Shelving Rock Falls is a 50-foot cascade on Shelving Rock Brook in Washington County, New York, within the Lake George Wild Forest.
The falls
The brook comes down as a classical cascade, with smaller steps continuing below the main drop, before draining into Lake George. The height is listed as 50 feet; one local waterfall guide gives 75 feet.
Getting there
The New York State DEC manages the area as part of the Lake George Wild Forest's Shelving Rock Special Management Area, with designated parking areas 1 through 9 along Shelving Rock Road. The approach runs from NY 149 onto Buttermilk Falls Road, Sly Pond Road and then Shelving Rock Road, with portions turning to dirt. From parking near an orange gate and culvert, the walk to the falls is about 0.8 mile round trip with 150 feet of elevation gain, rated beginner, on a dirt trail with cobbles and natural rock steps; a separate account measures the walk at 0.3 mile one way to the top of the falls, plus about another 0.1 mile to the base. A DEC bulletin dated September 26, 2024 documented removal of an unsafe bridge at the brook's outlet near Shelving Rock Bay, and advised reaching the shoreline instead from parking lots 5 and 8.
When to go
Access can be affected by mud, ice, storm damage and road or parking conditions.
On site
Rock edges near the flowing water are slippery, and the hike is also considered family-friendly. On January 20, 2022, DEC forest rangers recovered a deceased person from a ledge about a third of the way up the falls using rope techniques and a sled; the report did not give a cause of death. Camping and campfires within the special management area are limited to designated sites.
History and name
A local waterfall guide, its account not confirmed elsewhere, links the site to George Knapp's former estate and an early power-generation project, with remnants of former carriage roads still visible in the area. The name Shelving Rock Falls is treated as colloquial, and no origin story has been documented.
Nearby
Middle Shelving Rock Falls is about 0.7 mile away, Upper Shelving Rock Falls about 1 mile, and Finkle Brook Falls about 3 miles.
Distances are straight-line.