Seeing a jaw-dropping waterfall usually comes with a catch: a sweaty uphill hike, a long drive into nowhere, or both.
But not this one! And this time of year, it comes with a bonus.
A brand-new study from travel insurer AllClear ranked 129 of the world’s best-known waterfalls on how easy they are to reach, and New York’s very own Cohoes Falls landed at No. 5 in the entire world.
That puts it ahead of famous falls like Japan’s Nachi Falls and, yep, Niagara Falls, which came in 20th.
Even better? The leaves around the falls are putting on a show right now.
So if you’re still searching for your upstate fall foliage trip destination before the end of the season, consider this your sign.
The world’s easiest waterfalls to visit
The study scored each waterfall on distance from the nearest airport, trail length, elevation gain and even the local weather, then gave it a Difficulty Score out of 100.
The lower the score, the easier the trip. Here’s the top five:
- Rainbow Falls, Hawaii (18.4)
- Snoqualmie Falls, Washington (22.9)
- Kravica Waterfall, Bosnia and Herzegovina (25.1)
- Iguazú Falls (Argentina side), Argentina (25.6)
- Cohoes Falls, New York (26.2)
The US dominated the list overall, grabbing seven spots in the top 20.
And with Niagara sneaking in at No. 20, New York has two waterfalls in the global top 20.
Meet the “Niagara Falls of Eastern New York”
Cohoes Falls stretches across the Mohawk River between the city of Cohoes and the town of Waterford, just north of Albany. And it’s seriously big.
It’s the second-largest waterfall in New York State, measuring roughly 1,000 feet across and dropping up to 90 feet.
That makes it wider than, and nearly as tall as, the American Falls at Niagara. No wonder it earned its nickname!
Best part? According to the study, the trail to the falls is just under a kilometer, about half a mile, with only around 100 feet of elevation gain. That’s basically a stroll!
Why now is the perfect time to go
Fall is having a moment at Cohoes.
The latest I LOVE NY Fall Foliage Report put Cohoes at near-peak-to-peak color, with yellow, gold, burgundy and red leaves framing the falls.
Picture all that color reflected in the mist of a 1,000-foot-wide waterfall. Yeah.
But don’t wait too long. The Capital Region’s foliage season usually wraps up in early November, and Falls View Park, the best spot to see the falls, closes for the season once November hits.
And if you miss this fall’s window, spring brings the biggest, most thunderous flows, while freezing winter weather can turn the falls into a wall of ice.
How to see Cohoes Falls
There are two main spots to take it all in:
- Falls View Park: the best seat in the house, with a 192-foot pedestrian bridge and picture-perfect views of the fall color. It closes for the season in November, so go soon.
- Overlook Park: a second viewpoint about a third of a mile away, with sweeping views of the full width of the falls.
It was famous before Niagara was
Not only is it stunning, but it also has some pretty fascinating lore. Back in the mid-1600s, when Niagara was still only reachable by fur traders, Cohoes Falls was considered one of the most famous natural wonders in America.
The falls are also a deeply important place for the Haudenosaunee, a group of Native nations in New York also known as the Iroquois Confederacy. According to their tradition, a figure known as the Peacemaker came to Cohoes Falls to bring warring nations together.
He survived an incredible test of strength at the falls, which convinced the Mohawk people to join him. They became the first nation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance that eventually united five nations across the state.
And if that’s not enough history for one day trip: in 1866, workers in Cohoes dug up the bones of a 13,000-year-old mastodon.
You can still see it on display at the New York State Museum in Albany, just down the road.
Make a fall day of it
Cohoes is way more than its waterfall.
Swing by revitalized Remsen Street, home to the historic Cohoes Music Hall plus new restaurants, breweries and small businesses, for a cozy post-falls bite. History buffs can stop at the Cohoes Visitors Center, or head to the New York State Museum in Albany to meet that 13,000-year-old mastodon in person.
Getting there from NYC
Cohoes sits just north of Albany, making it an easy day trip or a perfect add-on to an upstate fall weekend.
Drivers can make it in around 3 hours, or you can take Amtrak to Albany-Rensselaer and grab a quick ride from there.
Turns out you don’t have to fly across the world, or even drive to Buffalo, to see one of the planet’s most accessible waterfalls, and right now it comes wrapped in fall color.
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