| Directions
From exit 46 on I-81, proceed west
to the community of Paddy Hill. Take a right toward
Brownville. You will immediately go down a fairly
steep hill. Pull into the parking area on the
right before crossing the bridge.
|
| County: |
Jefferson |
| Town: |
Brownville |
| USGS Map: |
Brownville |
| Waterway: |
Philomel Creek |
| Latitude: |
N 44°
00' 03" |
| Longitude: |
W 75°
58' 52" |
| Drop: |
40' |
| Type: |
Ribbon cascade |
| Region: |
Just off NY
12E and 12F in the village of Brownville |
| Parking: |
Unpaved lot |
| Trail type: |
NA |
| Length of
hike: |
NA |
| Difficulty: |
Easy |
| Accessibility: |
Public |
| Name: |
Common |
|
 We originally had this labeled as the Brownville Falls.
In keeping with our policy of labeling unnamed waterfalls, soon
after the original posting, we changed this to Philomel Creek
Falls. In 2017, we found two different websites that refer
to this as Bovine Falls. This label is not commonly known
in the community, but it should be noted that both of these
websites are whitewater related, leading us to the conclusion
that this is a moniker attached by kayakers. This is a
fairly common practice. When we find a whitewater
reference such as this, we usually will note it but continue
using the common waterfall name. In this case, there is no
other common name so we have adopted that for our use.
From the parking area you can see this waterfall on the
opposite side of the river. It is at the extreme
outlet of a very small creek that empties into the Black River.
A seasonal waterfall, it is possible to drive by this location many
times and never see the falls. When it is flowing, however,
it is a very pretty cascade. You must look for this in the spring
or after a fairly heavy rain. Otherwise it will be dry and
non-existent.
From the parking area, you are looking across a region known
as the Black River Canyon. At this point, the Black River
is carrying water from hundreds of miles of Northern New York rivers
and streams. You can see the layers of rock that are the canyon
walls through this stretch.
Just downstream from the Glen Park Falls, this stretch is very
popular with the whitewater community. On any Saturday or
Sunday during the summer, you might see rafts and kayaks paddling
through this area.
Please note that locally this creek has been known as Philemore,
or possible Philmore, Creek. We have had conversations with
several natives of this area who have spent 50 or 60 years here,
and have been told that they have never heard of Philomel Creek!
It is, however, named on topographical maps and on-line references
to it are common.
In 2014, a
video showed up on youtube showing two kayakers going
over this waterfall!
The Philomel Creek enters the Black River at this point.
The Black enters Lake Ontario just downstream from here.
Last update: May 6, 2019
|
