Buttermilk Falls is a 20-foot, two-drop waterfall on Branch Brook in Windsor County, Vermont, a few miles east of Mount Holly.
The falls
The name most properly belongs to the middle of three falls that Branch Brook makes over about a quarter mile: a 5-foot cascade drops into a 15-foot fall, for 20 feet in two drops. A separate fall 5 to 7 feet high lies about 350 feet downstream, and the uppermost of the three was historically called Bridal Veil Falls. Older measurements that combine all three falls put the total near 35 feet. Branch Brook here is a medium upland stream, 20 to 40 feet wide, with three falls, cascades, and pools.
Getting there
The State of Vermont holds title to a 7-acre parcel around the falls, purchased with public funds in a project completed in 2003. Old Route 103, now Buttermilk Falls Road, leads to the site; the falls sit near the road's end, just downstream from an old, closed bridge. A roughly 1-mile easy loop trail circles the falls, with roadside parking only and no fee; the route is not wheelchair accessible, and the area is for daylight use only.
On site
Swimming in the pools is popular, though it is at visitors' own risk; dogs must be leashed or under voice control, and jumping, overnight stays, and campfires are prohibited. On April 18, 2026, an adult fell down rocks onto a boulder at the lower falls and was pulled out with ropes by rescuers, then taken to the hospital with a possible dislocated shoulder; wet rocks at the falls can be slippery.
Nearby
Tinker Brook Cascades is about 7.8 miles away, Twenty Foot about 9.1 miles, Niagara Falls about 9.6 miles, and Wymans Falls about 10.1 miles.
Distances are straight-line.