Waterfall Record

This is a portion of a waterfall with a rainbow.

The Waterfall Record

Goldmine Brook Falls, Massachusetts

Goldmine Brook Falls in August 2012

I randomly choose waterfalls to post about, and when I first stumbled upon Goldmine Brook Falls, I couldn’t really remember this waterfall. As I looked at the map, though, a few things started coming back to me, and I remember how much I liked this waterfall.

I should first start by saying I had visited a number of other waterfalls in the region, and had been somewhat disappointed. Bash Bish Falls, one of the more popular waterfalls, was just that…very popular and crowded. Many of the waterfalls didn’t have much water flowing in August. Goldmine Brook Falls probably doesn’t have much water flowing even at its peak, but it was much more than some of the other falls.

I also remember that it is pretty easy to visit. (Thanks to a reader for pointing out that my memory is a little bit off!) It is not that far from the road, being about 0.1 miles from the parking area. There’s a pull-off on US-20, you get out, walk up a small dirt path next to the creek, and arrive at the falls. Goldmine Brook Falls is really a small gem, and even though it’s only about 15-20′ tall, it’s easy to view. Sanderson Brook Falls is very close by, though it requires a longer hike to view the falls.

Directions:

  1. Once you find the two towns Goldmine Brook is between, it’s easy to find the falls. The two towns are rather small, though. The falls are found just off of US-20, northwest of Huntington and southeast of Chester.
  2. If you’re headed northwest from Huntington the falls will be on your left, but the parking area will be on your right, and will be before you see the creek. From Chester, they will be on your right, but the parking area will be on your left after you pass the falls. You’ll have to safely cross the road (either way) to see the falls. It is easier to recognize you’ve passed the creek if you’re headed southeast.
  3. After crossing the road, follow the small trail that is next to the creek about 0.1 miles to the falls.

Accessibility: 8/10 (easy/moderate)
Distance of Hike: 0.2 miles round-trip
Height: 15-20′

Where in the World is Goldmine Brook Falls?

Responses

  1. Justin Avatar
    Justin

    I just recently made my first visit to Goldmine Brook Falls and had been using your post here, along with a few other resources, as my guide. I wanted to point out for future reference of other visitors that the falls actually aren’t immediately visible from the road, as you’ve said. What you may have remembered is that Goldmine Brook is visible from the road, since it actually cascades beneath the street en route to the Westfield River. However, accessing the actual waterfall requires hiking uphill into the woods on a small unmarked trail for about 300 feet or more. The brook is a bit circuitous along the way, such that the falls are entirely obscured from view when standing on the roadside and looking upstream.

    I arrived expecting to the see the falls from the road and was baffled to see tame, dribbling cascades. I almost left in disappointment, but reminded myself that the view from the road simply looked too dramatically different from the photographs I had seen. That’s when I went looking for any sort of trail and finally discovered that the falls were deeper in the forest.

    Reply
    1. waterfallrecord Avatar
      waterfallrecord

      Thanks Justin! You are completely right. The guidebook I used even says it’s a short hike. Sometimes all of these waterfalls blur together. You are right, I must have noticed Goldmine Creek, or the sign for the creek along the road. I wrote about this some time after, and must have confused my excitement for finding the parking area with finding the falls quickly! I’ll go and update that. Again, thanks for bringing this to my attention!

      Reply

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