The Connecticut Waterfall Crawl
Watch the Nutmeg State explode this spring
If you go weak in the knees at the thought of watching a freshly thawed waterfall roaring back to life—yielding a torrent of snowmelt, tree branches, and other forest detritus—you might instinctively look toward towering cliffs and boreal forests. In New England, most of the April waterfall chasing happens in places like Maine and Vermont, where the sawtoothed topography makes for some big ass, aquatic gods. But in 2026, after previously covering waterfall spectating in the Green Mountain and Pine Tree States, I want to focus on a less intuitive destination for this event. It’s a state which might appear smaller in stature, but which actually packs a real wallop when it comes to rivers or creeks spilling down hills. So this year, we’re going to Connecticut.
The Nutmeg State often gets pigeonholed as a kind of transitional backwater between New England and New York City. And while there’s definitely some cultural truth to it, this characterization makes the mistake of reducing the entirety of southeastern New York to the NYC area. The westernmost border of Connecticut is a much gnarlier place where the Taconic Mountains spill over from the Empire State and form the backbone of localized ranges like the Litchfield Hills. (The modern process of snowmaking was invented there, at the Mohawk Mountain Ski Area, back in the 1950s!) The foothills of these mountains keep rolling eastward to form the Connecticut River Valley. And from there, heading toward the Rhode Island line, the landscape calms down considerably.
My point is that Connecticut boasts some seriously chunky terrain. That means plenty of rock faces, crags, and precipices for water to crash down—a seasonal event that’s happening as I type. And so, for those you who want to savor the messy glory of the spring thaw, I beseech you to find a car and brave The Connecticut Waterfall Crawl.
Unlike prior Mind The Moss waterfall crawls—which were cross-state Point A to Point B driving routes—the Nutmeg State version is a nifty loop that takes about 4 hours to complete by car (without traffic). The orbital journey begins and ends in Hartford, and you might as well consider plumping for a hotel in the state capital; to allow for a nice post-crawl dinner at which you and your fellow waterfall chasers can toast your victory at high volume. So that people at other tables will look toward you, with one of them traipsing by to ask what you’re all so excited about. At which point, you can gush over Connecticut’s cascades, and how you took in seven of them in a single mid-spring day!
Each of the falls on the Connecticut Waterfall Crawl is located pretty close to the road—some require a short hike of a half mile or less, while others are waiting mere steps away from the parking lot or the shoulder. In clockwise order, here is the full lineup:
#1: Wadsworth Falls. Initially, you’ll follow the Connecticut River south from Hartford through suburban territory; a misleading first step for a drive that willl involve quite a bit of elevation gain and loss. And as you approach the woods around Middlefield, the blue bends of the Coginchaug River will reveal themselves. And just a few paces down a set of stairs and leafy path from the edge of the road is Wadsworth Falls. While it’s “only” around 20 feet tall, the formation of this rip-roaring cascade is what makes it so special. The steep drop and the massive volume of water from the river makes this fall look like a baby cousin of Niagara. Even in the early winter of 2021, just when the Coginchaug was beginning to freeze, the immensity of Wadsworth Falls stunned me.
#2: Buttermilk Falls. A somewhat short-lived stretch of I-691 is all it takes to enter the rustly foothills of the Taconic Mountains, where Buttermilk Falls gurgles away in the woods of Terryville. Significantly taller than Wadsworth, at roughly 60 feet, this cascade is a quieter, more serene creature. And what really makes it stand out are the adjacent ledges from which you can sit and gaze down at the pathway of the falls. In spring, the half-formed canopy offers partial views of the surrounding forest as well. Park on Lane Hill Road and head south into the woods to intercept Buttermilk Falls.
#3: Knife Shop Falls. As you approach the actual town of Litchfield—your best bet for a mid-crawl lunch, especially if you like the sound of oyster tacos or broccoli rabe and sausage rigatone—take a minute to pop by Northfield Pond. In the late 19th Century, one of America’s most innovative pocketknife makers (the Northfield Knife Company) ran a factory here, and that’s why the multi-layered falls that spill from the pond are known as Knife Shop Falls. Like Buttermilk Falls, the way to find these hidden beauties is to park on the edge of Knife Shop Road and crunch southward through the trees to reach the brook and its cascades. Be ready to schlep yourself over an occasional log.
#4: Kent Falls. A major escalation in every sense, Connecticut’s tallest waterfall is on the far west edge of the state, which means ascending through the mountains past the Mohawk Mountain Ski Area. But once you reach the doorstep of Kent Falls State Park, little is left to the imagination. The falls, which descend 250 feet down slopes of exposed stone, have their own pavillion at the base. But you can take in the total heft of Kent Falls thing by climbing the short trail alongside the drops, with its rock stairs and observation platforms. There’s a $10 fee for each car without Connecticut plates, and it’s bumped up to $15 over the weekends. But bear in mind, that’s about the same price as a single adult ticket to the inevitable Deadpool & Wolverine sequel.
#5: Dean’s Ravine Falls. Of all the cascades on the Connecticut Waterfall Crawl, the one that’s sequestered in a mossy ravine near Canaan requires the most hiking. It’s a half mile round trip from the junction of Music Mountain Road and Cream Hill Road (what great names!) to the hidden place where Reed Brook forms a gorgeous duet of horsetail falls that add up to 50 feet in height. If you’ve ever visited Crawford Notch in New Hampshire and laid eyes on Ripley Falls, the angle and shape of Dean’s Ravine Falls might give you a kick of Déjà vu. The path does get slippery, so tread gingerly.
#6: Campbell Falls. Now this one is a bit peculiar. A muscular cascade, with a 50-foot plunge and a frothing pool and rapids at the base, Campbell Falls is the crown jewel of Connecticut’s Campbell Falls State Park Reserve. The reason why I spell out the full moniker and its qualifier, however, is because Campbell Falls is technically located in Massachusetts! The waterfall occupies a tiny piece of forest that could be interpreted as Nutmeg or Bay State land, and it appears that Mass. just decided to let Connecticut have this one. The sloped half-mile trail to the falls starts at the state’s northwest tip and crosses into the town of New Marlborough, MA to reach the foot of the cascade. I’m still not sure how Campbell Falls became a Connecticut landmark. Maybe a former Massachusetts governor lost their dog around here or something. Either way, it rules.
#7: Enders Brook Falls. Descending from the Litchfield Hills back to the Connecticut River and the Hartford metro area might leave you feeling bittersweet…if the novelty of Connecticut casades hasn’t faded after taking in six of them! But you’re not out of the woods just yet, thankfully. West of Granby, the immersive Enders State Forest has its own sequence of falls—the most elegant yet varied of the day! Enders Brook Falls basically amounts to a buffet of waterfall genres. Horsetails, plunges, slides, you name it. The tallest of them is around 30 feet, and a boardwalk path that offers primo views of each fall. Think of Enders Brook Falls as the final number in a musical, in which the entire cast that you’ve spent two hours watching gets trotted out to belt out the song. You could also liken it to the finale of a fireworks show, when the pyrotechnicians take whatever is left in the arsenal and set it off at once, letting the whole place fucking rip.
Alternatively, if you decide to do the Connecticut Waterfall Crawl in counterclockwise order, then visiting Enders Brook Falls will be like those times when firework handlers accidentally ignite all the rockets and flares at the start; which is special in its own way.
CLICK HERE for a Google Map of the Connecticut Waterfall Crawl