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Kent Falls |
Location: Kent, CT (?) Stream : Kent Falls Brook Height : 60 feet (estimate) Finding : Easy. Well marked with obvious signs from miles away. Access : Wheelchair. Paved trail approaches falls. Legal : State Park. Admission was $8.00 in 1996. Swimming: No Basking : Not by the falls, but there is a large lawn nearby. Overview: Impressive falls. Very "tamed." Popular spot.
My friend John and I were doing some genealogical research in western Massachusetts today. When we were finished, I convinced him to take a side trip with me into Connecticut to look at these falls. This is the first Connecticut waterfall I've seen for this web site, and I felt like I was overdue in adding Connecticut to my New England Waterfalls page.
Locating this falls was simple. Kent Falls State Park is right along US Rt 7 between the towns of Cornwall Bridge andKent. There were many signs marking the way and the entrance to the falls was obvious. In fact, we could see the falls themselves from the highway.
If you visit Kent Falls, do not expect a wilderness experience. There was a generous parking area, a large grassy field, and a paved trail that approached the falls. When John and I visited the falls today, there were quite a few people out enjoying the spring weather. There were people just basking on the grass. There were people throwing frisbees back and forth. There were people sitting at the picnic tables (which had grills).
The falls were located at the back end of the lawn and they were quite impressive. A reasonably large stream launched itself over three or four cascades with a total drop of perhaps 60 feet. It was possible to climb up onto the rocks and sit beside the shallow pool at the foot of the second cascade. In fact, while John and I were there quite a few people did just that.
There was also a rough trail that climbed through the woods up the bank beside the falls to what appeared to be an overlook above the top of the falls. The trail was officially closed when John and I visited today, so we did not explore it.
This was a very nice waterfall, but the highly groomed atmosphere of the park detracted, in my opinion, from the raw beauty of the falls.
A reader of this page who is more familiar with these falls than I sent me a couple of corrections. First, he pointed out that the admission fee is only applicable during the summer months from Memorial Day to Labor Day. He wasn't sure if it was charged during the weekdays or not.
He also pointed out that because John and I didn't follow the trail to the upper portion of the falls, we missed "over half" of the view. Apparently there is quite a bit more farther up. I'll have to return this coming summer to explore these falls more fully.
A different reader of this page offered the following directions to an upper parking lot above the falls: Heading south on Route. 7 take your first left (Carter Road) and another (quick) left on Duga Road. It is a dirt road that will take you to a parking lot atop the falls. Thanks for the tip!
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