Rip Van Winkle Falls is a 15-foot waterfall on Catskill Creek in Greene County, New York, in the Northeastern Coastal Zone region. It lies about 1.5 miles northwest of Jefferson Heights and roughly 28.6 miles south of Albany as the crow flies.
At 15 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 163rd of 184. By form it is a dam-created falls, where a man-made structure creates the drop.
The Northeastern Coastal Zone is a rolling, glaciated lowland of oak-pine forest, stony soils and dense settlement from Boston to Long Island Sound. Waterfalls are small, often on former mill streams over granite ledges. Catskill Creek carries 3 recorded waterfalls, and Rip Van Winkle Falls is the tallest of them.
Greene County holds 55 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Austin Glen Falls, is under a mile away. Klein’s Falls, is about 2.3 miles away. Buttermilk Falls, is about 2.4 miles away.
Rip Van Winkle Falls is located at 42.2527° N, 73.8987° 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.