Austin Falls is a 35-foot series of cascades on the Sacandaga River in Hamilton County, New York, in the Adirondacks near Wells and Speculator. The river slides down a long staircase of bedrock ledges a short walk from a quiet back road.
The falls
Lidar measurements indicate a series of gradual cascades with a cumulative drop of about 35 feet. The multi-step fall spreads over about 300 yards of river like one long waterslide, with boulders at the top throwing up spray.
Getting there
The falls are reached from Old Route 30, a side road off Route 30 between Wells and Speculator. A roadside pulloff sits 2.7 miles along Old Route 30; the road crosses two bridges before it. The road is paved but badly cracked and heaved, so drive it slowly. From the pulloff the falls can be heard, and an easy dirt path of about 0.1 mile, essentially flat, leads down to the river. The falls lie in the Jessup River Wild Forest, whose state management plan lists Austin Falls among its waterfalls.
When to go
Old Route 30 is a seasonal road and is not maintained in winter.
On site
The ledges along the river let visitors walk beside the cascades. The stream banks are very slippery; stay back from the edge of moving water.
Nearby
Christine Falls is about 1.7 miles away and Auger Falls about 2.8 miles, both also on the Sacandaga River. Griffin Falls, on the East Branch Sacandaga River, is about 3.4 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.