Updated July 2026
Buttermilk Falls (Long Lake)
A wide staircase of cascades totaling about 20 feet that spans nearly the full width of the Raquette River near Long Lake in the central Adirondacks. A flat half-mile round-trip trail from North Point Road reaches picnic areas beside the falls.
Before you go
Waterfalls are hazardous by nature — wet rock, cold water, and unstable edges — and flow varies enormously with season and recent rain. Trail figures here describe the route as documented, not conditions today. Check NYSDEC (Adirondack Park) for closures and current conditions, and confirm land status before setting out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Buttermilk Falls (Long Lake) drops about 20 feet. That makes it the 617th-tallest documented waterfall in this inventory, taller than roughly 12% of the falls listed here. Height comes from published land-manager and survey records, not from our own measurement.
The Buttermilk Falls Trail reaches it about 0.5 miles (out-and-back) with roughly 25 feet of elevation gain, rated easy. The nearest town is Long Lake. That describes the route as documented, not conditions on the day — check with NYSDEC (Adirondack Park) for closures and current conditions.
spring. Waterfall flow swings enormously with snowmelt and recent rain, so a fall that roars in spring can be a trickle by late summer.
More New York waterfalls
- Awosting Falls · 60 ft
- Bastion Falls · 70 ft
- Beaver Meadow Falls · 60 ft
- Buttermilk Falls (Ithaca) · 165 ft
- Buttermilk Falls · 165 ft
- Carpenter Falls · 90 ft
- Chittenango Falls · 167 ft
- Cowshed Falls · 56 ft
Sources
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