Colden Falls is a 15-foot waterfall on Cazenovia Creek in the hamlet of Colden, Erie County, New York, where the creek cascades through a shale channel beside the old mill site next to the Heath Road bridge.
The falls
Lidar measurements indicate a single 15-foot drop, classified as a gradual cascade. On the West Branch of Cazenovia Creek, the stream cascades around a bend, with fractures in the rock shaping how the water spreads. Other measurements record 16 feet over a 54-foot crest, noting that a large shale slab broke off in the winter of 2007–08 and was gone by spring 2009.
Getting there
The falls are on private property but are easy to see from the sidewalk of the Colden Veterans Bridge on Heath Road (County Road 562). Visitors typically park at the Colden Market & Cafe lot or behind the town hall, a few hundred feet away. Viewing is free, year-round, in daylight.
When to go
The creek runs all year but can drop to a trickle in late summer. The falls have been photographed in snow and ice in December.
On site
The bridge sidewalk is the viewpoint. The land does not appear to be posted; respect any signs and leave if an owner asks. Dogs should be leashed in public areas.
History and name
Richard Buffum built a sawmill here around 1810. A gristmill followed in 1816, then a brick mill in 1870, and the wooden mill standing since 1879 now houses the Colden Mill Restaurant.
Nearby
Eternal Flame Falls in Chestnut Ridge Park is about 5.2 miles away, Emery Falls about 6 miles and Clarksburg Falls about 7.7 miles.
Distances are straight-line.