| Directions
The Oswegatchie Trail meets Route 3 near the Clifton-Fine
Central School campus. From here, the first left is
the Lake Road. The Clifton-Fine Hospital is located
at this corner. Just over 1/2 mile down this road
there is a dirt road on the right with a yellow gate at
the entrance.
|
| County: |
St. Lawrence |
| Town: |
Fine |
| USGS Map: |
Oswegatchie |
| Waterway: |
Little River |
| Latitude: |
N 44o
08' 39" |
| Longitude: |
W 75o
03' 30" |
| Drop: |
~ 25' |
| Type: |
Cascade |
| Region: |
Star Lake |
| Parking: |
Unpaved lot |
| Trail type: |
Dirt |
| Length of hike: |
1/4 mile,
one-way |
| Difficulty: |
Easy |
| Accessibility: |
Public |
| Name: |
Common |
|
 We
previously had this location listed as Chipmunk Falls, also
known as Schuler Falls. The original information we had
received indicated that this was the case.
In a
conversation with Connie Snyder, Town of Fine Supervisor on
November 15, 2017, we now realize that the two waterfalls are
not the same. This location is, in fact, Schuler Falls and
Chipmunk Falls is located a short distance from here. We
have now created a separate page for that one.
The gate at the
beginning of the road is usually open. Drive (if the gate is closed
you will have to walk) 0.7 miles to another gate and a parking
area. At this trailhead gate, there
is a DEC sign prominently displayed. Walk down the path and
bear right at the "Y". When you come to a large
flat rock, bear left.
When you reach the river, you are close to the crest of the
falls. Make your way downstream where you can easily
access the riverbank. Your view will be fairly good, but
part of the falls is hidden behind a large boulder that it flows
around. It is only about a quarter mile
walk.
This is a popular fishing and recreation spot.
This area has been state owned for a number of years now, but before
that, about 4500 acres in this area were owned by the Andrew Schuler
family. The Schulers were from the Rochester area where they
made their name and fortune in the potato chip business. A
100 acre plot in their Star Lake estate was actually used to grow
potatoes. Because of this ownership, these falls are
also known locally as Schuler Falls. The author of this website
has been told by some local natives that Mr. Schuler had been known
to chase young people out of that area when they went there to fish.
I'm certain that none of my nephews were involved in that.
There are actually two Little Rivers in St. Lawrence County.
This one empties into the Oswegatchie River which flows to the St.
Lawrence River in Ogdensburg.
Last update: November 15, 2017
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