Waterfalls & Swimming Holes From Kent & The Litchfield Hills
Northwest Connecticut is the best place in the state to stack several waterfall stops into one day. Kent, Salisbury, New Preston, and Watertown give you a clean Litchfield Hills loop with some swim-minded lakes mixed in.
Use this page when you want the scenic northwest first stop. Compare the map, then open each guide for parking, footing, and whether the site is really a swim stop or mostly a waterfall stop. For a broader regional stack, see Waterfalls and Swimming Holes in Litchfield Hills.
Rank 1: Kent Falls — Kent
Viewing only, not a swim stop
Signature Housatonic Valley cascade in Kent Falls State Park. Paved ADA path to the base, stairway trail up the tiers.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 20-30 min
Rank 2: Campbell Falls — Salisbury
Viewing only, not a swim stop
Two-tier ~50 ft Whiting River cascade on the Norfolk CT / New Marlborough MA line. Short steep path to the base (Norfolk, Connecticut).
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 15-20 min
Rank 3: Burr Falls — Northwest Connecticut
Viewing only, not a swim stop
45 ft stepped cascade along the Burr Pond State Park access road, Torrington. Historic Borden condensed-milk site (Torrington, Connecticut).
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 5 min
Rank 4: Riga Falls — Kent area
Viewing only, not a swim stop
~50 ft Reed Brook drop on the Mohawk Trail in Canaan, a former Appalachian Trail segment (Canaan, Connecticut).
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 25 min
Rank 5: Lake Waramaug State Park — New Preston
Lifeguarded swim beach at the north tip of 680-acre Lake Waramaug, Kent. Campground and picnic grove (Kent, Connecticut).
- Can you swim?
- Swimming allowed when posted rules and staffing say it is open
- Walk
- 5 min
Rank 6: Black Rock State Park — Watertown
Lifeguarded pond swim under basalt cliffs in Watertown. Short Mattatuck Trail climb for Naugatuck Valley views.
- Can you swim?
- Swimming allowed when posted rules and staffing say it is open
- Walk
- 45-75 min