Turners Falls is a dam-drowned waterfall on the Connecticut River in Franklin County, Massachusetts, once a 30-foot cataract and now mostly submerged behind the dam that took its name. The river here is best known today for its spring fish run, which can be watched through underwater windows at the Turners Falls Fishway.
The falls
The natural falls formed a cataract about 1,000 feet long with a 30-foot drop, running from the south bank of the river across to Riverside in Gill. The falls have been effectively destroyed by the dam: most of the original ledge lies under the reservoir, and only minor bedrock rapids show below the southern spillway.
Getting there
The Turners Falls Fishway is at 15 First Street in the village of Turners Falls. A short walk along the canal-side bike path gives views of the spillway fish ladder. Admission is free and no reservation is needed. The fishway sits next to Unity Park, which has picnic areas by the river.
When to go
The fishway opens only for the spring migration of American shad, sea lamprey and other fish that return from the ocean to spawn. In 2026 it was open May 9 to June 7, Wednesday to Sunday and on Memorial Day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On site
Inside the fishway, underwater viewing windows show fish working their way upstream past the dam; shad and sea lamprey are the usual sightings. The fishway holds an Autism Welcoming certification and offers social stories and sensory bags. The remaining rapids of the old falls lie below the southern spillway.
History and name
The geologist Edward Hitchcock visited the falls in 1823 and, in his 1833 geological report on Massachusetts, proposed naming them after Captain Turner. An 1832 county map is the first to carry the name and marks "Turners Battle, 1676" just above the dam site. A transportation canal already bypassed the falls on the 1830 town plan; Alvah Crocker's Turners Falls Company later turned it into a power canal, and the village grew quickly in the 1870s.
Nearby
The Cascades are about 0.7 mile away, Rock Dam Falls, also on the Connecticut River, about 1.7 miles, and Sluice Brook Falls about 8.2 miles.
Distances are straight-line.