| Directions
From
the north: In Canton, drive out Park Street past
St. Lawrence University. This becomes St. Lawrence
County Route 27. It will take you through a small
corner of the town of Russell, the town of Pierrepont
and into the town of Clare. After the hamlet of
Clare, you will pass a small airfield on your
right. The Tooley Pond Road will be on your left
in a short distance.
From
the south: On New York State Route 3 just east of
Fine, you will find the end of CR 27. A short
distance down this road, CR 27 will make a right hand
turn on to a road known locally as the Cracker Box
Road. In a few miles, this will come to a
"T" where you take a right in the hamlet of
Degrasse. The Tooley Pond Road will be on your
right.
|
| County: |
St. Lawrence |
| Town: |
Clare |
| USGS Map: |
Degrasse |
| Waterway: |
Grasse River South Branch |
| Latitude: |
N 44.33241o |
| Longitude: |
W 75.02694o |
| Drop: |
55' |
|
Twin Falls is one of eight waterfalls on the South Branch of the
Grasse River which are fairly easy to access from the Tooley Pond
Road. This road, which has significant lengths that are
unpaved, connects CR 27 in the hamlet of Degrasse to NYSR 3 near
Cranberry Lake. This particular falls is about 3.1 miles from the Degrasse end.
If you are visiting the Tooley Pond Road falls in order, it is
about one mile past Sinclair Falls. The river is flowing in a generally east-west direction at this
point. An island separates the river with the north channel
terminating in the smaller waterfall. The southern channel
ends with a very nice 55' drop that is close to 100' feet wide.
You can see the smaller falls from the road. To see the
larger span, you need to cross to the island. If you
stop just after passing the falls on the road, you can cross the
northern channel to the island. There is a downed tree
laying across the channel. Some people have actually used
this as a bridge. For those slightly less adventurous, you
can ford the channel. Water shoes or boots are advisable for
this. If you cross at the spot where this channel first
begins its descent, the water is the most shallow through this
area. It's a little wild in the spring but at other times of
the year, it's not bad.
Once on the island, you can wander around get up close and
personal with the entire stretches of both falls. After a
few seconds by the smaller cascade, the roar it creates becomes
natural in your ears. As you walk away from it, there will
come a point at which you realize the roar you are hearing is now
the other waterfall. As you get closer, the sound
intensifies. This is the largest waterfall in this area.
To see both
parts together you need to be downstream. This has to be
done in a kayak or canoe. There is a dirt road just before the falls giving access
to the point of land just below the falls where you get a good view
of both
falls. However, this is private land and it is posted.
According to the posted signs, the owner lived a short distance
away on an adjoining road that was only about a mile or so away so
I went for a drive. I found the owner and explained what I
was doing. He was very cordial and granted it. As it
turns out, he is the father of a former student of mine. As
always, please honor the landowners' rights.
The Grasse River flows into the St. Lawrence River in Massena,
in St. Lawrence County.
Note: Depending upon which map or sign you are using,
this river is referred to as both Grasse and Grass.
Another note: We have found an on-line source that
identifies the large side of this waterfall as Twin Falls and the
other side as one of the other Tooley Pond Road waterfalls.
Be assured that these two comprise the Twin Falls.
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