When and How to Visit New York's Cohoes Falls

If you're visiting New York's state capital of Albany and looking for something fun and outdoorsy to do, be sure to check out Cohoes Falls! When I went to Albany with my family to visit my Papa, she made fun of me for wanting to see the falls, saying that there really wasn't much to look at. Maybe I was impressed because it had been downplayed so much by my family, but also, there aren't many waterfalls that I don't love.

Is Cohoes Falls worth seeing?

Cohoes Falls is a pretty substantial waterfall on the Mohawk River. It's only 90 feet tall, but at 1,000 feet wide, it's quite a sight to behold. On top of the Falls themselves, this area of the Mohawk River is gorgeous, and you can enjoy a scenic walk around to check out the cliffs and learn about the history of the locks in the area.

What type of waterfall is Cohoes Falls?

Did you know there are different types of waterfalls? I mean, obviously, different waterfalls look different, but did you know each type has a name? Cohoes Falls is a block waterfall, also called a sheet waterfall, which is the designation for waterfalls that fall from a relatively wide river or stream.

This is a subtype of ledge waterfalls, along with classical waterfalls, where the width and height of the falls are around equal, and curtain waterfalls, which are a lot taller than they are wide. If you've ever been to Niagara Falls, you already know that it is another example of a block waterfall, with the biggest Horseshoe Falls being over 2,700 feet wide compared to 167 feet tall.

How to visit Cohoes Falls

Cohoes Falls is a quick fifteen-minute drive up the I-787N from downtown Albany. The Falls is technically shared by the towns of Cohoes and Waterford, but the easiest way to view the Falls is in Cohoes. There are two options, depending on the time of year you visit.

What to see from Falls View Park

The closest you can get to Cohoes Falls is within Falls View Park. There's a small parking lot right across from the entrance on N Mohawk Road, and once you enter, you'll cross a bridge to a small island with walking paths and (private) road access to the power plant. Unfortunately, Falls View Park is only open seasonally from May 1st to November 1st, 7 am to 7 pm. If you're visiting Albany in the winter, you'll have to settle for Overlook Park as I did.

What to see from Overlook Park

Just down N Mohawk Road, the entrance to Overlook Park is on the corner of School and Cataract Streets. There's a tiny parking lot (or plenty of street parking). This park is ungated, so you can enter any time of day, any time of year to see the Falls. From here, you can get a great view of Cohoes Falls with the power plant just down to your left. This park also wraps around and goes south along the Mohawk River for a very short stretch. It's just enough to appreciate the shale cliffs along the river and catch a glimpse of the town of Waterford across the way.

When is the best time of year to visit Cohoes Falls?

As you probably know, waterfalls can look a lot different depending on the water level, which varies significantly throughout the year. We got a pretty good showing during our visit to Cohoes Falls in late November, but you can see that almost half of the waterfall was dry.

Cohoes Falls in the spring and summer

Water levels are highest in the spring through the summer, when warmer temperatures cause snowmelt. Because my Papa lives nearby, he has captured the Falls at many different times throughout the year. He was very gracious in sharing some photos with me, so you can see the variety of appearances and inform your travel plans of when you want to see Cohoes Falls. Below are two photos taken when the Falls were raging with a high water level:

Photo credit (both): Jack Hurley

Cohoes Falls at its most full is pretty impressive. The spring or summer is also a good time to visit so you can access Falls View Park, which, as I noted, is only open seasonally. In contrast, here is a photo my Papa shared with me of the Falls at a very low water level and almost completely dry:

Photo credit: Jack Hurley

You may want to visit Albany in the fall to see the leaves changing colors, which is beautiful. Just keep in mind that, at this time, the water levels will be a bit low and at least a portion of Cohoes Falls will be dry. The photos above from my visit in November can give you a fair expectation of what you might see. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed my visit.

Cohoes Falls in the winter

One other option would be to visit Cohoes Falls even later in the winter, aka early in the calendar year. If you can brave the cold temperatures, you can catch Cohoes Falls looking snowy, which may be the most beautiful time to see it of all:

Photo credit: Jack Hurley

Thank you again, Papa, for sharing these photos with the blog!