Sunday, October 26, 2014

Barberville Falls

Beautiful weather a few weeks ago brought me to the Barberville Falls Nature Preserve in Poestenkill.  The preserve is a 117 area owned by the Nature Conservancy and consists of several trails.  The outstanding feature is the falls, which are about 3 miles from my home.  A spectacular sight right in my own backyard  :-)

To get to the falls there is a pull off on Route 351 (Plank Road) across from the Brookside Cemetery.  Walking south on Plank Road for about 0.3 mile you will take your first road (Blue Factory Road) on the left and just over the bridge you will find the trailhead.  The west-facing bank of the falls is heavily posted so please do not cross over, but the east banks are part of the Barbersville Falls Nature Preserve.



On the path to the falls.



A glimpse of the falls through some hemlocks.


The trail to the base of the falls descends steeply.


Barbersville Falls is approx. 92 feet high and 50-60 feet wide.  As you can see, there wasn't a lot of water flowing at this time.  The flow is most dramatic in the spring when the snow pack is melting.



Below the falls, the stream flows through a gorge as deep as 100 feet.  The main rock at the falls is Rensselaer greywacke; above the falls are beds of Nassau slate and limestone.


Gold reflections ...


It was late afternoon and the sun was low in the sky.



I sat and listened to the falls and gazed at the beautiful foliage.




At one time young lovers made a promise to each other and inscribed their names into the stone. 


Autumn beauty ...


Currently, the preserve is closed to the public from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but I will plan a trip back in the early spring to do some more hiking.

The foliage this year was just stunning.  With all the rain and wind this past week the leaves are now down.  Yesterday was spent doing garden clean up and raking.

I hope you are enjoying the weekend.

8 comments:

thewovenspoke said...

Beautiful post Donna, so serene and wonderful photography tells a great story. Fall is one of my favorite times. I hope you have a great weekend.

KarinsArtScrap said...

gorgeous photo's Donna
Gr Karin

Becky said...

Wonderful photos Donna. Thanks for sharing.

Lisa Gordon said...

What a beautiful place to be, Donna.
It looks so peaceful there.

RitaR said...

Donna, what beautiful photos you've taken! I can even smell the fragrance of the leaves and woods and can hear the water falling over the rocks as I gaze at the beautiful scenes! Thank you once again for sharing with all of us!

Betty said...

It looks beautiful. I love going on trips this time of the year. Everything is so much prettier.

Sylvia said...

Beautiful falls and leaf color!

Terry said...

You live in such a beautiful area, Donna. I'm so glad you share photos! I got as far as sweeping the front porch and walkway of leaves. I love leaves, but they make everything slippery when it rains (which we're know for here). Hope you have a wonderful day!

Related Posts with Thumbnails