The Flume Fall

Essex County, New York

Your visit at a glance

Waterfall height: Not recorded
Location: Essex County, New York
Access status: Short Wild Forest path from the Flume trailhead lot
The walk: About a third of a mile round trip
Ground & access: Wide trail with faint side paths and rocky river edges. People have died swimming here.

Uncovering New York: Flume Falls near Lake Placid

The Flume Fall, signed as Wilmington Flume, is a series of drops of about 50 feet in all on the West Branch Ausable River in the Wilmington Wild Forest, downstream of High Falls Gorge. From the Flume Trail System lot, cross NY 86 with great care and walk over the bridge; the upper drops are visible from the bridge. On the far side, follow the obvious unmarked trail downhill and take faint side paths left to the river for views of the plunge and cascades below the bridge. Return the same way.

Plan your visit

Flume Trail System parking on NY 86, across the road and the river bridge, then the unmarked trail downstream along the West Branch Ausable

Uncovering New York gives a round trip of around a third of a mile for the walk to the viewpoints and back. Northern New York Waterfalls gives up to 0.2 mile or 5 minutes.

Wide trail with faint side paths and rocky river edges. People have died swimming here.

Where to start

Flume Trail System lot on NY 86, about 2 miles south of Wilmington, just before the river bridge when coming from Wilmington; room for about a dozen cars. Uncovering New York gives the lot at 44.366216, -73.841204. Traffic on this stretch of NY 86 is fast.

Timing & water

Busy on warm days.

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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