Tannery Falls

From the junction of Routes 2 and 8 in North Adams, follow Route 2 east for just over 12 miles, then turn right (south) onto Black Brook Road. Proceed for 2.5 miles and then turn right onto Tannery Road and go another 3/4 mile to the parking area for the Tannery Falls Trail on the right (may not be signed). From the parking lot follow the trail downstream marked with blue blazes. The trail reaches the top of Tannery Falls in about a fifth of a mile and then descends a steep staircase to its base.While its stream may not be terribly significant, little justification is needed in qualifying Tannery Falls as one of the best waterfalls in Massachusetts. Ross Brook produces this exquisite 81-foot tall horsetail style fall as it slides down a smooth cliff in the process of joining up with the Cold River about a mile downstream. The falls are technically tiered into two distinct drops, both about 40 feet in height, separated with a small pothole pool notched into the side of the cliff, but viewed from below it generally appears to be a single fall. Standing downstream of the falls, one can admire both Tannery Falls and neighboring Parker Brook Falls as they drop into the glen in tandem (though Parker Brook Falls is more obstructed than Tannery). The falls are the clear attraction here, but geology aficionados may be equally interested in the path of Ross Brook upstream of Tannery Falls where a roughly 300-foot long shallow gorge has been carved into diagonally stratified bedrock such that the creek actually flows underneath the trail in a few places without being underground. Throughout this gorge are several smaller waterfalls and cascades which are quite attractive in their own right, but certainly don't compare to the main attraction.