| Directions
Take Exit 20
from I-87 and go north on US 9 for 1/2 mile. Take a
right on NY 149 and travel for 6.0 miles. At that
point, turn left on the Buttermilk Falls Road. Continue
straight on Buttermilk Falls Road for 9.7 miles (the
name of the road will change to Sly Pond Rd and then
Shelving Rock Rd and it will turn into a dirt road but
just keep going straight). At 9.7 miles Shelving Rock
Road will take a sharp left turn at the intersection of
the Dacy Clearing parking lot. Take that left turn to
stay on Shelving Rock Road and continue for 2.4 miles,
you will come down a hill and cross Shelving Rock
Brook. A sign on your left indicates "Shelving Rock
Falls 0.4 miles". Continue up the hill and there is a
parking area on the left. If that parking lot is full
continue down Shelving Rock Road as there are several
additional parking lots within easy walking distance.
|
| County: |
Washington |
| Town: |
Fort Ann |
| USGS Map: |
Shelving Rock |
| Waterway: |
Shelving Rock
Brook |
| Latitude: |
N 43°
33' 11" |
| Longitude: |
W 73°
36' 09" |
| Drop: |
75' |
| Type: |
Classical
cascade |
| Region: |
Off NY 149
west of Fort Ann |
| Parking: |
Unpaved parking
area |
| Trail type: |
Dirt |
| Length of
hike: |
0.4 mile |
| Difficulty: |
Easy |
| Accessibility: |
Public |
| Name: |
Common |
|
 From the parking area,
walk back down the road about 0.1 mile to the trailhead. It
is actually 0.3 mile in to the top of the falls, another 0.1
mile or so to the base but well worth the walk.
Most of the trail is dirt, but after about 100 feet or so, the trail
goes through a section of about 50' that is cobble rocks and looks
like it is part of the river bed. It is likely that during
high water, this could be under water. As for the waterfall,
it is a beauty. It is something like you'd expect after a
significant Adirondack hike.Shelving Rock Falls was part of
the George Knapp estate. Knapp, the founder of Union
Carbide Company, built this estate in 1902. This property
included a private powerhouse to harness the water from the
falls. At the top of the falls there is a concrete
abutment, which is undoubtedly the remains of the dam. The
estate had several carriage roads that they built. Many of
these are still in use today as hiking trails.
His mansion burned in 1917. The state later acquired
the land. The falls lie in what is now the Lake George
Wild Forest and the property is part of the Adirondack Forest
Preserve.
From the crest, follow the trail that takes you down a section
of natural rock steps to the base of the falls and right into the
creek. Below this main drop, the channel winds around and
continues to drop. The first two drops are pretty little plunges.
The second of these would be a nice little waterfall on its own.
Below here are several more small steps. The level of the
creek probably drops another 50 or so feet through this section.
This entire area has many DEC signs and is a wilderness camping
area. We were amazed at, despite the remoteness of this region,
the traffic we saw while here. By the way, if you like to
listen to music when you travel, local radio stations are the order
of the day here. The satellite radio didn't receive anything
during most of this drive!
Shelving Rock Brook empties into Lake George. The water
from this then flows through La Chute into Lake Champlain.
The flow then goes north through Canada on the Richelieu River and
empties into the St. Lawrence River.
In a side note: A number of small falls
can be seen as you make your trip in here. You are on the
side of a mountain here and the creek running somewhat parallel
to the road is actually one waterfall after another for the best
part of a mile or so along here. Pages on this website
promote many of these drops.
Last update: September 23, 2025
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