Trenton Falls is a 105-foot tiered waterfall on West Canada Creek in Oneida County, New York, the centerpiece of a limestone gorge that drew crowds of 19th-century tourists. Since 1901 a hydroelectric plant has taken most of the creek, and the gorge is owned by Brookfield Renewable, which opens its rim trails to the public only on a couple of weekends a year.
The falls
Lidar shows two large tiers, an upper drop of about 45 feet and a lower one of about 55 feet, with a 5-foot cascade between them; earlier surveys listed 158 feet. The name once covered a whole series of falls in the gorge, including Sherman Falls and Mill Dam Falls. Because the hydro project diverts nearly all of the creek, the falls run full only during heavy rain or snowmelt. The gorge walls are fossil-bearing limestone.
Getting there
The gorge is private utility land and is closed except on scheduled open weekends. The Town of Trenton, working with Brookfield Renewable, lists the 2026 fall dates as Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting. Parking is at 8526 Trenton Falls Road, Barneveld, NY 13304, where Brookfield staff manage the lot. A stone-dust trail runs about 1 mile to an overlook of the hydro dam, a visit the town puts at 1 to 1.5 hours, and wood-mulch side trails lead to other views along the rim. Opening dates are posted on the town's Trenton Falls Scenic Trails page.
When to go
Only the open weekends are possible, usually one in spring and one in fall. The most water comes over the falls after heavy rain or during snowmelt, when the plant can't take the whole flow.
On site
Volunteer guides from the town staff the trails on open days. Pets are not allowed. According to Northern New York Waterfalls, the section beyond High Falls toward the dam has been closed since a 2013 rockslide. Brookfield warns that water releases at its dams change without notice.
History and name
The Haudenosaunee called the place Ka-na-ta-dork, "brown water," or Kuy-a-ho-ra, "slanting water." John Sherman and Jarvis Phelps bought 60 acres in 1822 and opened a resort the next year. A visitor named Michael Moore fell into the gorge, was nursed by Sherman's daughter Maria and married her in 1831, and the couple ran the hotel. In 1863 Secretary of State William H. Seward hosted a meeting of diplomats there. Utica Electric Light & Power bought the property in 1897 and finished the dam and powerhouse in 1899, supplying Utica from 1901; the gorge then stayed mostly closed to the public for about a century. Brookfield has owned it since 2004. In 2019 the USGS made the names Sherman Falls, Upper High Falls, Lower High Falls and Mill Dam Falls official.
Nearby
Sherman Falls is about 0.2 mile away, inside the same gorge. Cincinnati Creek Falls is about 0.9 mile away and Prospect Falls, also on West Canada Creek, about 1.6 miles.
Distances are straight-line.