Middle Stony Brook Falls

Take Interstate 390 to the town of Dansville and exit onto southbound Route 36 at the southern end of town. Continue 1.5 miles south on Route 36 from the I-390 underpass to the entrance to Stony Brook State Park on the left. Follow the park road all the way to the large parking area at its end in another half mile. The Gorge Trail begins at the far end of the parking area, and meanders at a leisurely pace up the glen adjacent to Stony Brook. This waterfall is encountered after about six-tenths of a mile of easy walking.Stony Brook State Park located just outside of Dansville, New York is home to four significant waterfalls, several minor cascades, and one of the nicest glen trails in the Finger Lakes area. None of the waterfalls seem to have ever been formally named, and colloquial names seem to have never stuck for the largest of the falls, for whatever reason (they certainly aren’t lacking for stature). Progressing up the gorge from the parking area, the second major falls encountered is a broad cascading fall which drops just over 22 feet in veiling fashion. Depending on the flow of the creek, the falls may segment into side-by-side veils, or it may overwhelm the entire cliff in the form of one broad fall that can stretch to about 60 feet in width. During low flow periods in the summer, expect to see just one or two narrow plumes of water cascading down the middle of the cliff. Stony Brook drains from an area covering approximately 21 square miles, and seems to retain at least a modest flow of water all year long. During the winter and spring months, the volume of the creek will swell to such levels that walking in the creek would be foolishly dangerous, but during the summer months the flow is low enough that pleasant creek walking up the glen is a safe undertaking. The glen trail appears to be open seasonally, so accessing the falls in exceptionally high water may not be feasible in the first place.