Barberville Falls

Starting in downtown Troy, follow Route 66 east through Wynantskill for 5 miles. Where Route 66 bears right, stay straight onto Route 355 and proceed another 3 miles to Poestenkill. Continue straight past the junction with Route 351 in Poestenkill along County Route 40 (Plank Road) for another mile and a half, then bear left on Blue Factory Road. The trailhead will be on the left just after crossing Poesten Kill on a bridge. Parking, however, is not allowed around the trailhead, so one must retreat back down County Rte 40 for about one-quarter of a mile to public parking located across the street from a cemetary. Once parked, retrace your steps along Route 40, cross the bridge and pick up the trail heading down through the woods to the bottom of the falls. The south side of the Poesten Kill is all private property, so do not attempt to access the falls via any route other than the Nature Conservancy's public access point.Barberville Falls is a surprisingly significant waterfall located along the Poesten Kill about 8 miles out of the Hudson River Valley. The Poesten Kill is a rather large stream at this point, and the geology which creates the falls allows the water to spread out over a significant breadth - averaging 70 feet in width - as it crashes 92 feet over stair-step slabs into a large pool below. The large drainage area ensures that even during the driest spells the falls will retain at least some flow, while during the autumn and spring months the swollen creek may become so ferocious that viewing the falls against the torrential spray may be a futile effort. The Barberville Falls Nature Preserve surrounding the falls is owned by The Nature Conservancy and is for the most part open and accessible to the public. There have however been numerous ongoing problems with littering and vandalism at Barberville Falls, and for these reasons the Nature Conservancy actually closed the land during the summer of 2012 - a precedent which may not be uncommon in the future if visitors' continue to lack common decency and good stewardship practices, so please remember to pack out all your trash when visiting.