The Waterfalls of Hacklebarney State Park

Hacklebarney State Park is a popular state park in the Morris County municipalities of Chester and Washington. The park is best known for the scenic Black River, a popular hiking and fishing destination. Aside from the Black River, there are also a few smaller brooks in the park featuring a handful of interesting waterfalls. Read on to learn how to get to five of these waterfalls, including a couple of relatively unknown ones, throughout Hacklebarney State Park, with the added bonus of hiking the entire trail along the Black River.

The Hike

From the parking area, begin on the obvious gravel road. This gravel road begins next to a sign listing the distances to other state parks in New Jersey. In a couple of hundred feet, you will see an obvious set of stairs on the left, and the start of the Red Trail. Take the Red Trail, which passes next to the largest picnic area in the park and Trout Brook. After about a quarter mile, you will reach an intersection and a bridge to the right. Trout Brook Falls is just after the bridge.

Trout Brook Falls

Trout Brook Falls is the tallest and most impressive waterfall in the park. The waterfall is split in the middle by a large boulder, and during drier periods, you may only see water flowing down the left side.

There are a few ways to view Trout Brook Falls. There are two views that I recommend. The first is by crossing the bridge and immediately making a left onto an obvious but unmarked trail. Take this trail down to the base of the falls for an up-close view of the falls. The trail becomes very rocky and somewhat steep, but most people should be able to make it to the bottom with caution.

The other view is back on the Red Trail. For those who visited the first viewpoint, cross the bridge again and continue on the Red Trail for a brief distance. You will soon see a wooden sign reading “Trout Brook Waterfall” pointing towards a small set of stone steps. Take these steps to the base of Trout Brook for a view of the waterfall from further downstream. The view from up close is better, but this location is easier to reach thanks to the stone steps installed.

The Black River

From Trout Brook Falls, return to the Red Trail and take it down to the Black River. From the parking area to the river, the Red Trail is easy, featuring gentle hills and alternating between paved and gravel. Once you reach the Black River, the trail becomes much more rugged and rocky as it follows the riverbank. Along the way, there are many scenic views of the river, with some featuring benches to rest on. You will likely see fishermen wading into the river, as this is a notable trout fishing location.

You will soon reach another bridge over Trout Brook, right before it reaches the Black River. If you look upstream at the bridge, a few smaller cascades are visible. These are not very impressive, but there are some picnic tables nearby, so it is a good spot to rest.

Unnamed Waterfall on the Black River

Continue on the Red Trail past Lower Trout Brook Falls. In about a quarter mile, you will reach one of the shortest waterfalls in the region, but also the most voluminous waterfall in the park: an unnamed waterfall across the Black River. There is a bench located right at the waterfall itself, but I prefer to see it further downstream. Continue on the trail until you see a small stone structure resembling an old drinking water fountain and an obvious unmarked path on the left leading to a massive boulder on the riverbank. On either side of the boulder are great views of the falls. Unfortunately, the view from the top of the (challenging to climb) boulder are not as good due to tree branches blocking the view.

Despite its short size, this waterfall is surprisingly good, featuring a couple of small drops as the Black River s-curves downstream. As it is located along a larger river, this waterfall reliably flows well, even if other waterfalls in the park have dried to just a trickle.

Lower Rinehart Brook Falls

From the unnamed waterfall, continue on the Red Trail until you reach another bridge, this time crossing Rinehart Brook. Immediately before the bridge, you will see a short unmarked trail to the right. Take this trail a short distance until you reach Lower Rinehart Brook Falls. This is another short waterfall, but surprisingly scenic, as with the previous waterfalls. Rinehart Brook curves as it flows downstream, making the top of the waterfall disappear behind the landscape ahead.

Rinehart Brook dries to a trickle in the summer, even more so than Trout Brook. I recommend visiting this waterfall in the spring or after heavy rain to get the best view.

Rinehart Brook Falls and Boundary Monuments

Just upstream of Lower Rinehart Brook Falls is another similar waterfall. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to reach the other waterfall from Lower Rinehart Brook Falls without getting your feet wet. I recommend returning to the Red Trail and continuing on the trail. A short distance after the bridge over Rinehart Brook, the Red Trail leaves the Black River and heads uphill. You will soon reach an intersection. On the trail map, there is a location labeled “Boundary Monuments” to the left. The monuments are not very interesting, and the trail is private property past the monuments. The monuments are not far, but I still do not think they are worth going out of your way for.

Continue on the Red Trail heading uphill. You will notice the area to the right of the trail features many small plants and bushes. Continue on the Red Trail until this area of overgrowth ends (40.74390, -74.73309). From here, exit the trail and walk downhill, following the sound of water until you reach the waterfall. The off-trail hike to Rinehart Brook Falls is steep and is the most challenging waterfall in the park to reach. I do not recommend visiting unless you are comfortable off-trail, especially since this waterfall is arguably the least impressive one in the park.

The Return Hike

From Rinehart Brook Falls, return to the Red Trail, and take this trail until it ends after crossing Rinehart Brook again. Where the Red Trail ends, you have the option of taking the White Trail or the Yellow Trail back to your car. The White Trail is more direct, but a little steeper. The Yellow Trail is longer, but flatter, before it meets the White Trail again. Since the park as a whole is not too steep, I typically take the White Trail the entire way back.

Upon reaching your car, you completed the nearly 3-mile journey to visit the five different waterfalls of Hacklebarney State Park. While none of the waterfalls are particularly big, all are located in a very scenic park, and there are not many places in New Jersey where you can see so many waterfalls on such a short hike.

GPS Route

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Additional Information

• The Black River becomes the Lamington River once it leaves Morris County. It is still the same river.