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Texas Falls |
Overview: Classic waterfall. Easy to access. Location: Hancock, VT Stream : Texas Brook Height : 30 or 40 feet in a couple of steps. Interesting gorge. Finding : Easy. Obvious sign on VT route 125. Access : Roadside with steps and railing. Footing tricky off trail. Swimming: No. Basking : Mostly deeply shaded. Some nice rocks next to the stream above falls. Privacy : Popular spot. Minimal privacy. Legal : Public land. Green Mountain National Forest.
From VT route 100
At the junction of VT routes 100 and 125 in the center ofHancock, turn west on VT route 125. Several miles along the road, before it starts to climb significantly toward Middlebury Gap, look for a Green Mountain National Forest sign for Texas Falls. Turn on to the road indicated by the sign and drive a short distance (less than a mile) to the parking area for the falls. There is a picnic area just a few more yards down the road beyond the falls.
Texas Falls is probably one of the most popular falls in Vermont. Its image appears on many postcards and probably calendars and puzzles as well. Even if you have no idea where Vermont is on a map of the United States, you may have seen this waterfall.
The falls are inside the borders of the Green Mountain National Forest and the forest service has set up guard rails and walkways to make it easier for people to see the falls. The falls are easily accesible being just a short way off of Rt 125 and right next to a forest service road. There is a picnic area a little ways up the road and some other trails that are good for cross country skiing or casual hiking.
The falls are in a narrow ravine that is not particularly deep, but that has very sheer sides. The stream flows over a couple of steps separated by round, deep pools that have been carved out by the rushing water. The forest service has created a bridge that crosses the ravine and gives visitors a good view of the main drop. It is fun to stare down into the clear, rushing water and watch it churn and boil as it flows through the narrow passage.
There are a few trails in the area that you can also follow. One trail brings you down to an observation platform, of sorts, at the bottom of the falls. From there in dry conditions you can climb out on the rocks and up into the gorge somewhat. There is also a trail that takes you to the top of the upper falls where you can see the stream gather itself for the plunge below.
Texas Falls is not particularly high nor does it have sheer drops. Nevertheless it is an interesting waterfall and well worth the trip. It can be easily accessed by almost anyone (although I would suggest exercising extreme caution if you do any exploring off the trails).
I have visited Texas Falls several times since my last entry. My wife and I often bring friends and visitors here because it is such a nice waterfall and because it is near where we live. Today we brought some of my wife's family here to see the falls.
There was snow and ice everywhere making the steps down to the bridge over the gorge very slippery and dangerous. However, the view from the bridge was excellent and well worth the trouble to get there. The water was quite high today (due to the warm, spring weather) and the stream raged. Large ice formations hung from the rocks and dangled above the stream in a most interesting way. They seemed both delicate and solid at the same time. The water itself seemed to have a white-blue color as it churned through the narrow passage, making a loud, glorious noise.
Today I visited these falls with my friend Sue, her two children, my daughter Hillary, and my daughter's puppy, Priscylla. We were on our way to the picnic spot just up the road from the falls and we took in the falls as part of that trip.
As usual there were quite a few people around. Texas Falls is a popular spot. The water was low, but not excessively so. We took in the view from above the falls, from the bridge over the ravine, and from the observation "platform" below the main falls. We didn't spend any time scrambling around on the rocks in the ravine itself, although it would have been possible today; the water level was low enough for it.
The picnic area above the falls is a nice spot. It's right along the stream and very well wooded and pleasant. There were some bugs around today, however, but it could have been worse.
My daughter Hillary and I visited these falls together. I'm writing this description long after our visit, so I don't remember the exact date. We prowled around on the rocks and had a picnic lunch. I remember watching various water bugs skittering around on the top of a quiet section of the stream.
Here is a picture [115 KBytes] of one section of the falls. Because of the unusually low water this summer I was able to climb right down into the gorge and get a very nice shot. You get a good feeling of the gorge, but the falls don't look very impressive because of the low water level.
Note: This is the very first waterfall visit that I recorded on this site. In some respects this entire site has grown around this little seed.
There was still a fair amount of ice and snow today at these falls. Walking around to get pictures was tricky because of all the ice. I really wasn't interested in slipping off the edge of the ravine into raging ice water. It's just not something I like doing.
I was impressed with how clear the water was.
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