2017 Hike #15: Bash Bish Falls - Mt. Washington, MA

Date Hiked: Sunday, April 23, 2017
Estimated distance:  1.67 miles
Weather: 55°F, clear
Resources: Bash Bish Falls SP, Taconic State Park - Copake Falls Area,
Highlights of the trip:  waterfall
Progress toward 2017 Outdoor Goals:  15/52 hikes; 46.39/250 miles hiked


Let's call this "Grab the Bull by the Horns Day".  Bash Bish Falls has been on my list of places to visit for ages.  There is always some reason that I don't end up going.  Last year, I didn't go in the spring and then we had a very dry summer.  I didn't want to drive all the way out there and be greeted by just a trickle of water.  I had also been putting the visit off, hoping to go with someone else.  It is nicer to share the experience, plus it takes about an hour and a half for me to get to this area - an area that I am unfamiliar with.  In the end, I decided if I was going to get there this spring, I just needed to take action.

Bash Bish Falls is located near the border of Massachusetts and New York.  In planning the visit I came across information that indicated that the road that came in from the Massachusetts side might be closed.  The information was a little old, but there was nothing that I could find that said the road had re-opened.  I found that I could still get to the Massachusetts parking lot by going around, through New York, and back into Massachusetts.  Once there, there is a steep 1/4 mile long trail down to the falls.  Or, I could park on the New York side and take a more gradual 3/4 mile long trail up to the falls.  In order for a hike to count toward my mileage goal, it needs to be at least a mile long, so I decided to go in from the New York side.  (Yeah, it had nothing to do with the fact that the MA side was steep.)

Going east on Route 344 through Copake Falls, the parking lot for the NY side is on the right.  It is a fairly large parking lot (50 cars?) and had two port-a-potties.  I imagine that it gets quite crowded as it warms up.  The parking lot was nearly full when I left.  (I met a family in the parking lot that indicated that the road on the MA side was open).

The hike from this parking lot was very nice because you are walking along the river the whole way.  It is funny, but for some reason I had expected the river to be flowing the other way.  I thought the falls fell toward Massachusetts, but they don't.  The picture below doesn't show it well, but the water looks crystal clear.

Beautiful, clear water.

There were all sorts of people along the trail - older groups, young families, couples, and a few singles like me.  After about 3/4 of a mile, you reach the viewing area above the falls.  There were a few people on the rocks below the falls, but it was not at all crowded.  I took the stairs down to the rocks and easily found a vantage point to sit and watch the falls for a few minutes.

Bash Bish Falls

The map on the kiosk in the parking area had indicated a viewpoint above the falls.  I wasn't sure how much farther beyond the MA parking lot the viewpoint was and I really wasn't looking forward to climbing the steep stairs to find out.  That was one of the reasons I avoided the Massachusetts parking lot to begin with.  I decided to take the path back to my car and then drive to the Massachusetts parking area and go to the lookout from there.  Well, just for your information, the viewpoint is 0.05 miles beyond the parking lot.  Not far at all, but up even higher.  I don't regret my choice to drive.

Looking west over the Bash Bish Brook.

I remembered to get out my PeakFinder app and get a read on some of the mountains in the distance.

I am really glad I decided to seize the day.  It is a well-visited park, so I never felt unsafe even though I was by myself.  Possibilities for other visits out this way would be to hike up Mount Alander which you can do as a loop using the South Taconic Trail and Falls Trail.  (A sign at the kiosk indicated a trail closure.  It may have been Falls Trail, but I am not sure.)  Another idea would be to bring your bikes and ride along the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.  Right next to the trail in Copake Falls is Depot Deli.  It looks like a perfect place to stop and grab a bite.  I will be visiting this area again.