Updated July 2026
Carpenter Falls
Carpenter Falls is a 90-foot waterfall on Bear Swamp Creek in the 37-acre Carpenter Falls Unique Area near Skaneateles Lake. A short trail with stone stairs and an observation platform leads to the base, with the adjacent Bahar Nature Preserve protecting old-growth forest.
Before you go
Waterfalls are hazardous by nature — wet rock, cold water, and unstable edges — and flow varies enormously with season and recent rain. Trail figures here describe the route as documented, not conditions today. Check NY State DEC / Finger Lakes Land Trust for closures and current conditions, and confirm land status before setting out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Carpenter Falls drops about 90 feet. That makes it the 237th-tallest documented waterfall in this inventory, taller than roughly 66% of the falls listed here. Height comes from published land-manager and survey records, not from our own measurement.
The Carpenter Falls Trail reaches it about 1.1 miles (out-and-back), rated easy. The nearest town is Skaneateles. That describes the route as documented, not conditions on the day — check with NY State DEC / Finger Lakes Land Trust for closures and current conditions.
Spring. Waterfall flow swings enormously with snowmelt and recent rain, so a fall that roars in spring can be a trickle by late summer.
More New York waterfalls
- Awosting Falls · 60 ft
- Bastion Falls · 70 ft
- Beaver Meadow Falls · 60 ft
- Buttermilk Falls (Ithaca) · 165 ft
- Buttermilk Falls (Long Lake) · 20 ft
- Buttermilk Falls · 165 ft
- Chittenango Falls · 167 ft
- Cowshed Falls · 56 ft
Sources
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