Glen Falls is a 25-foot cascade on Ellicott Creek in the village of Williamsville, Erie County, New York, where the creek spills over the Onondaga Escarpment. It forms the eastern edge of Glen Park, a small village park beside the historic Williamsville Water Mill, and is not to be confused with the city of Glens Falls in eastern New York.
The falls
Ellicott Creek flows north through Williamsville and drops in a single steep cascade where the Onondaga Escarpment crosses the village from east to west. Lidar measurements show a drop of about 25 feet, compared to earlier survey figures of 27 feet and other historical mentions around 30.
Getting there
Glen Park is at 224 Glen Avenue in Williamsville, jointly owned and maintained by the village and the surrounding town. Facilities include an accessible parking lot, a paved trail, and access to the waterfall and creek, with unimproved nature trails continuing toward Amherst State Park. Park hours generally run from dawn to dusk, while village code closes the grounds from 10 p.m. to sunrise.
When to go
The park remains open across all seasons and includes a winter sledding hill. Best-flow months are not documented.
On site
Village code prohibits swimming and wading, bans dogs and horses from the park, and requires cyclists to walk their bikes. Besides the falls, the 10-acre park has a chain of interconnected ponds that support wildlife, a pavilion, benches and tables, a nature play area and a Little Free Library. Commercial activity needs approval from the Glen Park Joint Board.
History and name
Jonas Williams built a mill beside the falls in 1811, and the settlement that grew around it was first called Williams Mills. The Williamsville Water Mill still stands next to the park and at various times used the falls' power to grind flour and make cement and cider. The park grounds were once a limestone quarry, then an amusement park and concert hall in the 1940s and 1950s, before the park was established in 1976 with a federal grant. The alternate names Glenn Falls and The Falls also appear in regional records.
Nearby
Akron Falls is about 13.6 miles away, Upper Akron Falls on Murder Creek about 13.7 miles, and Ancient Falls about 14.1 miles. Amherst State Park is reachable on foot along the nature trails from Glen Park.
Distances are straight-line.