Otter Falls
Ulster County, New York
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- Not recorded
- Location
- Ulster County, New York
- Access status
- Partial guide: road walk on Route 47 and an unmarked side path; not a marked trail
- The walk
- About 1/2 mile along Route 47, then roughly 1/3 mile on a side path
- Ground & access
- Road walk on Route 47, then an informal path along the woodline. Slippery rocks at the falls; hiking or water shoes with grip are recommended.
Otter Falls is a series of small falls ending in a pool about 6 to 8 feet deep, on state land in the Big Indian Valley near Slide Mountain. Mommy Poppins says to park at the Giant Ledge trailhead and walk half a mile west along Route 47 to a telephone pole marked milepost 167 1/2, where a path appears along the woodline in summer. We Blog The World calls it a small but adventurous side trail and says to look for yellow DEC state land signs. The side path is not a marked DEC trail in these sources.
Plan your visit
Giant Ledge trailhead on Route 47 (Oliverea Road), west along the road to the telephone pole marked milepost 167 1/2, then a side path to the falls
Mommy Poppins gives a half-mile walk west along Route 47 from the Giant Ledge trailhead and roughly 1/3 mile on the side path to where the falls can be heard.
Road walk on Route 47, then an informal path along the woodline. Slippery rocks at the falls; hiking or water shoes with grip are recommended.
Where to start
Giant Ledge trailhead parking on Route 47. No capacity is given; the trailhead is described as popular.
Timing & water
The path is described as clear in summer. No seasonal closure is mentioned.
Before you go
No fee or reservation is mentioned.
Visitor informationVisit sources
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
- Cornell FallsUlster County, NY3.3 miSE
- High FallsUlster County, NY6.4 miSW
- Buttermilk FallsPartial guide: short path, but legal parking at the pull-off is not confirmed under DEC corridor rulesUlster County, NY7.4 miS
- Vernooy Kill FallsPartial guide: marked DEC trail to the main falls; the exact drop this listing marks is uncertainUlster County, NY11 miS
- Metacahonts FallsUlster County, NY12 miSE
Diamond Notch FallsState wilderness trail; about a mile one way15 ft (4.6 m) · Greene County, NY13 miNE- Winchell's FallsUlster County, NY13 miSE
- Wildcat FallsSullivan County, NY17 miW
- Tompkins FallsRoadside view in the Delaware Wild Forest; no road shoulderDelaware County, NY18 miW