You’ll Fall In Love With The Tiny Waterfall Hiding Along This Breathtaking New Jersey Trail

New Jersey's waterfalls are incredible places, ranging from the towering Buttermilk Falls to quiet retreats like Chikahoki Falls. But I never fail to be surprised by how many of these cascades are hiding where many people don't know about them. A perfect example of this is Laurel Falls, tucked away in the peaceful Worthington State Forest. How do you reach it? You take an amazing waterfall trail in NJ, the Douglas, Appalachian, and Garvey Springs Loop. This is a challenging hike, spanning 4.4 miles and traversing some rough terrain. But the good news is, you don't need to take the full hike to see Laurel Falls - it's just over half a mile from the Douglas Trail parking lot. That makes this trail a choose-your-own-adventure of sorts. Do you simply want to bask in the beauty of a hidden waterfall, or do you want to test yourself against one of New Jersey's most beautiful wildernesses?

Worthington State Forest's trail system is a great one, with 26 marked trails, but we especially love this one.

Much of the area is heavily wooded, leading to a gorgeous effect when leaves are on the trees. Dogs are welcome on the trail, but must be leashed.

But be warned - you'll encounter some challenging terrain along the way. This trail is marked as hard for a reason, but it's worth it to get to your destination...

Welcome to Laurel Falls, a gorgeous waterfall located around half a mile from your start point. It looks small from your approach...

But that's because it's a three-tiered waterfall! This falls actually towers 80 feet tall.

There's even a walkway in the middle section, so you can get closer to this waterfall than any other safely.

This isn't the only major water attraction in the forest - Worthington is also home to the famously gorgeous (but not for swimming) Sunfish Pond.

Have you taken the Douglas, Appalachian, and Garvey Springs Loop before? Let us know about your hike on this waterfall trail in NJ in the comments section! You can see more pictures and details about the trail on the AllTrails trail listing, and check out our past coverage of Worthington State Forest to see more about this beautiful retreat. This is definitely a hike where we recommend subscribing to AllTrails + - it's pretty remote, so the downloadable trail maps and step-by-step directions available on the app will be very helpful if you're looking to take the whole route.