Hanging Spear Falls is an 80-foot waterfall on Opalescent River in Essex County, New York, in the Northeastern Highlands region. It lies about 9.9 miles south of North Elba and roughly 89 miles north of Schenectady as the crow flies.
At 80 feet it is taller than the typical New York waterfall of about 50.5 feet, ranking 59th of 184 with a recorded height.
The Northeastern Highlands are the mountains of northern New England and the Adirondacks, with spruce-fir on the summits and northern hardwood forest of maple, beech and birch below, and countless lakes and boulder-strewn brooks. Fast mountain streams drop over granite and gneiss ledges in chains of falls and pools. Opalescent River carries 2 recorded waterfalls, and Hanging Spear Falls is the tallest of them.
Essex County holds 63 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Opalescent Falls, is under a mile away. Upper Twin Brook Falls, is about 1 miles away. Uphill Brook Falls, is about 1.7 miles away.
Hanging Spear Falls is located at 44.1019° N, 73.9907° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. The position was verified on aerial imagery. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.