Glendale Falls

Getting to Glendale Falls can be a little complicated depending on what direction you travel from. For the purpose of simplification, we'll assume Pittsfield to be the starting point. Take combined Highway 8/9 east from Pittsfield to the town of Dalton, then continue south on Highway 8 towards Hinsdale. About 4.4 miles from Dalton, turn left onto a road called Skyline Trail (possibly signed as Middlefield Road or Main Road). Follow Skyline Trail through Middlefield for just over 10 miles then turn left onto Clark Wright Road and drive for another 2 miles to the second bridge over Glendale Brook and turn left into the parking area. Short paths quickly lead to the top of the falls, but no formal trails exist to the bottom of the cascades. Stay away from the rocks when climbing down to the bottom of the falls as they tend to be slippery.Glendale Falls is a long chain of fairly steep cascades which drop a total of 126 feet into the valley of the Middle Branch of the Westfield River in Middlefield. The falls begin as a small upper cascade which sheets across a broad shelf and then finishes by falling into a narrow slot in the bedrock. After a brief pause the stream then glissades down the bare rock and zigzags back and forth down a series of shelves before terminating in a small pool at the bottom of the falls. Unless Glendale Brook is flowing with a well above average discharge, the way the water zigzags back and forth across the cliff makes the falls appear less significant from below than it actually is. The fact that the overall pitch of the formation is around (or less than) 45 degrees applies a significant factor of foreshortening as well. The falls are protected on a plot of land administered by The Trustees of Reservations but there is little to no development in terms of trails or access to viewpoints. The top of the falls are a mere 100 feet from the parking area and can be accessed by all, but in order to see the base of the falls, it is necessary to scramble down along the side of the falls. This isn't terribly difficult, but the descent involves climbing around large boulders and contending with slick surfaces (both rock and decaying leaves on the forest floor). Exercise caution when around areas which could be precarious and stay well away from the stream around the falls.