Oriskany Falls is an 8-foot steep cascade on Oriskany Creek in the village of the same name in Oneida County, New York. A small dam sits on its crest, and the creek here once powered the mills the village grew up around.
The falls
Oriskany Creek slides over a limestone-lined bed just below the Madison Street crossing, where a V-shaped dam tops the natural cascade. Lidar data puts the natural drop at about 8 feet, with the dam adding 3 to 5 feet; whether the natural drop is large enough to count as a waterfall has been questioned. Earlier surveys listed 20 feet; another source describes a cascade of about 15 feet, close to 20 with the dam. Farther downstream a second man-made dam, roughly 6 feet high, spans the creek. From here Oriskany Creek runs about 18 miles north to the Mohawk River at Oriskany.
Getting there
The falls are in the middle of the village, reached by NY-12B or NY-26. Roadside parking for several cars is on Cassety Street just past the bridge, and the viewpoint is less than 100 feet from the car, looking west up the creek. The lower dam can be seen from a grassy area off Cooper Street. The site is free and open year-round, day and night.
When to go
The flow is moderate and the falls are viewable all year.
On site
The site is a roadside view rather than a trail. It is listed as wheelchair accessible, fishing access is available, and leashed pets are allowed with proof of inoculation. Rules on swimming aren't documented.
History and name
The settlement began as Cassety Hollow in 1794, named for Colonel Cassety, in a steep, narrow valley between three hills. Once the busiest village between Utica and Binghamton, it had textile mills, flour and grist mills and foundries running on the creek's power, and the Chenango Canal served it from 1837 to 1878. Below the falls on the left are the remains of a rail trestle destroyed in a 1917 flood.
Nearby
The Cascade is about 6.3 miles away, Stockbridge Falls on Oneida Creek about 7.3 miles, and Newlands Falls on Deans Creek about 10.9 miles. Augusta is about 3.2 miles away and Utica about 16.1 miles.
Distances are straight-line.