Boonton Falls is a short but powerful waterfall along the Rockaway River in the Morris County town of Boonton. Boonton Falls marks the beginning of a series of rapids along the river before reaching the Boonton Reservoir. Unfortunately, it is difficult to see much of the river through the section due to erosion and private property. Getting to Boonton Falls itself is incredibly easy, but getting close can be dangerous and a challenge due to overgrowth and the high volume of water coming over the falls and ensuing rapids. Fortunately, there are still multiple viewpoints from further away that are arguably better than up close, and definitely safer.
Grace Lord Park
Other Attractions: Boonton Ironwork, Railroad Turntable
Boonton Falls
Height: 36 feet
Waterfall Coordinates: 40.90743, -74.41748
Distance: Less than a mile round trip
Ease of Access: Very easy
Rating:
Explore North Jersey Review: Easy to reach and reliably powerful when other waterfalls may be a trickle.
From the street parking, walk into Grace Lord Park and begin on the obvious gravel road. You will walk past a playground and gazebo. Continue until you reach a dam across the Rockaway River. This is not Boonton Falls itself, but you will be able to hear it from here. A very short distance down the trail, you will reach the top of the waterfall. From here, you cannot see much aside from the mist and some whitewater at the very top. There is an obvious unmarked trail down to the river, which allows you to get a good view of the falls. This trail is a little steep, and the river is fast, so make sure you watch your step.
Continuing down the main trail, you will soon find a stone bridge over the river. You will also notice a fenced off trail to the right. This trail has been closed since 2011 due to erosion caused by Hurricane Irene. From the bridge, you can see the waterfall in the distance, plus the fast moving rapids down below.
After the bridge, you will reach a fork. If you turn left to head back upstream, you will once again be greeted with more views of the falls. The trail here is much thinner, before eventually fading away into tall grass. I have never gone all the way up to the falls due to the trail disappearing and not seeing any easy way to proceed. Fortunately, along the way, there are a couple of locations where you can see the waterfall through the trees.
From here, retrace your steps to your car.
GPS Route
Attached is the route as described above for reference. Additionally users can download the route to use on their preferred GPS.
Additional Information
- After initially crossing the stone bridge, if you make a right at the fork, you will have access down to the river and the ruins of the Boonton Ironworks. After that, the trail basically ends at a police shooting range.
- Swimming is not allowed here, but I’ve seen it. The river is very fast-moving, and people have drowned. There are multiple emergency phones along the trail
Leave a Reply