| Directions
From the intersection of NY 73 and NY 86 in the village
of Lake Placid head northeast on route 86. In about
4.4 miles, there is a parking lot on the left. The
falls are just beyond that.
|
| County: |
Essex |
| Town: |
North Elba |
| USGS Map: |
Lake Placid |
| Waterway: |
Ausable River West Branch |
| Latitude: |
N 44o 18' 42" |
| Longitude: |
W 73o 54' 55" |
| Drop: |
5' |
| Type: |
Ledge |
| Region: |
NY 86 between Lake Placid and Wilmington |
| Parking: |
Paved lot |
| Trail type: |
Dirt/grass |
| Length of hike: |
<0.1 mile/2 minutes |
| Difficulty: |
Easy |
| Accessibility: |
Public |
| Name: |
Official |
|
This location is just upstream from
High Falls Gorge, a very popular
Adirondack tourist attraction featuring waterfalls. In the
parking area, you will find two monuments, mounted next to each
other on a single cemented stone foundation. The one on the
left was erected in 1985 by the NYS Environmental Conservation Department
to commemorate "the one hundredth anniversary of New York State's
Forest Preserve." The other one was placed 50 years prior
commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the same event.
We left wondering why they weren't placed in chronological order!
From here, walk further up the highway inside the guard-rails.
You will find a number of easy trails leading to the river where
you can get on the rocks for a water-level view. This is a
very popular fishing area and there may be a number of vehicles
in the parking lot. Many of the anglers, however, go away
from the falls to fish.
This is a small cascade but is very pretty and the surroundings
are even prettier. Only about a five foot drop, it is nestled
below a number of prominent mountains, including Whiteface Mountain,
New York State's fifth highest point. The drop is split between
a horseshow shaped slide on the near side of the river and a curtain
cascade on the other.
Like many of the roadside, and more distant, Adirondack locations,
Monument Falls would be a nice place to enjoy your lunch or snack.
The West Branch of the Ausable River merges with the east branch
a few miles downstream from here in Au Sable Forks. The combined
Ausable River empties into Lake Champlain in the town of Peru.
Last update: July 27, 2015
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