Waterfall In New Jersey 3 Beautiful Waterfall
By Nabewise
Wetumpka Falls Waterfalls in New Jersey
Wetumpka Falls is a pretty waterfall in New Jersey.
Wetumpka Falls is a roughly 50 foot high waterfall located along Stony Brook in the town of Watchung in Somerset County New Jersey.
Wetumpka is an Indian word meaning tumbling or rumbling waters.
An old man-made dam used to exist right above the falls but it was washed away by a flood in 1973. You can still see remnants of the dam above the banks of the Stony Brook today.
Wetumpka Falls drops in four quick stages with two main drops. The Upper drop is slightly smaller than the
Lower drop and there are two smaller drops at the very top and bottom of the falls.
This is not one of the most scenic waterfalls in New Jersey but it is unbelievably easy to get to Wetumpka Falls.
Wetumpka Falls is located directly across the street from the Watchung Police and Court Building at 880 Somerset Street. You can park right in the court parking lot but be careful crossing Somerset Street because it is a busy roadway. After you cross the street you can hear and see the falls but to get close you have to hike a very short way down into the steep ravine below. To reach Somerset Street from I-78 take exit 40 and proceed south along Hillcrest Ave until you reach the Watchung Circle. Go 3/4 of the way around the circle and bear right onto Somerset St and look for the Police and Court Building on your left at 880 Somerest St. From Route 22 take Watchung Ave north and it will become Somerset St and look for the Police and Court Building on your right at 880 Somerset St.
Pottersville Falls is a New Jersey Waterfall
Pottersville Falls may look like it is in the Swiss Alps or some other exotic destination but it is actually in New Jersey.
Pottersville Falls is a waterfall in New Jersey located along the Black River in the town of Pottersville right where Morris, Hunterdon and Somerset Counties meet in the north-central part of the state.
Pottersville Falls drops and slides some 40 to 50 total feet through a beautiful picturesque ravine as the forceful Black River carves and squeezes its way past.
Pottersville Falls and the town of Pottersville used to be called Lamington Falls but the name was changed to honor the prominent Potter family. Once past Pottersville Falls the Black River suddenly changes its name and becomes the Lamington River. While this may seem odd the river does undergo dramatic changes past Pottersville Falls. At and above the falls the river has a dark appearance to it even in the fall (see photo below) while past the falls the river becomes much lighter in appearance as the terrain levels out.
Harriet Adams (aka Carolyn Keene) who edited and wrote most of the Nancy Drew mystery books lived in Pottersville until she died in 1982 when in her 90’s.
At Christmas time the town has been known to put up a big sign saying “This is Bedford Falls” in deference to the bad connotations associated with Pottersville from Frank Capra’s brilliant holiday film classic It’s a Wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore as Mr Potter and of course Clarence.
Pottersville Falls actually consists of three separate falls with the uppermost fall being the main drop and the tallest and heaviest flow of the three.
Below the main drop are two smaller waterfalls that go right through the narrow rocky gorge the Black River has carved out.
After the two smaller falls the river levels out for a small stretch
and then tumbles through yet another pretty waterfall
as it flows through a canyon like atmosphere.
Pottersville Falls is located right along Black River Road just north of the town of Pottersville. From the town you turn right onto Black River Road from CR 512/Fairmount Road or left onto High Street to left on Black River Road if coming down CR 512/Fairmount Road from the north. Black River Road is very narrow here and the falls is located right above a small white house. If you want to see the falls from the road you have to park further down the road and walk and even then the views are not great as you can see from the photo below.
You can hear Pottersville Falls all year long from Black River Road and the falls is visible from the road when the trees are leafless. But the land between the road and the falls is steep and private and contains two houses one of which is occupied year-round. The other side of the falls is public land and can be accessed from a trail that begins at a public hunters parking lot located just up the road from Pottersville along Pottersville Road about .2 tenths of a mile past the Firehouse and away from town. If you are coming from town keep going straight and do not go over the river. If coming into Pottersville from the other direction as soon as you cross the bridge over the river you turn immediately left. Once you park in the lot the trail goes directly uphill from the park bulletin board. Just keep going left at every opportunity along the trail for maybe a half mile until you hear the river and falls below. Then work your way carefully down to the river (the trail does not go down to the river, photo below is the river just above the main falls).
Right above the falls is very steep and rocky so you’ll want to reach the river a little above where the falls begin. Use extreme caution here at all times and do not attempt this hike in wet weather as the terrain going down to and around the falls will be slick and dangerous.
Pottersville Falls is a beautiful New Jersey waterfall.
Unless otherwise credited all photos © Joe Dorish with permission granted to use the photos as long as you provide a clear working link back to this web-page.
Kay’s Pond Falls Chester New Jersey
Kay’s Pond Falls is a powerful waterfall located in New Jersey that used to generate energy to power the mills in the area.
Kay’s Pond Falls is a powerful roughly 12 foot high waterfalls in Chester, New Jersey along the Black River.
Sometime in the late 1700’s or early 1800’s the Black River was dammed to produce energy and as a result Kay’s Pond was formed. The buildings that were used to generate and use the water power here are long gone but the man-made waterfall at the end of Kay’s Pond still exists.
In addition to being roughly 12 feet high Kay’s Pond Falls is about 25 feet across.
The Black River never runs dry and Kay’s Pond Falls has good water-flow all year round from Summer
through Autumn, through Winter and Spring.
Kay’s Pond and Kay’s Pond Falls are named for the Kay family who bought 233 acres of land along the Black River and built a farm they named “Hidden River Farm” in the 1920’s. The Kay’s left the land to the County of Morris Park Commission who turned the area into an Environmental Center named in honor of Elizabeth D. Kay and also into the Cooper Gristmill.
(Kay’s Pond Summer)
Technically I believe Kay’s Pond Falls is located in Cooper Gristmill land. The Cooper Mill does still exist and works but uses water up the river from Kay’s Pond for power. Kay’s Pond is a great fishing spot.
(Kay’s Pond Winter)
You can actually watch Cooper Mill in action if so inclined as the Morris County Park Commission keeps the site running for visitors to watch and learn how people survived and made livings a hundred or more years ago through the use of water power.
Directions to Kay’s Pond Falls: the falls is located right along State Park Rd just west of downtown Chester. From the 206 intersection in Chester turn left onto 513 (which is also Route 24) if approaching from the south or right onto 513 if approaching from the north. If approaching 206 from Main St just keep going straight through the light. At the bottom of the hill you will cross over the Black River and you want turn left just over the bridge and then immediately bear left onto State Park Rd. Just down the road you will see Kay’s Pond on your left and you can park on the left in the dirt along the road at the end of the pond. There is a bridge just downstream from the falls and you can cross over the river to access both sides of the falls. Alternatively you can park in the Cooper Gristmill parking lot located on your left just before you cross the Black River along 513/24 and hike a short distance down to Kay’s Pond Falls.