Category Archives: Rensselaer County

Waterfalls of New York State 100+ Challenge, Dig the Falls part 1, The Capital Region

Leave a reply

Waterfalls of New York State 100+ Challenge, Dig the Falls, part 1, The Capital Region

For more information on this challenge click here

To purchase “Waterfalls of New York State”, click here 

To purchase “A Waterfall Guide to Letchworth State Park” by Scott A. Ensminger and Douglas K. Bassett, click here

The following list is the first set of locations listed in the book “Waterfalls of New York State” by Scott A. Ensminger (Western New York Waterfall Survey), David J. Schryver (Northern New York Waterfalls) and Edwards M. Smathers (Dig the Falls) Be sure to check them out! I myself have personally contributed a lot of waterfall location information to both Mr. Edward Smathers and Mr. David Schryver. I am currently a team member with “Dig the Falls”.

The simple rules of this challenge, is to visit 100 waterfall locations in the book. One location may have several waterfalls, but counts as one location. Click on the links (I have visited) in the boxes below, which will take you to additional information pages.

Waterfall Name, info
Additional Falls in location, or close by
County
Date First visited
Photo 

Mill Park Falls

25′ Total, (small dam, upper 6-8′ ledges, footbridge small cascade, 10′ main cascade)
Roadside views, or short walk to lower portion of the park.
…..

Warren County
7-13-2010
 

Rockwell Falls

10 ft, horseshoe cascades
Roadside views
…..
Borders Saratoga and Warren County
7-13-2010
 

Beecher Creek Falls

(Home of the historical 1879 Copeland Covered Bridge)
20 ft, Cascade, Ledges
Roadside views 
…..

 
Saratoga County
5-10-2015
…..

 

Beecher Creek Falls #02

Up The Road From Beecher Creek Falls.
For this location go onto Pucker Street. It is a dead end road. Go to the end, which you can see right from the four corner intersection.
Saratoga County
5-10-2015

Snook Kill, Falls on

55-60 ft Total
Roadside views
…..
Saratoga County
7-13-2010
 

Dionondahowa Falls

Once nicknamed Devil’s Caldron, and the plunge pool Hell’s Hole, by locals
50 ft to 60 ft Ribbon Cascade
.2 mile walk on uneven ground to several lookouts and observation decks

 
…..
Washington County
7-13-2010

Buttermilk Falls, Lower
Private property, do not trespass
…..

 

Rensselaer County
SIDE NOTE: this is actually Buttermilk Falls, error in book

 
2/22/2014
15 ft, cascade, drop
Roadside views
Buttermilk Falls
Rensselaer County
2/22/2014
….. 

Robert B Woodruff Outdoor Learning Center

Main Loop .64 Mile and Additional Side Trails .32 Miles
…..

 
Herkimer County
3-6-2010
 
…..
Barbara Smit Young Arboretum Waterfall
Herkimer County
3-6-2010
 
…..

Cascade Falls

10 ft Block
Herkimer County
3-6-2010
….. 
…..

 
Cheesebox Factory Falls
Herkimer County
3-6-2010
 
…..

 

Creamery Falls

50 ft, Staircase Cascade
Herkimer County
3-6-2010
 
…..
Dave’s Look Out Falls at
Herkimer County
3-6-2010
 
…..
Kelly Falls
Herkimer County
3-6-2010
 
…..
Saw Mill Falls
Herkimer County
3-6-2010
 

Canajoharie Falls
Wintergreen Park
…..
Montgomery County
3-17-2011
 
…..

Canajoharie Falls – Main Fall

45 ft, Ribbon
Montgomery County
3-17-2011
 
…..

Canajoharie Falls – Lower Falls

24 ft, 8 ft
Montgomery County
3-17-2011
 

Yatesville Falls

Yatesville Falls State Forest
Also known as Buttermilk Falls and Vrooman’s Falls 
45 ft, Cascade
Short from the parking area or a 2.4 mile rt from main road
…..

 
Montgomery County
5-30-2016
 
Plotter Kill Nature Preserve
Plan on spending 2 hours or more exploring this park
…..

 
Schenectady County
2/22/2014
 
…..

Plotter Kill Falls
Upper Falls 60 ft, Lower Falls 40 ft
Schenectady County
2/22/2014
….. 
…..

Rynex Creek Falls
40 ft
Schenectady County
2/22/2014
….. 

Christman Sanctuary
20 ft
…..

 
Albany County
5/30/2016
 

Cohoes Falls

Falls View Park
65-70 ft, Curtain
…..

 
Albany County
10/21/2013
 

Mount Ida Falls

Also known as Wire Mill Falls and Poesten Kill High Falls
175 ft Multi-tiered Cascade
…..

 
Rensselaer County
2/23/2014
 

Barberville Falls

The Nature Concervancy’s Barberville Nature Preserve
92 ft Tiered Cascade
…..

 
Rensselaer County
2/23/2014
 
John Boyd Thacher Park
…..
Albany County
10-14-2016
 
…..

 

Outlet Falls
100 ft
Albany County
10-14-2016
 
…..

 

Minelot Falls
(Also known as Big Falls and Indian Ladder Falls)
116 ft, Ribbon
Albany County
10-14-2016
 

Hannacroix Creek Preserve, Cascade at
(Originally called Ravena Falls and now also known as Hannacroix Ravine Falls)
30 ft Curtain Cascade
…..
Borders Greene and Albany Counties
No
….. 

Rensselaerville Falls
Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve
60′ to 100′ Cascade
…..
Albany County
No
…. 

Mine Kill Falls

Mine Kill State Park
20 ft Upper 30 ft Middle 20 ft Lower Cascades
…..

 
Schoharie County
8/22/2014
 

 

Barberville Falls, Rennselaer County, New York

Road Trip to Rensselaer County, New York area 2/23/2014 Day 2

Leave a reply

Road Trip to Rensselaer County, New York area 2/23/2014 Day 2

Road Trip to Rensselaer County, New York area 2/23/2014 Day 2
Our first stop on this, was to go back to Mount Ida Falls. We had stopped here the night before, but it was to dark to get any good photos.

In doing so both the night before and this morning we drove passed Burden Falls and the others on Wynants kill.

The result in the turn back of this allowed us to see Barberville Falls which was not on the route plan. In doing so, we ended up straying from the rest of the plan and by passed some of the stops.

If it were not for my personal goal here, some of these falls I would not otherwise stop at or would not make the trip unless bigger and better was in the area. The pleasing part of it all, is they are marked as done on my list.

Click on the links for more photos and information

Day 2

Mount Ida Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York  Aka Poestenkill Falls, High Falls, and Wire Mill Falls

This is a small park, that is in dire need of some safety repair. The railing were broken. The small platform for the overlook was rotted and my foot actually broke thru and I quickly got off it. You could tell there is a lot of activity in the park for sledding. The steep hill made it for some awesome sledding.

Mount Ida Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York 2-23-2014_00018.JPG

 

Dam above Mount Ida Rensselaer County Eastern New York

Dam above Mount Ida Rensselaer County Eastern New York 2-23-2014_00003.JPG

 

Wynants Kill (Falls on) and Burden Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York  Drove by

 

Eagle Mill Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York

If I am back in this area, I will stop by here and see if there was something I missed. Resources state there is 4 to 5 feet cascades here. Again, snow can change the look of everything.

Eagle Mill Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York 2-23-2014_00003.JPG

 

Barberville Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York

Barberville Falls was the highlight of the entire trip. This is a definite return to in warmer months. The majority of your walk is from the parking area on Route 40 up to Blue Factory Road and the trail head is right there on the left as soon as you cross the bridge. The trail takes you right to the top portion of the falls. From there you take the steep trail down to the bottom. There are signs for warnings of the trail.

Barberville Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York 2-23-2014_00023.JPG

 

Little Hoosic (Falls on) Rensselaer County Eastern New York  By passed

Coon Brook (Falls on) Rensselaer County Eastern New York  By passed

 

Wynants Kill Upper (Falls on) Rensselaer County Eastern New York

Wynants Kill Upper Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York 2-23-2014_00003.JPG

 

Burden Lake Road (Falls on) Rensselaer County Eastern New York  Drove by

 

Tsatsawassa Creek (Falls on) Rensselaer County Eastern New York

Falls on Tsatsawassa Creek Rensselaer County Eastern New York 2-23-2014_00001.JPG

 

East Nassau (Falls in) Rensselaer County Eastern New York

East Nassau Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York 2-23-2014_00004.JPG

 

Moordener Kill (Falls on) Rensselaer County Eastern New York  Aka Mooerdnaars Kill Falls, and Moordener Kill Lower Falls

For this one, we parked before the bridge and walked up the road to the small dam. So the photos show what I seen. Plans to return either in the spring or early fall. The main falls is under the bridge. There are more cascades, and a larger one below.

 

Moordener Kill Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York 2-23-2014_00006.JPG

Moordener Kill Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York 2-23-2014_00010.JPG

 

Muitzes Kill (Falls on) Rensselaer County Eastern New York

This is another location to revisit. The book states an old Agway building, however at this time it is no longer Agway and looks like someone may live there or something, but now is totally posted. I did walk the road and took some photos.

(6′ fall) (8′ fall and 5′ fall by island) (15′ Upper cascade with dam)

 

Muitzes Kill Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York 2-23-2014_00005.JPG

 

Vloman Kill (Falls on) Albany County Eastern New York  By passed

Norman Kill (Falls on) Albany County Eastern New York  By passed

Red Mill Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York   Aka Irwin Falls By passed, because only photo op was obscured by trees.

Buttermilk Falls, Schagticoke, Rensselaer County, New York

Road Trip to Rensselaer County, New York area 2/22/2014 Day 1

Leave a reply

Road Trip to Rensselaer County, New York area 2/22/2014 Day 1

Road Trip to Rensselaer County, New York area 2/22/2014 Day 1
For this road trip, I had 24 planned stops. Of those 24, we seen 17, accidentally driving by 2, and we cut off 5 others due to time. This was about a 427 mile round trip in which I calculated about 10 hours. This did not include the time for stopping or hiking.

Clicking on the links will take you to the page with more photos and information.

Day 1

Washout Creek (Falls on) Schenectady County Eastern New York

As shown in the photos, I took a few snap shots to where we ended on the trail. We met a gentleman on snowshoes and asked him how much farther to the falls and he was telling us it was or would be very difficult to get down to the falls in the snow. And in answer to the question, we still had a bit further to go on the trail. At that point, the man said that Plotter Kill Falls was the place to go and that the falls were running the week prior. So we turned around and headed back out. I plan to return to this location in the near future.

Washout Creek Falls Schenectady County Eastern New York 2-22-2014_00004.JPG

 

Plotter kill Falls Schenectady County Eastern New York

We really did not know what we were getting into here, as I did not really do my research for this location, as it was not planned. First thing when we arrived we looked at the trail map to determine which direction to start. To make it short, we choose the rim trail. The falls we did see from top did not appear to be running, but we did not get down into the gorge either. We walked the whole length of the trail above and I took the best photos I could. We did meet up with another group that had walked the other side. In fact I did have some photos with them looking like little dots across the way. This is one location I plan to return to in the future.

Plotterkill Falls Schenectady County Eastern New York 2-22-2014_00007.JPG

 

Krystal Falls Schenectady County Eastern New York

The view of the falls from the road in which resources indicated to take did not give a clear view of the falls. We drove over to the restaurant/bar, “Pig N Whistles” their was quite the crowd of people and so we did not go in and get permission to access the falls. There was a fence up around the whole back and view of falls was not accessible. Also with all the snow it did not appear anyone was walking back there. Plans to return in the future.

Krystal Falls Schenectady County Eastern New York 2-22-2014_00001.JPG

 

Krystal Upper Falls Schenectady County Eastern New York

As we pulled out of the parking from the restaurant, I spotted this directly across the road and named it Upper Falls.

Krystal Upper Falls Schenectady County Eastern New York 2-22-2014_00002.JPG

 

Lock 7 Dam and Falls Schenectady County Eastern New York

Located at the VISCHER FERRY HYDRO ELECTRIC PLANT. The gate was closed, however there is a small parking area at the top. The sign states a public fishing access. We walked around the gate and went down to the bottom. There were other folks there as well.

Lock 7 Dam and Falls Schenectady County Eastern New York 2-22-2014_00006.JPG

 

Buttermilk Falls (Schagticoke) Rensselaer County Eastern New York

This is a roadside waterfalls. Downstream is another waterfall, which is on private property. I tried taking a couple of photos, which would be views of the top of that waterfall.

Buttermilk Falls (Schagticoke) Rensselaer County Eastern New York 2-22-2014_00006.JPG

 

Hidden Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York

This is located on private property. Should I get to the location again, I plan on seeing if I can obtain permission for access.

Great Falls of the Hoosic Rensselaer County Eastern New York

This is one of my corrected errors. Right location and information, had the wrong name. I had wrongly listed this as Hoosic Falls. This is also known as Great Falls. This one has the big dam on the one side of the bridge.

Great Falls of the Hoosic Rensselaer County Eastern New York 2-22-2014_00006.JPG

 

Valley Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York

This is also know as Schagticoke Falls. I believe I found this but there was no real photo opportunity as of ice and snow it did not look like much of anything. This is listed as being rapids.

Factory Hollow Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York

This is listed as having small drop of about 4 feet.

Factory Hollow Falls Rensselaer County Eastern New York 2-22-2014_00004.JPG

 

Goulds Creek (Falls on) South Oakwood Cemetery Rensselaer County Eastern New York

This is also known as Goulds Creek Lower Falls and Devil’s Kitchen Falls. By the time we got here and found it we were working with very little daylight. Plans to return to this location in the future.

Goulds South Rensselaer County Eastern NY 2-22-2014_00003.JPG

 

Goulds Creek (Falls on) North Oakwood Cemetery Rensselaer County Eastern New York

We bypassed this for another time.

Day 2 to follow