| County: |
St. Lawrence |
| Town: |
Pitcairn |
| USGS Map: |
Fine |
| Waterway: |
Greenwood Creek |
| Latitude: |
N 44o
12' 19.512" / 44.20542o
|
| Longitude: |
W 75o
11' 48.66" / 75.19685o
|
| Drop: |
~ 50-60' |
|
Although this is technically not a named waterfall and isn't
indicated on topographical maps, this is a popular spot locally
and is known as Greenwood Falls. They are located in the Greenwood Creek State Park
Picnic Area. This is easily found off New York State Route
3, just east of Harrisville. As you proceed east, you will
go through the hamlet of Pitcairn. Past this, you will go by
the end of St. Lawrence County Route 23 on your left. The
Greenwood Road is exactly one mile past this intersection.
Coming from the east on Route 3, you will come by the end of New
York State Route 58. A short distance later, you will cross
what is know locally as the "Blue Line". This is
the boundary of the Adirondack Forest area. The Greenwood
Road is the first left as you leave the Adirondacks.
There is a sign on the end of this road that says
"Greenwood Creek State Park Picnic Area 1 mile".
Actually, it is 1.2 miles down this dirt road. There is a
family home just in from the corner. Beyond that, all you
will see are hunting and other small camps. The falls are at
the back of the picnic area, which is very nicely maintained by
the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. There are
several picnic sites with tables and fireplaces. There is no
overnight camping here, however and this is a carry-in, carry-out
area.
Greenwood Falls is actually a series of drops on this creek,
totally an estimated 50 or 60 feet. Above the falls, the
Greenwood Creek is a calm stream. As the channel narrows, it
drops a foot or two and takes a 90o turn to the
left. From here, it takes 5 or 6 drops of 3 to 5 feet each
over the next 120 or so feet of the creek. The channel
levels out for a short distance and into a right turn and the main
drop. This drop is 5 or 6 steps of about 15' in overall
drop. At the bottom, in the picnic area, there is a shallow
pool which leads to another small drop just below the picnic area.
The hike to the top of this area is over a trail of moderate
difficulty. This would be a nice area for a family
outing. The hike isn't so extreme as to frustrate less
experienced hikers and the time needed to traverse the distance is
short. You can be at the top in five minutes or so. In
addition, the picnic area provides a nice spot for lunch and a
little relaxing. Although this waterfall is just outside the
Adirondack Blue Line, you have the atmosphere of the forest all
around you.
Greenwood Creek flows into the Big Creek which flows into the
West Branch of the Oswegathchie River. This joins the main
channel of the Oswegatchie near the hamlet of Talcville in the
town of Edwards. From here it flows into the St. Lawrence
River in Ogdensburg.
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