Helena Falls is an 11-foot waterfall on Kaaterskill Creek in Greene County, New York, in the Northern Allegheny Plateau region. It lies about 0.4 miles southeast of Palenville and roughly 35.9 miles south of Albany as the crow flies.
At 11 feet it is on the modest side for New York, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 50.5 feet; it ranks 173rd of 184. The tallest single drop is 7 feet. By form it is a tiered waterfall, falling in several distinct steps one after another, combined with a plunge character. It falls in 2 drops.
The Northern Allegheny Plateau is a dissected upland of rolling hills and deep valleys in New York and Pennsylvania, with northern hardwood forest and dairy farms. Creeks cut through layered shale and sandstone in gorges lined with waterfalls, as in the Finger Lakes glens. Kaaterskill Creek carries 11 recorded waterfalls; the biggest of them reaches 150 feet.
Greene County holds 55 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Niobe Falls, is under a mile away. Ferndale Falls, is under a mile away. Drummond Falls, is under a mile away.
Helena Falls is located at 42.1697° N, 74.0163° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. The position was verified on aerial imagery. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.