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Wedge Brook Cascades, within the Adirondack Mountain Reserve

Directions

Located on NY 73, this site is just south of the hamlet of Saint Huberts, which is on the stretch between the village of Keene Valley and the northern intersection of routes 73 and 9.  Look for the signs for the Giant Mountain Wilderness Area.  The parking area for AMR is directly across the road.

County: Essex
Town: Keene
USGS Map: Keene Valley
Waterway: Wedge Brook
Latitude: N 44° 08' 10"
Longitude: W 73° 48' 41"
Drop: 100'
Type: Ribbon cascade
Region: Off NY 73 near the hamlet of St. Huberts
Parking: Unpaved lot
Trail type: Dirt/rock
Length of hike: An hour beyond Pyramid Falls
Difficulty: Intense
Accessibility: Access by easement
Name: Common

Keene Quadrangle

First and foremost, this waterfall is located within the Adirondack Mountain Reserve and, as such, is on private property.  Access to it has been allowed by an easement agreement.  It has come to our attention that the owners of this land are becoming increasingly annoyed by those who show up with inadequate information trying to access it.  It should be noted that the listings for all of the locations within the AMR have been on this website for well over ten years.  We have clearly stated the status of the locations here, including many of the restrictions and conditions for access.  In an effort to reduce the increasing friction between the owners and the public hikers, we are urging people to refer to our page for the general information on The Adirondack Mountain Reserve.  It is one click and will only take a minute or so to read, but it may save a significant amount of grief to everyone involved.

Wedge Brook Cascades is the third stop on the West River Trail.  There is a sign at Wedge Brook Falls indicating that the Cascades are 200 yards above the Falls.  200 yards is not that far, but it's a lot farther when it's straight up!  Ok, so we're exaggerating a bit.  It wasn't straight up but it was a scramble and worth every step.  According to Tony Goodwin, Executive Director of the ATIS, this section was named to promote the difference between this and the Wedge Brook Falls and to "eliminate any confusion that this was 'Beaver Meadow Falls'".

At this point, the Wedge Brook flows over and down a huge boulder.  An estimated 100 feet high, the top part is a slide into a three-part cascade where one part drops into the next and finally into a pool.  From here, the brook makes its way through rocks and down toward the falls just below.

The descent was a whole lot easier than the climb.  We made the observation that it probably would have been quite a bit quicker on skies, but maybe not as safe.

Wedge Brook flows into the East Branch of the Ausable River, which joins forces with the west branch downstream at Au Sable Forks to form the Ausable River.  This waterfall rich river empties into Lake Champlain in the town of Peru.

Last update:  May 29, 2020

Hover on any of the thumbnails to see an enlarged image

Wedge Brook Cascades Wedge Brook Cascades
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Wedge Brook Cascades Wedge Brook Cascades

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