Tenant Creek Falls

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Tenant Creek Falls

Jul 27 2010 12:59:51 pm EST

Topics: Adirondacks, Backpacking,

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Please note: this article is intended as a reference only. It is not a substitute for an updated guidebook and map. Also, travel in the wilderness requires experience and preparation that a guidebook can offer. Always check trail conditions on the DEC website to make sure the trail is open. The Adirondacks are prone to slides, flooding, and trail erosion.

Three picturesque and secluded waterfalls with room to swim adorn the Tenant Creek Falls Trail. At one mile from parking, the first falls follows an old logging road, and is a simple hike. During the heat of summer, there are frequently sunbathers and waders here, sometimes in numbers.

The second and third falls require more of a challenging climb along an old herd path, and are less visited, with even more beautiful views.

I published an image gallery on the Tenant Creek Falls area, in addition to Wilcox Lake, for sale as prints. Feel free to peruse as a reference for your hike.

To get to the trailhead, turn east off NY-30 to Old Northville Rd. If coming from the south, Old Northville Rd. is .5mi N of bridge over Sacandaga River, N of Sacandaga Lake. If coming from the North, Old Northville Rd. is 11.0mi south of the town of Wells. After 1.4mi on Old Northville Rd., turn left on Hope Falls Rd. Continue 7.4mi on Hope Falls Rd.(the last 1.3mi is dirt road), until you find a parking area on the left and a barrier preventing vehicles from passing. Beyond this point, the road leads to the Old Brownell Lumber Camp, now posted private property. However, the current owners allow access around the property, asking that they remain on the marked trail only. I suggest the “Guide to Adirondack Trails: Southern Region” as a guidebook and/or National Geographic Illustrated Map, Lake George, Great Sacandaga Lake for a map. For Upstate New Yorkers, the nearest Barnes and Noble or Eastern Mountain Sports may stock these things. I also suggest bringing a GPS on your trip with appropriate map sets, as some of the roads and trails in the Adirondacks are confusing. Don’t count on cellphone reception.

Brown and yellow DEC signs point to the trail on the left, going north, following East Stony Creek. A trail register is on the right 50 yards from the trailhead. At .2mi, a large wooden bridge crosses Tenant Creek. The trail past this bridge leads 5 miles to Wilcox Lake. Don’t cross this bridge if you want to go to the falls. Just before the bridge on the right, is the blue marked trail to Tenant Creek Falls.

The well-worn path is relatively flat as it follows Tenant Creek. At .7 miles, it descends and crosses a wet section, before it rises again. The trail crosses a small brook before it reaches the first of the three waterfalls at .9mi.

Here, there is room to sunbathe on the rocks, as well as wade underneath and around the falls. This area experiences the most traffic, as it is the easiest to access.

Scrambling up alongside the falls, the path continues in the shade of large hemlocks. From here, the path is more rugged and more difficult to follow. The trail trends mostly along the shore of Tenant Creek, though the path does diverge at times up and away. Certain rocky sections are a little tricky to negotiate.

At 2.0 miles, the second waterfall is reached. Just 250 yards upstream lies the third waterfall. Both have swimming areas, though they tend to be hemmed in by vegetation, limiting sunbathing potential. The “Guide to Adirondack Trails: Southern Region” features a loop hike past the third falls, though I have not hiked it myself, and therefor will not cover it in this writing.

As a reminder, I published an image gallery on the Tenant Creek Falls, Wilcox Lake area for sale as prints. Feel free to peruse as a reference for your hike.

Dates:

2011

2010

2008

2007