Split Rock Falls

This is a beautiful set of falls, but this location can be very dangerous, and deaths have occurred here. There is an upper, middle, and lower falls, and people swim in the middle and lower ones.  The water is emerald green and very clear, which is enticing, but the water near the falls can become turbulent and aerated. This decreases its buoyancy, and your ability to float.  The lower pool is very large and deep near the falls, while the middle pool is much smaller, though also very deep, probably over 30 feet.  If you decide to swim, it is a good idea to stay clear of the falls, and stick to the lower pool.

Pull of in parking area that is visible on Rte 9, and is pinned on our map.  This is 30 min parking, and from here you have a choice of many short trails down to the falls. The most obvious would be to go through the short grass to a chain link fence, part of which has been torn down, but this is an unsafe route.  It is steep, and follows a cliff’s edge. The easier way, is to park in the parking area, and then walk to the adjacent pull off that says, “No Parking,” but looks like a parking area as well. At the very end of this, (near the sign) there is a direct trail down to the lower falls. This gets steep and muddy at the end, but it is very short. None of the trials are more than a 5-10 minute hike.

When you get to the bottom, you’ll see the stream that leads out of the lower pool.  You can ford this as it is very shallow and not very wide, but it is really rocky and slippery. It is easier to go along the bank towards the pool and then wade across the pool to a rocky bank. The bottom of the pool consists of small pebbles and sand, and it is much easier to walk across the shallow part.  People were jumping from the rocks in the middle pool, but as always, we don’t recommend this.

We asked someone, and they said that they’ve never seen police come kick people out, and there aren’t any “no trespassing signs,” but we don’t know the legality of swimming here.  There was a New York Times article about the dangers of this fall:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/14/nyregion/at-split-rock-falls-deceptive-and-dangerous-waters.html

More information here http://www.apnmag.com/fall_2006/hollingsworthSplitRock.php

Location Details

• 10 min.
• +44.124212, -73.658020
• Easy-Moderate
• 

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