Stony Kill Falls

A place to discuss waterfalls. Including the parks that house them and the hikes to get to them.

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L_G_D
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Here's a couple shots of Stony Kill Falls, which is located in Minnewaska State Park. The easiest way to get to it is by parking at the gate on Shaft 2 road and walking a half mile or so to the falls. Dunn describes the falls on page 172 of the Catskill Region guide. I was there in early April a few years ago, so there was still a bit of ice at the bottom of the falls. Dunn says the height is 90 feet, which sounds about right.

Image

A shot from the front, with the spray from the falls backlit by the sun, so a bit of flare, but you get the idea.

Image

It could almost be a twin for Awosting Falls, without the pool at the bottom.
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Matt
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nice! I got this added to the index. I'm slowly filling in the southern tier.
Mystiqz
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Recently came here. Thought I could contribute my own experience on how to get to the falls.

Stony Kill Falls:
Directions:
1. West on 44 55 Main Street
2. Left onto Rock Haven Rd
3. Left onto Shaft 2A Rd

This was a little difficult to get to because the road was closed (Shaft 2A Road), so what we did was park on the side of the dirt road and walked ALL the way in. You have to walk pass the "treatment plant", not sure what it is, but once you walk pass it, you come to a parking lot, I assume that's the parking lot for when Deer Hunting Season is open. We went when it wasn't hunting season so that's probably why the gate was closed. In any case, once you walk pass the plant and parking, you want to head right, just follow the water and you'll end up at the base of the waterfall. When we went, there wasn't a lot of running water, but more so than Awosting Falls. I was able to scale the rocks and get really close to the waterfall and take my time to compose my photos. This place has limited angles for your photo but if you're able to zoom in, there are some small rock formations where you can get that nice flow-y water look.
Approximate google coordinates: 41.72812,-74.299446 (+41° 43' 41.23", -74° 17' 58.01")
L_G_D
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Thanks for the info. It's been a while since I was there, but as I recall, we parked along the roadside or in a very small parking area. I don't recall at this point if there was a gate or not, but we walked along the dirt road, through a gravel pit type area, then up into the woods. The falls were easy to find from the sound since they were running pretty full that time of year. Most of the area is under control of the NYC water dept and has access shafts (hence the name of the road) to the underground aqueducts that feed into NYC.
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ApproachingLight
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Stoney Kill is like an amphitheatre. Opens up in a semi-circle.Not a bad hike. 1/2 mile on cinder road, then no more that a quarter mile in the creek bed. Upper right path can avoid lots of the boulder climbing. There is red granite in the face, and marble at the base. Except for the long drive back in, it is clearly worth the visit.

The directions I had problems with.Heading West on 44/55. Once in the park you go a few miles and pass the main entrance to the park (and Awosting Falls). Keep going, past the two scenic over looks. a couple miles later you see a Pizza Place called Vacarro's. Small road (forget the name) before it takes you to Rock Haven. Don't give up on Rock Haven. Keep going til you get to Shaft 2A Rd. Park at the gate, pass the water treatment, go to huge open area/pit and follow what looks like the only route. You are at the creek bed. If you go to upper Right, you can avoid the boulder dash.

Image
IMG_8661StoneyKillRFrnt by ApproachingLight, on Flickr
First time I worked on Long Range Image stacking. So this is 5 pics. Simply used manual focus,and did closet to furthest by zooming in, focus, zoom out shoot, repeat.

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IMG_8629StoneyKillFrontLeft by ApproachingLight, on Flickr

Image
IMG_8605StoneyKillSide by ApproachingLight, on Flickr
idlehands
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Nice pictures! I was literally just there last week!
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hobkyl
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Has anyone visited MSP before opening hours? I called to inquire and the lady was very adamant about 9am opening time. Most state parks you can enter before they officially open. We are heading down next week and was hoping to get into the falls before the sun was fully up.

Granted I've never asked permission around here in the FLX. Just don't want to get in trouble.
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L_G_D
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Stony Kill is technically inside the park, but there is no park entrance for it, you just walk down the gravel road from where you can park the car. Unless things have changed since I've been there. I doubt if you'll even see anyone at that time of day.

If you want to get to Awosting falls, they are inside the park proper, but if you can find a place to park, you can just walk to them as well. Parking along the road is not allowed I don't think, but if someone is willing to drop you off, I don't think there would be any problem walking in. We walked along the supposedly closed trail last time we were there, and so did many other people. There is still a lot of flood damage in places, but nothing you can't get past.
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