HikerButtermilk Falls Trail, NJ: waterfall to Appalachian Trail
Buttermilk Falls has two very different visits hiding behind one name: seeing the waterfall near the start and hiking the climbing trail beyond it. This page covers the trail to the Appalachian Trail, with a return by the same route.
- Route type
- Out and back
- Distance
- 2.8 mi
- Cumulative ascent
- Not verified
Return estimate doubles the NPS 1.4-mile one-way trail to the AT. Crater Lake and Hemlock Pond extensions are excluded. Cumulative ascent has not been verified for this outing. A source’s elevation change or summit height is not used as total climbing.
Sources reviewed 2026-10-13 · Independent HikerQuests planning guide
Start here
Use the official Buttermilk Falls access directions and read current road notices before following a navigation app.
Terrain & what to see
NPS rates the route moderate to difficult. It climbs past the waterfall and continues steeply toward the ridge.
The waterfall and the transition into ridge forest reward a slower pace. Keep photography to established places and leave the water alone.
Before hiking
Do not swim or wade in the falls or the restricted upstream area. Plan your return before considering a southbound AT extension to other lakes.
Landscape & trail notes
The connection to the AT explains how this local waterfall fits the Kittatinny hiking corridor. It does not make nearby lake loops part of the stated return distance.
After the hike
Label your post “falls visit” or “trail to the AT” according to what you actually did. Both can be worth sharing without making their distances sound equivalent.
More ways to plan the day
- Compare loops and out-and-back hikes
- Browse towns and regional guides
- NY, NJ & PA Hiking Trails: Ridge, River and Lake Guides
- Northern New Jersey Hiking: High Point, Stokes & the Water Gap
- Delaware Water Gap Hikes in NJ & PA: Tammany, Minsi and Lakes
- Crater Lake Loop, New Jersey: a ridge-top lake walk
- Hemlock Pond Loop via Crater Lake
- Blue Mountain Lake: choose a New Jersey woodland loop