7th January, 2021
We had big plans for this day- a mix of 9 roadsides and modest hikes. If we made it to all, we will have met the minimum requirements for our own challenge by devoting 3 full days. I was eager to make this happen because Floki had been giving me signals that he was in need of a break from the road trips. He has legitimately earned every patch on his harness from other challenges, and this one is no different so I wanted to finish it with him. We hit the road on a bitter cold Thursday morning, and by 10am we were basking in the 17 degree sunshine at Split Rock Falls, Elizabethtown.
Split Rock Falls
The roadside view of the top of the falls is easy to access, although you will likely be walking in deep snow. The trail down to lower views of the falls is a bit steep and risky without proper gear. It is only worth it if you can access these views safely, but it is not necessary for anyone to attempt this for the sake of the challenge.
This is a busy spot in summer months for swimmers and cliff jumpers.
Bright sunshine took the edge off the bitter cold.
Roaring Brook Falls
We moved on towards Keene and the very popular Roaring Brook Falls. This trailhead shares a parking lot with Giant Mountain and may be quite full on weekends, but on this day we had it all to ourselves. It is a level .3 mile walk to the base of the falls. There is another trail that will take you to the top if you’re looking for a more aggressive trek. You can also see the entirety of the falls from a pull off on Rt. 73, but for this challenge, standing at the base of this ice castle is the goal and reward.
Standing at the base of the falls, on what is the frozen riverbed, you can hear the rush of water flowing behind the icicles. With no sunlight getting down here, all of our pics are blue.
From here, it’s hard to see how high these falls are. A full view of this horsetail type waterfall can be seen from a pull off on Rt. 73.
Monument Falls
Our next stop was another roadside. Monument Falls is a low, rapids type fall on the West Branch of the Ausable River. There are a few worthy angles to view the falls and the river. On a clear day, you can see Whiteface in the center down river. On this day, thick clouds had moved in and the peak was obscured. This is a great spot at sunrise and sunset. I got some nice pics down on the rocks with Floki to match several others from past visits in various seasons.
Wilmington Flume
Our next planned stop was Jay Falls, so we headed east on Rt 86 through Wilmington. We passed the mighty Whiteface (woot!⛷ ) and almost missed the Flume Falls because I completely forgot that we were supposed to stop there! Good thing there were several signs to catch my attention. We parked in the small parking lot marked Flume Trails. The most dynamic portion of the gorge is across the road. As we crossed, sun shine broke through the clouds over the flume. We started on the west trail but after a while, it was unbroken. We weren’t in snow shoes so we decided not to push it. I have stayed at this KOA next to the flume and I knew that trail further on would be a bit more challenging in deep snow. ( I highly recommend a summer visit- great swimming and jumping spots down in the gorge). We headed back to the road and tried to get pictures from the top. (It is not necessary to stand on the bridge with traffic going by to take a selfie from this angle-please choose a different spot- safety first!) Back on the parking lot side of the road, we followed the trail a short distance to the top of the flume falls. This is really nice spot take a break and listen to the rush of the water.
Jay Falls
And NOW it was actually time to head over to Jay Falls. Like Monument, this is a rapid type falls that spans the width of the river. In summer its a great spot to rock hop. There is a beautiful covered bridge to cross the river on foot and get views straight on. I just wish the power lines didn’t obstruct the view. The sun was starting to sink, but the sky was still bright.
Anderson Falls
It had been a funny day weather wise- sunny/cloudy, sunny/cloudy. It was only about 25 degrees by mid afternoon, and when we got to Anderson Falls, the clouds had moved back in again. These falls can be safely viewed from the sidewalk on the bridge. I love this stone building next to the falls. Part of the industrial history of Keeseville, it adds to the rich texture of the scene.
Rainbow Falls (Ausable Chasm)
There are some open trails to explore here in winter, but we only stopped on the bridge. I tried to take some slow shutter pics but the ice is so thick it barely looked any different from a regular photo. It is hard to describe how truly breathtaking this spot is in winter. Even though the view from the bridge is at quite a distance, you can still hear and feel the thunder Rainbow Falls creates. You can’t help to get caught up in it’s awesome power.
Falls at Wadhams
By the time we got to Wadhams, it was very late afternoon. We got lucky that the sun burst through for us again here. These falls are located behind the Wadham’s Free Library, a quaint little building with beautiful gardens in spring and summer. I fell in love with it when Floki and I visited in June 2019, but when Christy went that August it was rather dry and unassuming. Today, it gave us everything we were looking for-snow, icicles, and a fan fall dropping into an ice blue pool.
Upper LaChute Falls
These falls were going to be the last stop of the day. We were losing the sun completely and by now, Floki had made it clear that he was done with this day. Frankly, we were all done and still had a 90 minute drive home. But with these falls, the challenge would be met. There is a lot to see here. We went to the base of the falls but you can also get a great view from the road at the top. I particularly love how the water rambles down the top section and then splits around this giant boulder in the middle. That blue green pool of water at the base was the same color back in July. I spent some time taking pictures (ok, a LOT of time bc I’m not a pro and I am trying to learn how) while Christy took Floki for a little walk. These falls are really lovely and a great way to end the day.
We had a bit of trouble getting Floki back in the car and I was feeling terrible for pushing him. He is harnessed in the back seat, but being able to stick his nose over Christy’s shoulder seems to give him some comfort and we had an easy ride home. It is our plan to visit all of the falls on the challenge list eventually, but as of now, we are officially DONE!
I took all of these photos with an iPhone 11Pro
~Anne