| Directions
From the village of Clayton, proceed south on NY 12 for
about 2.7 miles. Take a right on the Danenwald Road.
This short road will end at a "T" where you should
turn left and take the first right, House Road. Follow
this to the corner of Bevens Road where you should park.
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|
County: |
Jefferson |
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Town: |
Clayton |
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USGS Map: |
St. Lawrence |
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Waterway: |
French Creek |
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Latitude: |
N 44° 11' 00" |
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Longitude: |
W 76° 07' 49" |
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Drop: |
8' |
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Type: |
Step cascade |
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Region: |
South of the village
of Clayton |
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Parking: |
Roadside |
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Trail type: |
Dirt |
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Length of hike: |
0.1 miles |
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Difficulty: |
Easy |
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Accessibility: |
Public |
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Name: |
Common |
|
 From
the parking area, proceed down the Bevens Road and you will find
several points where you can access the creek. This area is
clearly marked with a DEC sign, so it is public land.
We originally had this waterfall listed as French Creek Falls.
At a book signing event in Watertown in December 2016, we had the
opportunity to chat with a long-time friend who grew up in this
area. It was then that we learned that locally this waterfall
is known as Sperrys Falls after the Sperry family who were early
settlers of the area. He suspected that they dated back to
the 1800s and subsequent Internet searches revealed that the family
did indeed come to the Clayton area in the early 1800s.
The most obvious trailhead is next to a DEC sign. Within
a few feet, you will be next to the crest of Sperrys Falls.
The Upper Falls is about 200' upstream. This waterfall drops
about eight feet over the layers of rock sticking out into the creek-bed.
On our first trip there in 2015, it was quite easy to get to
the Upper Falls, even though there was considerable flow.
On a return trip in 2016, even though the flow was much less, the
trip upstream was more difficult. The growth of brush on the
land adjacent to the stream had increased and you had to either
fight that or take to the water. Water shoes might be advisable.
Another option which is probably the easiest is to go back up to
the road. Walk up the road about 200 feet to a point where
the small fence along the shoulder has been knocked over.
Descending the bank here is relatively easy.
Locally, this entire area is considered to be one waterfall,
officially named Sperrys Falls. We have given separate coverage
to the two drops because they are both nice waterfalls. Also,
because of foliage and terrain, you can not see the upper falls
from thie primary drop.
We will also note that this is not actually on the French Creek
but on an unnamed feeder stream. There are several such streams
feeding this, none of them named, so it appears this is all the
French Creek system.
The French Creek empties into the St. Lawrence River in the village
of Clayton, less than four miles from this point.
Last update: July 23, 2019
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