Sumner Falls
Windsor County, Vermont
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- Not recorded
- Location
- Windsor County, Vermont
- Access status
- Partial guide: town park beside the falls; path to a viewpoint not described
- The walk
- Short walk from the park to the river; no distance is published
- Ground & access
- Park trails beside a large river. Rapids and fast-changing water.
Sumner Falls (also called Hartland Rapids) is a series of ledges spread across a wide section of the Connecticut River in Hartland. The Town of Hartland lists Sumner's Falls at 404 Route 5 as a 55-acre public parcel bordering the river, with hiking trails, picnic tables and a portable toilet. From I-91 exit 9, go left and through Hartland center on US-5 north, cross back over I-91 and then a railroad bridge, and take the second right, about 200 yards past the railroad bridge, onto a small dirt road to its end. A wooden kiosk with park information stands a few feet down that road. The paddling description says a clearly marked portage trail starts at the put-in. The exact path to a viewpoint of the ledges is not described. The water level can change quickly when upstream dams release water.
Plan your visit
Town of Hartland Sumner's Falls park at 404 Route 5, by the unmarked dirt road off US-5 to the Connecticut River
Neither the town guide nor the paddling description gives a walking distance from the parking area to the falls.
Park trails beside a large river. Rapids and fast-changing water.
Where to start
Town park at the end of the small dirt road off US-5; the entrance is unmarked and the kiosk is not visible from the main road. The paddling description puts the entrance about 2.75 miles north of I-91 exit 9.
Timing & water
No season is stated. The town warns that the water level at the falls can change quickly when dams upstream release water.
Before you go
No fee is mentioned.
Visitor informationVisit sources
- Town of Hartland: Guide to Public Parks and Natural Areas
- Town of Hartland: Guide to Public Parks and Natural Areas
- Town of Hartland: Guide to Public Parks and Natural Areas
- How's Your River: Connecticut, Sumner Falls (American Whitewater data)
- How's Your River: Connecticut, Sumner Falls (American Whitewater data)
- How's Your River: Connecticut, Sumner Falls (American Whitewater data)
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
- Gerry's FallsState park trail route documented; distance to the falls not statedWindsor County, VT8.1 miS
- Hidden FallsWindsor County, VT9.1 miSW
- Litte Dog FallsPartial guide: conservation area trails pass the falls, but the exact location on the trail is not published13 ft (4 m) · Grafton County, NH12 miE
- Big Dog FallsPartial guide: conservation area trails pass two waterfalls, but the exact location of Big Dog Falls on the trail is not published33 ft (10 m) · Grafton County, NH12 miE
- The ChutesOrange County, VT19 miN
- Pollard Mills FallsPartial guide: private land open to visitors by the owner; parking and current permission not confirmedSullivan County, NH19 miSE
- Buttermilk Lower FallsPartial guide: public trail; parking spot and exact lower-falls position not describedWindsor County, VT19 miSW
- Buttermilk Middle FallsWindsor County, VT19 miSW
- Buttermilk Upper FallsShort public trail; position of the upper falls on the trail not describedWindsor County, VT20 miSW