Falls on La Chute River

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

Moderators: Brenda, Kelly

L_G_D
Board Expert
Board Expert
Posts: 629
Joined: Fri May 29, 2009 2:29 pm
Camera Model: Sony Alpha 700
Location: Capital District area, upstate NY

There are apparently more than one set of falls on the river that connects Lake George with Lake Champlain. The set I've been going to for a while are not the ones described in Russell Dunn's book. I've never been to those, so a return trip is in order in the future. Meanwhile, here's a grab shot I took the last time I was up there a week ago or so. It was a rainy day and we were driving around with nothing better to do, trying to dodge the rain storms and find places to shoot. We swung through Ticonderoga and stopped at the main park in the middle of town. It doesn't seem that Dunn describes this set in his book which is strange, since it's right in the middle of town, has ample free parking, and if you are really lazy, you don't even need to get out of your car. The one drawback to this set is that there's a hydro power plant right next to the falls so the scenic vista is marred a bit by that. Also, there's part of the dam that feeds the power plant visible as well, along with the obligatory power lines. Later this summer, maybe I'll get over there again and spend some time on this river and see what there is to see. I've usually gone there on the way to somewhere else and never really had a lot of time to spend. This last trip, there was time, but we were chased away by the rain again. So, here's the one quick shot I took from the overlook in the park.

Image
Last edited by L_G_D on Thu Jul 23, 2009 8:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
LGD
User avatar
Matt
President
President
Posts: 13374
Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2006 5:01 pm
Camera Model: Olympus OMD EM-1 m1, m2; Panasonic GM5, Osmo Pocket
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

I recall reading about that falls being a huge navigation hurdle to early settlers.
L_G_D
Board Expert
Board Expert
Posts: 629
Joined: Fri May 29, 2009 2:29 pm
Camera Model: Sony Alpha 700
Location: Capital District area, upstate NY

I would imagine, and considering there must be more upriver according to Dunn, the whole stretch must've been a pain. Though it's not terribly far from one lake to the other, it's enough to become a hassle. The Champlain Canal runs to the east if I'm not mistaken.
LGD
spartacusii
Junior
Junior
Posts: 32
Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 2:03 am
Location: KS (long ago transplanted from NY :( )

L_G_D -

if i understood this correctly, you are saying that this waterfall is in ticonderoga city park? i am planning on being in Fort Ti later this month (arriving the night of the 25th, & visiting the fort the next day). not sure if i'll have the luxury of time, but if i did, was curious what kind of access there is to the left of the vanatage point of this shot? anything to avoid that power station & power lines - what a great way to wreck a beautiful view, eh?

jp
L_G_D
Board Expert
Board Expert
Posts: 629
Joined: Fri May 29, 2009 2:29 pm
Camera Model: Sony Alpha 700
Location: Capital District area, upstate NY

Yes, this waterfall is right in the middle of town, if you drive through town on Montcalm street, you can't miss it. The heritage museum is right there as well. There are small pull-offs on Montcalm, and a good sized parking lot on Elk Street. You can wander around the park on both sides of the falls all you want, there is some restriction on the left side of the falls due to the power plant being there, but the right side is open to whatever you want to do. There is a covered bridge just downstream that you can use to get across the river. It's a great place to have lunch and relax. You can see the other waterfalls easily enough as well, if you go back to the traffic circle and head down Lord Howe Street, the falls will be noticeable after a bit, but the pull off isn't as nice, you have to do a sharp turn to the left. I haven't been to those specifically yet, just drove by them once, so that's guessing the conditions from roadside.

Here's a google map with markers approximately hand placed
LGD
spartacusii
Junior
Junior
Posts: 32
Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 2:03 am
Location: KS (long ago transplanted from NY :( )

LGD -

thank you VERY much for your reply & the map. i have printed it off for my trip folder. looks like i may be able to sneak a little time in - it can't get any easier for me. we'll be coming in from vermont on the ferry, so all i gotta do is stay 'straight' to get to that one that you show in this thread. if i can pull it off, i may try to sneak on over to that other 1 as well. not sure what we'll be doing for food, but i'm sure by the time we get into town, we'll be ready for something - it'll be me & my wife & another couple - any suggestions? we're staying a bit south on 22 - a place called Lake Champlain Inn. we should be getting into town around 6-ish (last ferry is at 6 - i know), so some time for food & then the light should be pretty good for photos. keeping my fingers crossed.

thanks again.

jp
L_G_D
Board Expert
Board Expert
Posts: 629
Joined: Fri May 29, 2009 2:29 pm
Camera Model: Sony Alpha 700
Location: Capital District area, upstate NY

Hope you have a good trip. There are a couple of "hometown diner" type places in town, plus a Chinese place as well. Though I never bothered to look around much to see what there was for dining. Probably someone at the place you're staying could recommend better than I can. The sun sets late nowadays, so you should have plenty of daylight for things to do after you get there.

BTW - if you switch the Google map to satellite view you can get a feel for the layout of the place more. Also, I think there's some sort of self-guided nature trail / walking tour up the river from the lower falls. I seem to remember something about that. Probably someone at the museum could fill you in on that.
LGD
spartacusii
Junior
Junior
Posts: 32
Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 2:03 am
Location: KS (long ago transplanted from NY :( )

LGD -

wanted to thank you again for your information. thought i would share 1 of the shots i got for this waterfall in ticonderoga.
IMG_1708_Edited_Online.jpg
for the LIFE of me i can't figure out WHY they had to place that set of poles & tranformers where they did. you have a beautiful set of falls & a nice park, & you let them position that stuff right smack dab in the middle of the scene. it isn't like they were tight on space - they had all kinds of room back there behind the falls to have moved that stuff off to one side or the other. GO FIGURE!!!!!

jp

ps - edited this post cuz i realized that something wasn't right about the edited file that i uploaded. sorry about that - but it was just too flat. not sure what i did wrong, but i had to correct it.
Last edited by spartacusii on Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Post Reply