Awosting Falls is a 70-foot plunge waterfall on the Peters Kill in Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Ulster County, New York. It lies just off Route 44/55, and a short, easy carriageway leads from the lower parking area to its pool.
The falls
Lidar data indicates two steps: a steep cascade of about 10 feet, then a sheer 60-foot plunge into a large pool. Earlier surveys showed 60 feet, with another count noting 65 feet. The Peters Kill is effectively a seasonal stream, and the falls can dry up entirely in summer.
Getting there
Minnewaska State Park Preserve is managed by New York State Parks at 5281 Route 44-55, Kerhonkson. Admission is $10 per vehicle, and the Empire Pass is accepted. Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through October 12, 2026, then 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through October 31.
From the Lower Awosting parking area, the red-blazed Awosting Falls Carriageway follows the Peters Kill to the top of the falls and down to the base. The Awosting Falls Connection Trail runs 1.1 miles out and back with 118 feet of gain, rated easy. A longer option starts at the upper lot by the visitor center and descends the Sunset Carriageway past several smaller cascades; that route is 2.1 miles out and back with 488 feet of gain.
On good-weather days the park closes entry intermittently when its lots fill, and it asks visitors not to park on road shoulders.
When to go
April through October is the recommended season. The falls depend on rain: after a heavy storm they can run with real force, while in a dry summer the Peters Kill can stop running altogether.
On site
The carriageway reaches the brink before dropping to the pool at the foot of the plunge. Swimming is not permitted in any stream or waterfall in the park, and the park's designated swimming areas are closed until the 2027 season. Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than 6 feet but are barred from buildings, picnic, camping and bathing areas. Traffic noise from Route 44/55 carries along parts of the trail. Past Lyons Road, the route continues as Trapps Road into Mohonk Preserve, which needs its own day pass.
History and name
The falls appear in season two of the television series Severance, in the episode "Woe's Hollow." Industrial Light & Magic reworked the footage with deep snow, an ice-covered pond and hundreds of icicles on the rock walls.
Nearby
Sheldon Falls is about 0.4 mile away and Saw Mill Falls about 0.7 mile, both on the Peters Kill. Sanders Kill Falls is about 1 mile away.
Distances are straight-line.