Viola Falls

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

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George
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After reading Russell Dunn's directions to these falls, I am convinced that he has never seen them. His simple directions, as part of a multi-falls hike along the Long Path, are to "follow this creek downstream for about 0.5 mile and you will reach Viola Falls, right at the junction of 2 small streams". To do this would be suicidal. I spent about an hour and a half probing into this ravine trying to find an approach to the cataract that would be safe to descend. I made approximately a quarter mile, and found these very nice upper falls, but I could not reach the main plunge. Even so, I probably went farther than I should have. I sent a photo using my cell phone in part to ensure there was a record of my last location. This is an extraordinary dangerous falls that should only be attempted from above by trained climbers with ropes. I believe that Dunn has done a terrible disservice to his readers with these directions.
Viola Falls 1.jpg
Viola Falls 1.jpg (216.65 KiB) Viewed 7981 times
Upper Viola Falls.jpg
Upper Viola Falls.jpg (213.87 KiB) Viewed 7981 times
Middle Viola Falls.jpg
Middle Viola Falls.jpg (210.44 KiB) Viewed 7981 times
Viola Falls 2.jpg
Viola Falls 2.jpg (231.43 KiB) Viewed 7981 times
42 10' 13.14" N
74 3' 24.12" W
Last edited by George on Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
L_G_D
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Never read closely Dunn's description of these, I'll have to look that up. I never went lower than the first drop on this set. That end of the ravine is much steeper, and without ropes & gear I don't think I'd want to try.
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George
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After studying the topos, I think this is do-able from Kaaterskill Creek up the ravine on the right hand side.
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Matt
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Russell, does visit this site... maybe he can offer some insight

Also, did you happen to read the interview we did with him?
http://www.nyfalls.com/article-interview-russell.html
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George
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The questions that should be answered are:

Can the main falls be accessed from above, or just the two upper ones?
Do you "hike" down the left or right side of the ravine?
How far along the Long Path from where the stream crosses the trail should you start down?

These details really should have been in the book.

My limited progress was made by going down the right hand side (facing downhill) about 50 yards from the crossing. The map in his book suggests the creek itself or a little to the left, which I found to be impassable.
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