Buttermilk Falls

This waterfall is located a mile north of Ludlow. The old Route 103 used to wind along the side of Branch Brook. Route 103 was relocated further up the side of Okemo Mountain, and the old Route 103 became Buttermilk Falls road. The falls are near the end of the road, just below the old closed bridge.Buttermilk Falls consists of three tiers about 1000 feet apart. Branch Brook splits and drops in two segments over opposite sides of a wide ledge of about 15 feet in height. The rock here is a greenish gray precambrian quartzite, and is quite notable for its subtle shade, particularly between the segments. The falls drop into a wide pool with many rounded rocks along the edges. The middle tier is found about 850 feet downstream. It collects in a deep pothole at the brink of the middle falls and drops into a tight cleft formed by the cliff and a large flake of rock directly in front of the waterfall. There is another large pool with rounded boulders along the edge at the base of this drop. In periods of higher water, the water flows to the left of the main segment of the falls to slide diagonally for about 50 feet followed by a straight drop of about 7 feet into a boulder pile, finally returning to the pool below. The lower tier consists of a stairstep series of low falls, totaling about 8 feet over a 40 foot length of river.Bridal Veil Falls was once used to refer to the upper tier of Buttermilk Falls.