Waterfalls GuideWaterfalls Guide
Delaware Valley

Two Delaware Valley waterfalls from the Pocono ridge to the Shawangunks

A 2-stop day-trip or autumn weekend through the Delaware Water Gap and Minnewaska State Park. Dingmans and Awosting, 90 minutes apart on US-209 and NY-55.

This is a 2-stop route through the Delaware River valley and the Shawangunk Ridge, two distinct landscapes joined by a 90-minute drive across the Pennsylvania-New York border. Dingmans Falls is a 130-foot two-tier cascade inside Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, on Dingmans Creek in the Pocono Plateau country of northeastern Pennsylvania. Awosting Falls is a 60-foot plunge over Shawangunk conglomerate inside Minnewaska State Park Preserve, in the Shawangunk Ridge of southeastern New York. Together they trace the geology of the Catskill and Pocono Devonian sediments shifting north into the harder Silurian quartz conglomerate that built the Shawangunk cliffs.

The route works as a long day trip from New York City, Philadelphia, or the Lehigh Valley, and works better as an autumn weekend. The two falls are 90 minutes apart by car (US-209 north from Dingmans Ferry, then NY-55 west into Minnewaska via Port Jervis), which makes a one-day push possible but tight: Dingmans in the morning, Awosting in the afternoon, plus driving. As a weekend, the trip pairs naturally with hikes on the Shawangunk carriage roads, a Catskill side trip, or a stop at Bushkill Falls (private, ticketed) or Raymondskill Falls (also inside Delaware Water Gap NRA, sometimes called the tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania).

The headline is the autumn foliage. The Pocono Plateau and the Shawangunk Ridge both peak in late October in a normal year, with the higher Shawangunk elevations turning roughly a week earlier than the river-level Pocono valleys. Sugar maple, red oak, and beech color drives the show; the harder Shawangunk conglomerate cliffs add a buff-white backdrop behind the Awosting plunge that no other waterfall in the Northeast quite matches.

Stops on this route.

1
Dingmans Falls
Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania

Dingmans Falls

Starting point1 hr 0 min on site

Arrive at the Dingmans Falls Visitor Center off Johnny Bee Road, just west of US-209 in Dingmans Ferry, PA. The 0.4-mile out-and-back boardwalk passes 80-foot Silverthread Falls about a third of the way in, then ends at the base of the 130-foot two-tier Dingmans drop. A separate stair-step trail climbs to a top-of-falls overlook (steep, optional). Free entry, no permit. The visitor center and boardwalk are open daylight hours, late April through early November; the access road gate closes for the winter season. Allow 60 minutes; longer if photographing Silverthread.

2
Awosting Falls
Kerhonkson, New York

Awosting Falls

90 min · 58 mi from previous stop1 hr 15 min on site

From Dingmans Ferry, take US-209 north to Port Jervis, then I-84 east briefly and US-209 north again, then NY-55 east into Minnewaska State Park Preserve. The Awosting Falls lot sits on NY-44/55 below the main Minnewaska entrance; from there a 0.5-mile walk reaches the top-of-falls overlook, or a 1.5-mile carriage road route from the main parking gives a longer approach with a bottom-of-falls viewpoint. Park entry is $10 per car (subject to change, New York State Parks). Afternoon light catches the buff Shawangunk conglomerate behind the 60-foot plunge.

Why this route, in this order.

Dingmans first, then Awosting. The order is driven by the boardwalk, the morning light, and the drive direction.

Dingmans Falls is reached by a 0.4-mile fully accessible boardwalk that passes 80-foot Silverthread Falls roughly halfway in. The boardwalk faces northeast and gets the best light from 9 a.m. to noon. Arriving at the Dingmans Falls Visitor Center between 9 and 10 a.m. lets visitors walk the boardwalk, photograph both Silverthread and Dingmans, and leave before the midday tour buses arrive from the Crawford Lookout side of US-209.

Awosting Falls earns the afternoon. The standard approach is from the Lower Awosting parking lot (also called the Awosting Falls lot) on NY-44/55, with a short 0.5-mile walk to a top-of-falls overlook and a slightly longer 1.5-mile route from the main Minnewaska Lake parking down through the carriage road system. Afternoon side light from the southwest catches the Shawangunk conglomerate cliff face behind the plunge and brings out the buff-white quartz pebbles in the rock. Arriving between 1 and 3 p.m. matches the light, and the Minnewaska gates do not close until sunset.

The reverse order (Awosting first, Dingmans second) is doable, but it puts the larger and slightly harder hike at Minnewaska in the morning and forces a late-afternoon arrival at Dingmans when the boardwalk slips into shadow. Also, US-209 traffic out of Port Jervis runs heavier southbound on Sunday afternoons, so finishing in New York and exiting toward Stroudsburg in the morning fights less traffic than the reverse.

Food, fuel, and lodging.

Park passes and fees.

Food, coffee, gas. Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg, PA, sit 25 minutes south of Dingmans on I-80 and US-209 and are the natural Pocono-side base for breakfast and gas. Milford, PA, is the closest small town to Dingmans (10 minutes north on US-209). On the New York side, New Paltz is the natural Shawangunk base, with a full main-street food and coffee scene 15 minutes from Minnewaska on NY-299. Port Jervis at the state line has gas and a basic grocery.

Lodging.

What to bring. Light hiking shoes (the Dingmans boardwalk is flat; the Minnewaska carriage roads are gravel), rain shell, layers in October (Shawangunk Ridge runs 10 degrees cooler than Port Jervis), water, and offline maps for the NY-209 and NY-55 segments. Cell coverage is reasonable but spotty in pockets.

Best season for this route.

Best overall window: Late September through early November for autumn foliage, and again April through early June for peak flow and spring ephemerals. The Dingmans access road closes for the winter season (typically late November through mid-April), so wintertime visitors must walk in from US-209, adding roughly a mile each way.

Peak foliage: Mid to late October. The Shawangunk Ridge around Awosting peaks roughly October 10 through 20 in a normal year, a week earlier than the river-level Dingmans area. To catch both falls at peak, target October 17 through 24 and aim for a Friday or Sunday rather than a Saturday (Minnewaska parking fills by 10 a.m. on October Saturdays).

Peak flow: April. Snowmelt from the Pocono Plateau and the Shawangunk Ridge pushes both Dingmans Creek and Peters Kill (Awosting's stream) hardest in the first half of spring. By late August both falls thin to lower flow but still run year-round.

Avoid: Late November through early April for Dingmans access without a winter walk-in, and any October Saturday at Minnewaska after 9:30 a.m. (the lot routinely fills and the rangers turn cars away).

Questions about this route.

Can I do this route in one day?

Yes, comfortably. The two trails together take about two hours of walking, the drive between them is 90 minutes, and both gates are open daylight hours in season. A reasonable plan is to arrive at Dingmans by 9 a.m., walk the boardwalk, drive to Minnewaska, eat lunch in New Paltz or at the Minnewaska day-use area, then hike to Awosting and return to the lot by 4 p.m. As an autumn trip it works much better with an overnight in New Paltz or Stroudsburg, since the foliage drives both ways are part of the experience.

Do I need a permit for either waterfall?

No timed-entry permit at either. Dingmans Falls inside Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is free with no permit, though the DWGA charges $10 per vehicle at certain river-access lots elsewhere in the park. Minnewaska State Park Preserve charges $10 per car day-use fee at the Awosting Falls lot and the main entrance, payable at the booth or via the New York State Empire Pass.

Where should I stay overnight?

New Paltz, NY, is the natural Saturday-night base with the broadest range of inns, hotels, and short-term rentals 15 minutes from Minnewaska. Milford and Stroudsburg, PA, work as Friday-night anchors close to Dingmans. Mohonk Mountain House is the upscale local option in the Shawangunks. For a quieter Catskill-edge option, Rosendale and Kerhonkson on the way north from Port Jervis offer small inns.

Is the road to Dingmans Falls paved?

Yes. Johnny Bee Road, the access road off US-209, is fully paved to the Dingmans Falls Visitor Center lot. The gate closes for the winter season (typically late November through mid-April). When the gate is closed visitors can still walk in along the road, adding roughly a mile each way to the boardwalk approach.

What is the best season for foliage?

Mid to late October. The Shawangunk Ridge around Awosting peaks roughly October 10 through 20, and the lower-elevation Pocono and Delaware Valley around Dingmans peaks October 17 through 28. Target October 17 through 24 to catch both. Aim for Friday or Sunday rather than Saturday: Minnewaska parking lots fill by 10 a.m. on October Saturdays and rangers turn cars away.

Are dogs allowed on these trails?

Yes at both, with leash rules. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area allows dogs on the Dingmans Falls boardwalk on a six-foot leash. Minnewaska State Park Preserve allows dogs on carriage roads and most trails on a six-foot leash, but prohibits dogs from swimming at Lake Minnewaska and Lake Awosting. Bring water for the dog and a backup leash.

Can I extend this route with more waterfalls?

Yes. Two natural additions sit on the Pennsylvania side: Raymondskill Falls (also inside Delaware Water Gap NRA, sometimes called the tallest waterfall in Pennsylvania at roughly 150 feet across three tiers) is 15 minutes north of Dingmans on US-209 and free. Bushkill Falls (a private, ticketed park sometimes nicknamed the Niagara of Pennsylvania) is 30 minutes south of Dingmans, with multiple falls on a boardwalk system. On the New York side, the broader Minnewaska and adjacent Sam's Point Preserve hold additional cascades along the Peters Kill and Verkeerderkill drainages.