Moss Glen Falls (Stowe)

CC Putnam State Forest / Stowe, Vermont, USA

About Moss Glen Falls (Stowe)

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Moss Glen Falls was the other of two waterfalls that we visited having the same name in the state of Vermont on the same day.

This one was located near the charming town of Stowe, which seemed to be a pretty popular place on the weekends as well as a bit of a winter ski resort.

Moss_Glen_Falls_Stowe_024_09302013 - Moss Glen Falls near Stowe, VT
Moss Glen Falls near Stowe, VT

This waterfall was memorable to us because it seemed to have a bit of a Quebecois flavor to it.

In hindsight, this probably shouldn’t have been surprising given its close proximity to the Canadian border.

Unlike the other Moss Glen Waterfall in Granville, this one near Stowe was significantly taller at a reported 125ft.

However, it was a bit harder to access as we needed to hike to it in order to see it from an overlook that offered a limited view between trees (as you see pictured above).

Hiking to Moss Glen Falls

Moss_Glen_Falls_Stowe_003_09302013 - Boardwalks were set up to traverse some of the muddier sections of the trail to the Moss Glen Falls
Boardwalks were set up to traverse some of the muddier sections of the trail to the Moss Glen Falls

The hike started off innocently enough at a fair-sized unpaved parking lot (see directions below).

At this parking area, there was a plaque and some signage indicating that we were in the C.C. Putnam State Forest Burt Hollow Block.

From there, a flat and somewhat narrow trail passed through a forested area before traversing a stretch of muddy terrain.

Fortunately, most of the sloppiest parts of the trail had wooden planks acting as boardwalks.

After getting through the muddy stretch of trail, we then followed the Moss Glen Brook briefly before the trail then steeply climbed a short distance up to a narrow ridge.

Moss_Glen_Falls_Stowe_005_09302013 - Julie on the trail to Moss Glen Falls as the path followed along the creek
Julie on the trail to Moss Glen Falls as the path followed along the creek

Since I was carrying our two-year-old on my back, I was a little nervous about the steepness of the trail and the dropoffs immediately on either side of the ridge.

It was definitely not a place to let her roam free.

From the narrow ridge, we were able to get the nice frontal view of Moss Glen Falls where we could best appreciate its full height.

The view allowed us to witness where the Moss Glen Brook fell in multiple tiers with one of the tiers having a bit of a fan shape to it.

Julie and I observed that there was a very steep and slippery scramble leading down to the base of the falls from the ridge.

Moss_Glen_Falls_Stowe_013_09302013 - Julie climbing up to the ridge that ultimately yielded the best view of the Moss Glen Falls
Julie climbing up to the ridge that ultimately yielded the best view of the Moss Glen Falls

However, it looked way too dicey so we didn’t attempt it.

We were also cognizant that an easier way to the base was from wading upstream in the Moss Glen into the gorge itself.

However, we had neither the time nor the will to get wet and sloppy with the stream scramble, especially in light of a very long driving day with daylight waning.

Beyond the view of the Moss Glen Falls, we also saw other hikers continue further up the trail.

I’d imagine that they ended up going up to the top of the falls.

Moss_Glen_Falls_Stowe_021_09302013 - Context of the very steep scramble leading down to the base of the Moss Glen Falls from the ridge where we got the best view of the waterfall
Context of the very steep scramble leading down to the base of the Moss Glen Falls from the ridge where we got the best view of the waterfall

In any case, we were content with the view and didn’t try to continue up that trail either.

So overall, we spent about 40 minutes away from the car.

As a result of us turning down other opportunities to experience Moss Glen Falls in other ways, we wound up with a bit of a look-but-don’t-touch experience.

Authorities

Moss Glen Falls resides in the C.C. Putnam State Forest near Stowe in Lamoille County, Vermont. It is administered by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: stowe, cc putnam, state forest, lamoille, vermont, waterfall, new england, waterbury, burt hollow, moss glen, waterbury, ben and jerrys



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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.
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