On Canajoharie Creek in Montgomery County, New York, Canajoharie Falls drops 45 feet into a gorge about a mile south of the village of Canajoharie. The village owns the land around it, and the customary view is from a wooden observation deck in Wintergreen Park.
The falls
The waterfall drops 45 feet in a single plunge; regional trail accounts also refer to it as Wintergreen Falls and list 40 feet.
Getting there
Wintergreen Park is reached from the village by Montgomery Street and Maple Avenue, which becomes Carlisle Road, then Old Sharon Road. From the upper parking area, the Scenic Trail runs 0.75 mile to the observation deck; another trail listing puts the out-and-back walk at 1.2 miles. The lower parking area provides picnic facilities and restrooms.
In August 2026 the Village Board closed all areas from Canajoharie Falls downstream to Riverfront Park, including the gorge and the Boiling Pot, following repeated police calls; reopening is not expected before 2027. The status of the Wintergreen Park overlook trail is not documented, so check with the Village of Canajoharie before going.
When to go
Trees partly hide the falls from the deck when in leaf, making visits when branches are bare preferable for viewing.
On site
Village law makes the creek and falls within 300 feet above and below the falls restricted premises, and entering without permission is trespassing. In June 2001 a 19-year-old student slipped from the edge of the falls, struck rock ledges and died; the falls area has been roped off since 2001. Visitors should stay on the trail and the deck.
History and name
Canajoharie derives its name from a Mohawk phrase translated as "the pot that washes itself," referring to the Boiling Pot, a pothole in Canajoharie Creek measuring 20 feet wide and 10 feet deep.
Nearby
Cemetery Falls is about 0.2 mile away, and Lower Canajoharie Falls is about 0.4 mile, on the same creek. Flat Creek Falls is about 2.6 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.