Buttermilk Falls is a 40-foot curtain waterfall on Hines Run in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, the centerpiece of the 48-acre Buttermilk Falls Natural Area near New Florence. Indiana County Parks and Trails manages the site, which was once the country retreat of Fred Rogers's grandfather.
The falls
The stream pours in a single vertical drop where a resistant sandstone layer meets easily eroded shale. The World Waterfall Database measures the drop at about 40 feet from lidar data. County materials spell the stream Hires Run and describe it as a tributary of the Conemaugh River.
Getting there
The natural area is at 570 Valley Brook Road, New Florence, about 1.8 miles south of Route 22 by Clay Pike Road. The lot holds about a dozen cars, and there are restrooms and a small first-come picnic pavilion beside it. A path of concrete and crushed stone leads 0.2 mile to an upper overlook and is wheelchair accessible. From there, wooden stairs and the Eclipse Bridge, which spans the stream just above the falls, lead down toward the lower falls; this section, built in 2017, is not accessible. The park is open year-round from 8 a.m. to sunset.
When to go
The county does not clear snow or ice from the steps and platforms to the lower falls in winter, and visitors use them at their own risk.
On site
To protect a fragile plant and animal habitat, the county asks visitors to stay on the steps and platforms. Posted rules prohibit swimming and wading. The trail reaches a spot behind the falls.
History and name
Latrobe industrialist Fred McFeely owned the property from 1931 to 1956, and his grandson Fred Rogers visited as a child. Stone foundations and retaining walls of the cottage, stables and outbuildings still stand, and the site is a stop on the regional Fred Rogers Trail. The Keystone-Conemaugh Group donated the land to the county in 1995.
Nearby
Clark Run Falls is about 4.5 miles away, and Hinckston Falls about 9.8 miles. A different Buttermilk Falls, on Loyalhanna Creek, lies about 15.9 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.