Barberville Falls Preserve(Poestenkill, Rensselaer County)

Decided to pay an afternoon visit to the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance's 140 acre Barberville Falls Preserve to check out the newly(fairly new) built parking area and trail to the falls.  From the parking area at 23 Blue Factory Road, the trail heads into a dark, coniferous forest, where the roar of the creek can easily be heard down below.  There appeared to only be two other sets of footsteps in the 3 inches or so of freshly fallen snow as I headed out.

 

The Falls Trail descends steeply down towards the bottom of the falls, with the aid of steps and neatly placed stones in spots.

It is only a short distance to the falls, but the descent(especially in the winter) is quite steep and careful footing is a must.   Although I have been here several times over the years, Barberville Falls never ceases to amaze me.  The drop is a dramatic 92 feet and the roar of the water up close is deafening. 

After enjoying the falls, I headed up to the much less used Ridge Trail, blazed in orange.  This trail is rocky and rough, but beautiful after a fresh snow.

An easy rock hop across Davitt Creek, a tributary of Poestenkill Creek.

Far away from the excitement of the falls, the trail drops down to a serene spot on the Poestenkill.

I took my time enjoying the solitude of the hemlock-northern hardwood forest, where I felt a world away from everything.  Another rock hop crossing over wintry Davitt Creek, as I headed back towards the car.

A nice and easy 2 miles RT at a Rensselaer County treasure.