| County: |
Jefferson |
| Town: |
Hounsfield/Brownville |
| USGS Map: |
Watertown |
| Waterway: |
Black River |
| Latitude: |
N 43.99654o |
| Longitude: |
W 75.95219o
|
| Drop: |
16' |
|
Children growing up in the Watertown area in the 50s and 60s were
warned to stay away from the Black River. Now, it is a
whitewater rafting and kayaking paradise.
The Glen Park Falls is a pleasant little falls in the middle of
a very popular whitewater stretch just west of I-81 on Watertown's
northwest side. From the city, travel out
West Main Street and pass
under I-81. The hydro plant will be on your left. Most
people looking for this area will take I-81 exit 46, outer Coffeen
Street which becomes NYS Route 12F. Proceed west to the
hamlet of Paddy Hill where you take a right and cross the Black
River into Brownville. Take another right and you are
heading back into Watertown. After the Brownville Elementary
School there will be a dome structure housing the power
plant. You will then come to a fenced in area where the Glen
Park Hydro facility is located.
It should be noted that this is private property, owned by the
Glen Park Hydroelectric Project. As a hydro facility, parts
of it are open to the public but it is closed from dusk to dawn and
in winter months. Also, you have limited views from the
publicly accessible areas and the flow over the falls is minimal
when the hydro plant is producing. That is why it is best to
visit this site on a weekend between 11 AM and 4 PM. Due to
agreements between the local whitewater businesses and the hydro
plant, production is cut back during this time and the river
returns to normal flow. During these hours, this is a very
active rafting/kayaking location.
Walk around the left side of the fenced area and you will find
a gate that will be open and unlocked when they are open. Proceed across the
dam and on the other side, you will find an area to your left that
is roped off and indicated as private. The falls are on the
far side of the river, just below the retaining dam, in the area
beyond these ropes.
Shortly after we arrived at just about 11 AM
on a Sunday in July 2011, several
dozen people arrived carrying a number of whitewater rafts and kayaks.
There was also a hydro employee there. We explained what we
were doing to him and he guided us past the roped area to the river bank
where he showed us the best place to get pictures. We even
took some shots with kayakers going over the falls! To stay
on the legal side of the trespassing issue, arrive when it opens
at 11 AM. The employee was very cordial and accommodating.
The Black River empties into Lake Ontario just a few miles
downstream from this location.
|
