Shoebox Falls

Essex County, New York

Your visit at a glance

Waterfall height: 10 ft (3 m)
Location: Essex County, New York
Access status: Short unmarked path from NY 73; roadside parking
The walk: Less than 0.1 mile round trip
Ground & access: Short dirt path. The road has a 55 mph limit, curves, a narrow shoulder and a stone bridge with no walkway; take great care walking along it.

Shoebox Falls, NY
Photo credit
Photo: John Sweeney, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Shoebox Falls, also called Ferngully, is a small falls of about 8 to 10 feet into a narrow chasm and swim hole on the North Fork of the Boquet River beside NY 73, east of Chapel Pond. Park near the stone bridge, walk back over the bridge and along the road a few hundred feet to a path that leads up and to the right to the top of the falls. The falls are hard to see from the top; for a better view, continue a little past the tree line where the falls can be seen from the road, staying behind the guardrail. Return the same way.

Plan your visit

Roadside parking at the NY 73 bridge over the North Fork Boquet River, then a short unmarked path to the falls

Adirondack Hub gives less than 0.1 miles round trip. Lake Placid tourism describes it as a five-minute walk from the road.

Short dirt path. The road has a 55 mph limit, curves, a narrow shoulder and a stone bridge with no walkway; take great care walking along it.

Where to start

Informal roadside parking just before or after the NY 73 bridge over the Boquet River, 1.3 miles west of Route 9. No signs and only a few spaces.

Timing & water

Popular for swimming in summer.

Before you go

No fee is mentioned.

Visitor information

Visit sources

More waterfalls nearby

Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.

Explore New York

Waterfall location

Essex County, New York.

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