Kent Falls is a 209-foot tiered cascade on Kent Falls Brook in Kent Falls State Park, Kent, Connecticut, where a stone stairway climbs beside the chain of drops.
The falls
The brook comes down in a long series of steep steps over about 870 feet of run. A lidar survey puts the total drop at 209 feet in 15 drops, with the tallest drop about 70 feet; step counts range from 9 to 12 depending on how they are split. Older figures give 250 feet, the figure the state park still uses. The brook rises in Warren and crosses marble that began as ancient coral reefs, along with gneiss; alternating hard and soft layers wear back at different rates, which is what forms the steps and the potholes.
Getting there
The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and sits at 462 Kent Cornwall Road in Kent. It's open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset. Parking is free for Connecticut-registered vehicles; out-of-state vehicles pay $10 on weekdays and $15 on weekends and holidays, or $112 for a season pass. The Kent Falls Steps Trail is 0.84 mile out and back and rated moderate, with stone stairs winding about 0.25 mile up along the falls.
When to go
Spring snowmelt or the days after summer rainstorms bring the strongest flow, and winter brings fewer visitors. A photographer suggests overcast skies, when the light on the water is even.
On site
An accessible path reaches the base, and viewing platforms stand near the top of the hill. No entry into the water or swimming is allowed, and visitors are asked to stay on the trails. Dogs are welcome on leash on the trails and in the picnic areas. The park has accessible parking, picnic tables and restrooms; drones and alcohol are banned. A replica covered bridge crosses the brook near the entrance.
History and name
Native Americans fished and camped by the falls and called the area Scatacook. The park dates to 1919, when Alain C. White gave 200 acres through the White Memorial Foundation; Civil Works Administration crews worked on it in the 1930s, and the viewing platforms were added in 2006. The park now covers 307 acres.
Nearby
Macedonia Gorge Falls is about 4.2 miles away. Hatch Brook Falls is about 4.5 miles away and Pine Swamp Brook Falls about 6.7 miles. The town of Kent is about 4.7 miles to the southwest.
Distances are straight-line.