Chapel Falls is a 55-foot tiered waterfall on Chapel Brook in Ashfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, where the brook drops over three bedrock ledges inside the Trustees' 173-acre Chapel Brook Reservation. The falls lie about 0.1 mile from a small roadside lot, across the road from the cliffs of Pony Mountain.
The falls
Three distinct steps of about 10, 15 and 25 feet, with cascades between them, make up the 55-foot total. Earlier surveys listed 42 feet. One guide describes the upper tier as a fan that widens from about 8 to 15 feet, the middle one as a slide and the lowest as a blocky drop with a short slide at its foot, with smaller pools and cascades farther downstream.
Getting there
The reservation is on Williamsburg Road in Ashfield. The Trustees list 12 parking spaces on both sides of the road: the Chapel Falls side is on the left and Pony Mountain on the right. Admission is free, and the property is open daily from sunrise to sunset. The path beside the falls is about 0.1 mile with roughly 61 feet of descent and is rated intermediate; stone steps lead down to the cascades. The Two Bridges and D.A.R. trails extend the visit, and the Trustees suggest allowing about three hours for either.
When to go
April through November is the recommended season. The reservation stays open in winter, but the parking area isn't plowed. Autumn foliage frames the three cascades.
On site
Lower, middle and upper falls lie along the path. The pools below the ledges invite cooling off. The manager asks visitors to stay on marked trails and off the vegetation and soil at the water's edge. Dogs must be leashed, and mountain biking is not allowed. There is no wheelchair access. Hunting is permitted except on Sundays; the Trustees advise wearing orange in season.
History and name
In 1831 Ashfield grazed more than 8,000 sheep, and gristmills once ran at Chapel Falls; a two-room building above the falls served as both school and chapel. The reservation began in 1964 with a gift from Mrs. Henry T. Curtiss, and more land was added in 1981, 1989 and 1992.
Nearby
Across the road, the Summit Trail climbs Pony Mountain, a strenuous route past a 100-foot rock face. Sluice Brook Falls is about 7.2 miles away, Dead Branch Falls about 10.3 miles and Windsor Jambs Falls about 12.2 miles.
Distances are straight-line.