Boonton Falls

The beginning of the Boonton Gorge is where the Rockaway River spills over a man-made dam that is six feet high in Grace Lord Park in the town of Boonton. Here, the Rockaway River begins its descent over the Ramapo Fault. The river drops over several waterfalls, including Boonton Falls, before emptying into the Jersey City Reservoir.

Grace Lord Park features these spectacular waterfalls, as well as historic stone ruins. Boonton Gorge contains a small, but well-developed trail system for fishing access as well as recreation. Trails provide views of the river and waterfalls. The trails on either side of the river are connected over the stone arch bridge, built in the 19th century.

Historical Markers at points along the trails highlight the remains of the local iron industry which operated there in the 19th century. There are ruins that are the remains of what looks like tunnels that lead nowhere, the remnants of the furnace or ironworks of Boonton’s bygone era, or possibly, part of the Morris Canal system, which was adjacent to the park.

The river flows over rocks then cascades over a thirty-foot waterfall into an oval-shaped pool of water with a rock in the center. This pool is about fifty yards long and was a swimming hole until a local ordinance prohibited swimming in 1990.