Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park
Silk cloth and steam locomotives; textiles and continuous paper rolls; firearms and aircraft engines. What do these things have in common? All were manufactured in the same place - Paterson, NJ. In 1792, Paterson was established as America's first planned industrial city, centered around the Great Falls of the Passaic River. From humble mills rose industries that changed the face of the nation.
About under an hour from New York by car.
Alerts
- CautionNPS ↗Overlook Park Parking Lot - Vehicles Must Be Parked in a Designated Spot
Parking is extremely limited on weekends & event days. Overflow parking is available at the Paterson Museum, located at 2 Market Street. On weekends only, additional parking is available at the lot across from the Museum.
- InformationNPS ↗Note About Using GPS for Directions
Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park is located at 72 McBride Avenue Extension, Paterson, NJ 07501. Use this full address when searching using a GPS device or map app or use GPS coordinates N40.91533° W74.17992°
- InformationOverlook Park Lot Unavailable After Dark
The park parking lot at 72 McBride Extension is open from dawn to dusk every day. Any vehicles left in the parking lot after dusk (i.e. sunset) are subject to towing at owner's expense.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park does not charge an entrance fee. The Paterson Museum, a partner of the National Park Service, does not charge an admission fee but has a suggested donation of $2.00 per adult. For more information, contact the museum at 973-321-1260 or visit https://patersonmuseum.com/
Hours
| General Park Hours | Varies by day ▾
|
When to go
July draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
No campgrounds, no webcams or things to do in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- 02:00 PM · runs through Feb 11 · freeThe tours are at the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, located at 72 McBride Ave Ext., Paterson.
- Art In The Park10/1710:00 AM · freeOverlook Park - Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park located at 72 McBride Avenue Extension, Paterson, NJ, 07501
- Ranger-Led Bird Walk10/2410:00 AM · freeOverlook Park, 72 McBride Ave Ext., Paterson.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
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Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for the Mid-Atlantic
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Weather & climate
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=40.91475800178142&lon=-74.1678490947591#.VusP4uIrK71
Questions people ask
Does Paterson Great Falls charge an entrance fee?
No. Paterson Great Falls is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Paterson Great Falls?
Hours differ by day of the week. The full schedule is under Hours on this page.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Paterson Great Falls right now?
3 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Overlook Park Parking Lot - Vehicles Must Be Parked in a Designated Spot; Note About Using GPS for Directions; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Paterson Great Falls?
189,721 recreation visits in 2025, number 176 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Paterson Great Falls?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
What is the weather like at Paterson Great Falls?
Http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=40.91475800178142&lon=-74.1678490947591#.VusP4uIrK71
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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