Hamilton Falls — Attraction in Jamaica

Not sure why I got the urge to do this, but hey, here I am. To start with, this place is beautiful. It is an absolutely gorgeous feature in the landscape. The waterfalls are interesting to look at, not just a single boring fall. The surrounding landscape also sets a nice backdrop as well. I remember really thinking it was just a fantastic spot on this planet, even though it's been a while.

When I say it's been a while, a while means about 20 years. I know, it seems silly, but I hadn't even thought to check Google for this before now. Anyway, the biggest point I want to drive home here is, as pretty as it is, don't be fooled. It's also wickedly dangerous. I would know, I almost died on these very falls. The reason why is because I got complacent climbing around, and didn't treat the falls with the respect they deserved. All it takes is a tiny moment, and your life is washed away.

I won't rant much further, I guess I figured my warning would carry more weight as a survivor. I wouldn't want others to go through what I did. It is a beautiful spot, and I plan to return to it again soon. But please, please, please, be...

NOTE!!: Beautiful hike along the fiercely fast flowing river, some whitewater kayakers walked past us to drop in. We did NOT anticipate the amount of frozen snow that morphed into a massive 1.5 mile stretch of ice that we encountered along the flat riverside trail.

Although the day was in the high 30’s and sunny, it’s still March and the melting will continue for a while. It was difficult, treacherous and technical with just hiking boots. Some hikers were sporting micro grip ice cleats that cruised right past us...I was so envious. Some stretches allowed us to pass the long stretches of ice along the edge of the trail, where the ice melted and made a stream of water.

When we finally made it to the descending stairs and the area near the falls we, yet again, encountered more sketchy ice patties. This new section of ice had completely covered the sloped downhill trail. We decided to abort a shore line view of the racing falls and trek up the steep hill to the higher trail and get a glimpse of the falls from a distance. Enjoy and...

The area around the falls is serene and peaceful. You can mostly see the falls through the trees on the path, but if you hike down to the basin, you can get an excellent view. Do exercise caution, however, as the area around the base of the falls can be dangerous, most especially because of slip and trip hazards. Hiking the upper path is average effort, but the lower path down to the base is steep and slippery, so those with mobility concerns be aware.

If you drive up from the back way around Burbee pond, there is parking for about 6 cars (in between the designated signs). From there, you can descend the upper path down to the base, or you can hike a short distance to the top of the falls. The oath to the top of the falls is a little steep in places, and there are slip/trip hazards.

This is one of my favorite places and was the first hiking trip I took after moving to the Northeast 2 years ago. It's a great spot to spend a few...