Conklin Gully - Yates County

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

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Hit Conklin Gully today (and Clark Gully too). What an amazing place! I was here a total of 4 times last year in late summer and early fall. There was very little water flowing those times, but I still fell in love with it. I made it all the way to the tall falls at the end of the gully on two visits, took the other side of major fork in the creek once, and hiked in to the top of the tall falls from above another time. Each time I went up from below, I came back down all the falls rather than take the trail(s). Such an interesting combination of challenges to climb up the falls. So many different types of and techniques for climbing all rolled into a 1.2 mile trip (to the tall falls) with plenty to see along the way.

Today was a different story altogether. I parked in my normal spot on Parrish Hill Rd. Where there had been nothing but rocks last fall was a rather swiftly moving creek. All I could think was "WOW!" And so I ventured up the creek, at first finding the banks surprisingly clear and passable with little to no need to step in the water at all. Where a trickle had been dripping over the brink of the first 6ft falls last year was a beautiful whitewash of water today. Again, getting past this falls was quite easy along the banks. Beyond this falls, however it was clear that I was going to have to get my feet wet if I wanted to go on. For as fast as it was moving, it wasn't very "pushy." I was able to walk against the current fairly easily. I could tell it was flowing, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't as strong as I expected. Pretty soon I came to the bottom of the first cascades, and the adjoining gulch that carries Angel Falls into the main gully. I just stood in awe. It was breathtaking! I could make out the base of Angel Falls looking up that gulch, and I would have been able to get closer if I could have crossed the main creek. At this point, the water was flowing VERY fast and I didn't want to tempt fate by trying to cross. I did however go up the lower cascades to the first large amphitheater. Standing up there, it felt like something out of Lord of the Rings. Truly a beautiful spot. I skirted the edge of the pool partially in the water, partially on the rocks so I could get a good view of the next falls. (I've dubbed it "Rope Falls" because the first two times I visited, there was a white rope tied off to a tree above the falls). I opted to turn around at this point. I likely could have made it up Rope Falls, but I do know the creek narrows considerably above the crest. That in mind, and seeing how fast those falls were flowing, I decided that I'd not risk it. At one point while walking in the water here, it was up to just below my knee, and was splashing to my hip with a couple surges leaving a wet "V" down the front of my sweatshirt.
(and yes... yes the water was cold. :) )

Coming back down the cascades was a trip in itself! I _almost_ fell at one point. It would have been ugly, cuz I would have kept right on going!



Looking back to my car from in the creek

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A nice erratic in the middle of the creek

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The first small falls in the gully

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An interesting pattern in the bedrock makes a fun looking current

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Another red granite erratic

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This is my favorite shot of the day. The way the sun was illuminating just that one rock, and the surface of that rock glistening... Looked almost surreal in person

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The Lower Cascades

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Rope Falls -- not the greatest lighting so it's washed out a bit, but you can still see how high it was flowing.

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The Lower Cascades from the top

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hobkyl
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Great trip report Andy!
“There’s an inconsequentiality to our lives that living in the wilderness shows up. Mountain are real, they set their limits, they set ours. They expose us, make us vulnerable and strong at the same time. “
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Matt
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Yes, thanks for posting this. I totally forgot that I hit this place up last year, but had to leave quickly due to time. I'm going to have to dig up some photos. I remember coming back with at least one keeper.
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Matt..... IMHO this as well as all the falls/gullies in the Naples area should have a dedicated page. All are definately worthy of it. Wheres your pics? Also-just a heads up...you have Triphammer Falls (south of Avon) listed under Yates County.
“There’s an inconsequentiality to our lives that living in the wilderness shows up. Mountain are real, they set their limits, they set ours. They expose us, make us vulnerable and strong at the same time. “
--Alison Wat




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Here's a couple of pics Ben and I took last year showing the same areas of the gully where I was on Wednesday for water-flow comparison


The stretch of the creek just up from the parking area (09-21-09)

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The first falls (6ft). What's interesting here is the rock "sculpture" someone had built. It wasn't there on 09-21 when I went solo, but two weeks later when Nick, Ben, and I went it was there. When I returned a month later on another solo run, it was gone. (10-04-09)

From afar
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Ben and I checking out the rock art.
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From above.
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"The Illuminated Rock" from a different angle (10-04-09)

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The massive flow at the bottom of Lower Cascades <grin> (09-21-09)

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The Cascades

(09-21-09)
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(10-04-09)
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Rope Falls (10-04-09)

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From the top of Rope Falls looking into the amphitheater above Lower Cascades (09-21-09)

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I agree, Kyle -- the Naples area gullies and falls are my favorites. Conklin Gully as a whole is my absolute favorite place -- truly a magic place in my mind. The environment is so suited for an introspective journey - many healing and pensive moments have happend in that place for me. My single absolute favorite falls is a tie between Grimes 2 (main falls) and Grimes 3 (I've heard it called Indian Falls?) I've got some pics of all the falls in Grimes -- some good, some not so good! My collection of Conklin photos is coming along - I always end up gawking at the scenery and _forget_ to take photos. I've not been to Tannery, and I've only been to the lowest falls at Clark with some mediocre shots (and a wet bum) to show for it.

I'll help out in any way I can to get these places onto dedicated pages. Matt -- if you need someone to go with you to help take photos/carry equipment/etc just let me know. I have a screwy work schedule, but if I have enough advance notice (~1wk) I can swap a day with someone to make it happen.
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I agree with you guys. If I could pick any place in the Finger Lakes region to live it would be the Naples area. What's interesting about Conklin when it appears bone dry down by the road, if you hike upstream anyway you'll encounter water flowing. It must seep underground at some point.

Chris
What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us. ~Henry David Thoreau
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cbobcat49 wrote:I agree with you guys. If I could pick any place in the Finger Lakes region to live it would be the Naples area. What's interesting about Conklin when it appears bone dry down by the road, if you hike upstream anyway you'll encounter water flowing. It must seep underground at some point.

Chris

I think that the layer(s) of loose rocks deposited in the creekbed below Lower Cascades is very thick, and the water runs through/around the bottom of it. (between Lower Cascades and Rte 245) On my solo 9-21 trip, there was little water flowing at all upstream, and I could hear nothing while in the lower creekbed. When Ben, Nick, and I went on 10-04, the water was running higher than before, though not by much. The biggest difference is that we could hear the water in the rocks underneath us in the lower creekbed. Couldn't see it directly, but we knew it was there. If it does seep underground, I'm betting it's between the top of Rope Falls and the 2nd large amphitheater (base of what I call "Glass Falls"), as that seems to be where the water flow wanes a bit before going over Rope Falls. Seems pretty strong coming out of that amphitheater, through the narrows and towards Rope Falls, though. This could all just be a perspective thing too, as the creek does get very narrow through that portion, and the flow could just seem to be fading as the creek widens a bit just above Rope Falls. Does anyone have any geological maps or any other relevant data for this region? Looking at a cross section of the gully's profile through the rock layers may provide some insight into this.

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