Mayfield Falls

Negril / Glenbrook, Hanover Parish / Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica

About Mayfield Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Mayfield Falls was one of those waterfalls where we really had to manage our expectations.

I think part of the confusion resulted from Google image searches where pictures of YS Falls were mislabeled as this one.

Mayfield_Falls_035_12312011 - The Washing Machine at Mayfield Falls
The Washing Machine at Mayfield Falls

I could totally see how the misleading literature could’ve easily set us up for disappointment.

Managing Expectations at Mayfield Falls

Anyways what I meant by managing expectations is that Mayfield Falls was really more of a waterfall to play in or experience as opposed to sightsee.

After all, the falls consisted of a series of very small cascades (apparently there were 21 total) mostly spaced out so it wasn’t possible to photograph the whole thing as one collective waterfall.

Thus, really felt like it was a collection of individual rapids and mini-cascades.

The tallest of these falls was probably the barely 3m tall Washing Machine, which was the uppermost of the cascades we got to climb.

Mayfield_Falls_053_12312011 - People doing the Mayfield Falls River Walk
People doing the Mayfield Falls River Walk

This waterfall also allowed us to get into its base for a shower or even get behind its curtain of water.

It was probably the only waterfall of the Mayfield Falls series that was worth photographing on its own.

Had we treated this waterfall like a lite version of Dunn’s River Falls at the outset, then we would’ve known that the swimming, the wading, the scrambling, and the climbing of the cascades without the crush of tourists were really its main appeal.

It was in this light that we thought this ended up being a pretty fun waterfall.

Mayfield_Falls_020_12312011 - One of the Mayfield Falls waterfalls where you can go behind it and stick your hand out like this guide was able to do
One of the Mayfield Falls waterfalls where you can go behind it and stick your hand out like this guide was able to do

Even though the Washing Machine was one waterfall we got to play in, get behind, and get massaged by the jets of water, there was another small waterfall with a little alcove behind it that I got to do the same thing except I got to stick my hands out.

Even the guide used his body to “turn off” the waterfall to make it easier for me to get behind it!

This particular waterfall was a little further downstream of the Washing Machine.

Aside from this, there was really nothing more to this waterfall though the mountain scenery on the rugged road to get up here was pretty scenic.

Competition at Mayfield Falls

Mayfield_Falls_005_12312011 - Signage proclaiming the Original Mayfield Falls, which was where we ended up accessing the river walk
Signage proclaiming the Original Mayfield Falls, which was where we ended up accessing the river walk

Finally, one thing I do have to mention was that there were competing landowners offering Mayfield Falls tours.

One proclaimed itself to be the Original Mayfield Falls (i.e. the “real mccoy”) while the other was just Mayfield Falls.

Both landowners provided access to the same waterfalls.

The difference was that we had to get wet to see most of the falls from the “original” side.

However, on the competing tour, there were stairs leading down at several points along the rivercourse from the opposite side of the river.

Mayfield_Falls_011_12312011 - Apparently a distinguishing feature of the 'Original Mayfield Falls' area was this bamboo bridge leading across the Mayfield River and right onto their property
Apparently a distinguishing feature of the ‘Original Mayfield Falls’ area was this bamboo bridge leading across the Mayfield River and right onto their property

Perhaps for people who just want to take photos and not risk getting the camera destroyed without waterproofing gear, that the competing tour would have been better suited for that.

On the other hand, one can argue that most of these falls wasn’t worth photographing anyways.

Authorities

Mayfield Falls resides in Glenbrook Westmoreland near Negril in the Westmoreland Parish (almost by the border with the Hanover Parish), Jamaica. I am under the impression that the Mayfield River is not owned, but its access does require going through private property. For information or inquiries about the area, I haven’t seen an official website of any of the operators nor an overarching government authority. Therefore, you may want to try the Jamaican Tourism Board.

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Tagged with: negril, hanover, glenbrook, real mccoy, jamaica, waterfall, caribbean, swim, swimming, river walk, washing machine



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
Read More About Johnny | A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls.