Barberville Falls Preserve — Attraction in Town of Poestenkill

Barberville Falls is a nice short hike with a great big reward. The falls are located in Poestenkill, NY. The 92-foot waterfall has a nice viewing area at the bottom. Simply, park your vehicle and follow the hiking trail down to the viewing area. The viewing area has a nice deck and a nice area to stand along the creek to view the falls. The hike down to the viewing area has carved stairs, and is moderately steep. Be careful it can be muddy. For an experienced hiker, this is an easy hike. For those without much hiking experience this could be difficult. There are some other hiking trails in the preserve. The Ridge Trail and Davitt Creek Trail are nice hikes in the woods, but nothing spectacular. There are some very limited views of the falls from The Ridge Trail. The Davitt Creek Trail and Ridge Trail are both loop hikes. There is also a shallow water crossing on both trails, so come prepared. If you do both trails you can do almost two miles of hiking here. Either way take them in after or before seeing the falls from the viewing area. There is a picnic bench in the parking lot. The parking lot has room for about 10-15 vehicles. A trail map is posted on the sign in the parking lot. The amount of water that the falls can carry can vary a lot. If it is dry the falls are small. If there has been a lot of rain this place can look like Niagara Falls. This waterfall is worth a look, so plan on having a...

Once you find the parking lot, it is a fairly easy and quick hike down to the Falls. You cannot go swimming here as it is against the regulations and it is not a good place to swim in general. The water has a brown tint to it. The Falls themselves are pretty spectacular and there is a massive amount of water to be appreciated. There are two or three platforms down near the falls, and you can also do some light rock scrambling in that area if you want. There are trails that follow the stream down river, and some trails that go back up into the woods that I hiked. It’s a nice little spot to know about and worth visiting at least once on a nice day. The drive there is very pleasant no matter which direction you come from. You can bring your dog and the hike is somewhat downhill and then a bit uphill on the way back, but people who are generally fit should be able to do it with absolutely no problem. The hike to the Falls is literally two or three minutes at most. If you have knee problems, this might not be the best hike for you. All in all, this is definitely a spot worth visiting because the waterfall itself is a sight...

The trailhead at Barberville Falls is the origin of three short hikes. Maps are provided at the information kiosk. We hiked the Ledge Loop Trail (1.2 mi), then finished by walking down to the falls (0.25 mi). We visited mid-May and recent rains had created a massive water flow over the falls. Very impressive and powerful. Ledge Trail is very pleasant, even with the added challenge of circumnavigating the frequent muddy spots. There is some elevation change and plenty of shade under stands of hemlock and maples and the sound of nearby running water. It appears there have been two bridges recently built across Davitt Creek and new trails cut near the confluence of the creek & Poesten Kill by the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance. This has eliminated the concern of water crossings. The Alliance has also improved the steps down to the falls. The improvements are welcomed and certainly adds to the enjoyment of being in nature. I hope they'll decide it's time soon for boardwalks in those soggy areas. This will limit the impact on foot traffic on neighboring vegetation and safer mobility...