Buttermilk Falls–Crater Lake, 3 lakes is a 4.5-mile out-and-back near Haneys Mill, NJ. The route passes Crater Lake and Lake Success before reaching Buttermilk Falls at the turnaround, 2.3 miles in. It climbs 1,294 ft, with sections as steep as 33% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 89/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
0 mi423 – 1,565 ft · steepest grade: 33%4.7 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Crater Lake Loop Trail 41.10939, -74.89209
Nearest town Haneys Mill, NJ
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Buttermilk Falls–Crater Lake, 3 lakes
4.5 mi · ▲ 1,294 ft · 2 hr 9 min
Elevation 424–1,566 ft
Out & Back
Trailhead: Crater Lake Loop Trail · 41.10939, -74.89209
Weather Sep 7: Overcast, high 72°F / low 54° · precip 0% · wind 4 mph · sunrise 6:33 AM · sunset 7:24 PM
Toilets at the trailhead · Parking lot at the trailhead
- Start on Crater Lake Loop Trail, heading NW.
- 50 ftPass Crater Lake.
- 50 ftPass Lake Success.
- 0.1 miTurn right, heading NE.
- 0.7 miContinue straight onto Appalachian Trail, heading N.
- 50 ftBear left, heading N.
- 1.4 miReach Buttermilk Falls, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 2.2 miTurn left onto Crater Lake Loop Trail, heading SW.
- 450 ftArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
63% dirt6% gravel31% unspecified
Weather
OvercastTemperature 72°F54°
Precip0%Wind4 mphUV6Humidity64%
Rained 0.3″ 4 days ago (0.4″ over the last week)
Hourly temperature
75°50°
Sunrise 6:33 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PMSunset 7:24 PM
Tue
76°58°
Wed
78°55°
Thu
70°57°
40%
Fri
72°47°
Sat
74°48°
Sun
79°53°
Good to know
- Toilets at the trailhead
- Parking lot at the trailhead
More from Crater Lake Loop Trail Trailhead
- Long Pine Pond–Lake Success, 4 lakes 1.6 mi · ▲ 142 ft
- Hemlock Lake–Crater Lake, 5 lakes 4.2 mi · ▲ 534 ft
- Appalachian Viewpoint–Lake Success, 4 lakes 4.6 mi · ▲ 371 ft
- Hemlock Lake–Crater Lake, 5 lakes 5.9 mi · ▲ 576 ft
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Hikes near Haneys Mill, New Jersey