parking lot and there are lots of places to sit and enjoy the scenery. There are also miles of nature trails that make you feel like you are truly away from it all.

Taughannock Falls – Trumansburg (Tompkins County)

Taughannock Falls is a great destination and very popular. The path to the falls is flat although can be muddy when rainy. However, on a nice sunny day, nothing beats this spot. Taughannock Falls is the highest single-drop waterfall on this side of the Rocky Mountains. There is a scenic overlook that allows visitors to view the waterfall from the top.

Letchworth State Park – Upper Falls & Middle Falls – Castile (Wyoming County)

While there are 3 enormous waterfalls at Letchworth, two are easily accessible to everyone. The Upper and MIddle Falls are super easy to get to with flat pavement and a close parking lot. These waterfalls are utterly stunning at any time of year. Of course, Letchworth, in and of itself, is gorgeous. There are plenty of scenic overlooks that make this destination unforgettable for everyone.

Shequaga Falls – Montour Falls (Schuyler County)

shequaga Falls is located in the heart of Montour Falls. There is a park with paved sidewalks that lead down to the waterfall. This waterfall is very dependent on the local water flow. It is best to visit after a heavy rain or in early spring when the creeks are really running.

Akron Falls – Akron (Erie County)

This is a spectacular waterfall when viewed at the right time of year. In the early spring and fall or after a heavy rainfall, there is nothing quite as beautiful as this waterfall. It is very full with multiple drop-offs, creating lots of little waterfalls. The path down to the waterfall is paved but it can be slippery when snow-covered or wet. We have visited this waterfall in the winter and it was truly gorgeous, but the path, when it wasn’t cleared, was very slippery.

Glen Falls Park – Williamsville (Erie County)

Glen Falls Park is really a gorgeous little oasis in the middle of Williamsville. The Falls aren’t the only beautiful thing about this park. Between the falls, the gardens, and the mill this park is just one of those places that make you want to sit and appreciate the peaceful setting. No matter what time of year you visit, the falls are always full. Wintertime is particularly pretty with the park dressed up for the holidays and hardly a soul around.

Robert Treman State Park – Ithaca (Tompkins County)

There are two notable waterfalls in this state park. Although Lucifer Falls entails a difficult hike, Lower Falls is a short easy walk on flat pavement. During the summer, Lower Falls is part of the swimming area. If you would like an unobscured view of this waterfall, the best time to visit is in the spring, summer, and winter.

Clarendon Falls – Clarendon Falls (Orleans County)

This waterfall is a little bit hit or miss. Right after a good rainstorm, it is really full and absolutely beautiful. However, there are times when this waterfall slows to a trickle. It is very weather dependent. If you can catch it on a good day, this is definitely worth a visit. The walk to this waterfall is as strenuous as getting out of your car and walking a short distance across the grass.

Medina Falls – Medina (Orleans County)

There are waterfalls and there are waterfalls, and this one is one heck of a waterfall. Even in the midst of one of the driest summers on record, this waterfall was fuller than full. Reaching this waterfall is nothing more than a quick stroll down the Erie Canal.

Papermill Falls – Avon (Livingston County)

Papermill Falls is another really picturesque waterfall that remains fairly full regardless of the local water table. The multiple drops and levels in this waterfall make it a really stunning to view from just about every vantage point. Visitors can get a fairly good view of the full falls from the top, just at the edge of the parking lot and there is a bridge that crosses above the falls that gives a great birdseye view of the falls and the creek beyond it.

Marcellus Falls – Marcellus (Onondaga County)

This is another waterfall that can be seen while driving on the road. It is on someone’s property but the bridge over the highway provides a good place to view it from. This is a “quick glance” type of waterfall where you can enjoy it for a minute or so then move along as to not hold up traffic or disturb the people who live there.

Tompkins Falls – Andes (Delaware County)

If you find yourself driving through the Northern Catskills, you can see this beautiful waterfall in all its glory right from the roadside. Tompkins Falls isn’t enormously tall, but the way it flows through the creek, over the large slabs of rock creates a really magnificent waterfall.

Chittenango Falls – Cazenovia (Madison County)

While the best view of Chittenango Falls is from the bottom, there are several spots where you can see this spectacular waterfall. You can catch a glimpse from the road as you are driving into the park. However, I do not recommend stopping on the side of the road for more than a few seconds. It is a twisty, curvy road and this can be hazardous to other drivers. Visitors can get a great view of the waterfall from the top. The viewing area is a short distance from the parking lot and easy to reach without the incumbrance of stairs.

Keuka Lake Outlet Trail – Penn Yan (Yates County)

The Keuka Lake Outlet Trail has two waterfalls on it. Seneca Mill Falls can be reached quite easily along the well-maintained path. The other waterfall, Cascade Falls, is a bit of a further walk but still easy to view from an overlook.

Salmon River Falls – Orwell (Oswego County)

This trail is listed as a handicapped-accessible trail by the New York State Parks Department. There are two observation areas that also have handrails. This trail is relatively short, so it’s perfect for almost everyone to get out and view this gorgeous waterfall. The observation areas both have fantastic views of the falls from different perspectives.

Whiskey Brook Falls – Speculator (Hamilton County)

This roadside waterfall in the Adirondacks can be easily seen from your vehicle on the highway. There is a small area for you to pull your vehicle off the road safely. This waterfall isn’t huge but it is really lovely.

Austin Falls – Wells (Hamilton County)

While this waterfall may not have the dramatic free-falling cascade of the more popular waterfalls, however, this waterfall is a long sliding or step waterfall that drops over 300 yards while crashing over large rocks. The backdrop of the cliff wall behind is stunning and adds rustic beauty to this beautiful waterfall. This isn’t much of a hiking destination, as the falls are less than 50 feet from the road. A trail runs along the edge of the woods above the falls, but it is only about 300 yards.

Carpenter Falls – Niles (Cayuga County)

Thanks to a boardwalk built by the DEC this gorgeous waterfall near Skaneateles Lake is now accessible to everyone. The walk out to the viewing platform is fairly short and canopied by trees, making this a beautiful place to visit a waterfall and enjoy the beauty of the woods. It is especially stunning in the fall when the leaves are changing.

Bucktail Falls – Spafford (Onondaga County)

Bucktail Falls is another roadside waterfall. There is a small parking area where cars can pull off the road and see the waterfall.

Blue Ridge Falls – North Hudson (Essex County)

This Adirondack waterfall is pretty easy to get to and see. The best view of the overall falls is from the top. You can pull off the road into the dirt parking area and see the falls from right there. You honestly don’t even need to get out of your car.

Mill Pond Falls – Gasport (Niagara County)

This waterfall is right along the road. Again, this is one you can view right from your car. The waterfall isn’t always full, but when it is, it is really lovely.

Wiscoy Falls – Portageville (Wyoming County)

Wiscoy Falls can be viewed in all its perfection from the bridge. (Although, for the sake of traffic, please don’t park on the bridge and hold up other vehicles.) There are other vantage points to view the falls but they all require a very short walk over uneven ground, so they aren’t accessible to everyone.

Tinker Falls – Tully (Onondaga County)

This waterfall can be somewhat seasonal. If it is a dry summer, it can slow to a trickle (as you can see in the picture.) This waterfall has handicapped parking and a handicap-accessible trail leading to the falls.

Ithaca Falls – Ithaca (Tompkins County)

The path to this gorgeous (and massive) waterfall is short and mostly flat (although it can be rough), taking you right up to almost the base of the falls.