Upper Carpenter Falls

Skaneateles Lake, New York, USA

About Upper Carpenter Falls

For Subscribers Only. See Membership Options.

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Upper Carpenter Falls (or just Carpenter Falls) was one of those waterfalls that let us go behind it (albeit unofficially in this case).

We visited this waterfall towards the end of the day during a long drive from Buffalo to Ithaca while visiting other waterfalls in the area.

Carpenter_Falls_017_06152007 - Upper Carpenter Falls
Upper Carpenter Falls

So I’m sure we could’ve explored the trails here a bit more thoroughly than we did.

However, we at least did what we had to in order to check out the pair of accessible waterfalls here with this one being the easier of the two (the other waterfall being Lower Carpenter Falls).

We had read that there were actually four waterfalls here though the two we missed out on were said to be much more difficult to access.

Accessing the Upper Carpenter Falls

Situated near the west bank of Skaneateles Lake, the 80ft falls was accessed via a narrow and somewhat rougher trail than most other Finger Lakes waterfall trails that we had done up to this point.

During our early Summer visit, the flow was already somewhat low so I’m pretty sure it would go dry by mid Summer or later.

Even with that said however, I have read that the falls can be quite powerful in Spring.

Carpenter_Falls_009_06152007 - Upper Carpenter Falls before doing the steep scramble to the base
Upper Carpenter Falls before doing the steep scramble to the base

Towards the end of the the 0.3-mile trail, we had to scramble down a steep path to get to the base of the falls.

During the steep scramble, I also noticed an interesting alcove and hole with water seeping through it and hugging the wall on its way down.

I’m not sure if this was natural or not, but it was quite cool nonetheless.

I don’t think the scramble was an official one so please be careful and take your time if decide to do it.

Authorities

Upper Carpenter Falls resides in the Carpenter Falls Unique Area near Syracuse in Cayuga County, New York. It is administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. 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: skaneateles, cayuga, new york, finger lakes, western new york, waterfall, ithaca, syracuse, upstate, bahar



Visitor Comments:

Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...

No users have replied to the content on this page


Share your thoughts about what you've read on this page

You must be logged in to submit content. Refresh this page after you have logged in.

Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:

If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...

No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall


Have you been to a waterfall? Submit a write-up/review and share your experiences or impressions

Review A Waterfall

Nearest Waterfalls

The Waterfaller Newsletter

The Waterfaller Newsletter is where we curate the wealth of information on the World of Waterfalls website and deliver it to you in bite-sized chunks in your email inbox. You'll also get exclusive content like...

  • Waterfall Wednesdays
  • Insider Tips
  • User-submitted Waterfall Write-up of the Month
  • and the latest news and updates both within the website as well as around the wonderful world of waterfalls


How To Build A Profitable Travel Blog In 4 Steps

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.