Rexford Falls, New York

I have a very specific method on how to choose which waterfall to write about. It’s quirky and not that important, but I sometimes deviate from that. It usually happens when I feel I might forget an observation about a waterfall that might be useful. Rexford Falls “falls” into this category. This past weekend, I had the chance to travel through Upstate New York, from Albany to Ithaca to Rochester.

We added some other fun things, but one of my focuses is generally finding waterfalls. The first two I visited were relatively easy to find. The third, Rexford Falls, wasn’t difficult to find, but it can help to know that there is a path to the falls. There is a parking and picnic on the south side of the Mad Brook along Rexford Falls Road. From that, you can walk to a bridge and get a view of the falls from above.

I’m not a big fan of heights and bridges I can see through, so I quickly looked for a different way to view the falls from the base, if it were possible and safe. After a bit of searching, I confirmed that the clear footpath did indeed lead to the base of the falls. It’s a consistently steep but not particularly problematic stretch from the parking area to the brook. There is a bit of a short jump required to get into the brook. And then you hike upstream! This may not be the best option if the brook has a lot of water flowing. Use your judgment! When we visited, the water wasn’t particularly strong, so there were “obvious” rock paths we could follow to get closer to the falls. I did get wet once or twice, but nothing that made me feel soaked.

And the waterfall is nice, but it’s honestly the scenery around the waterfall that adds to the scene. The bridge above looks really awesome with Rexford Falls below. And while the fall leaf colors hadn’t changed significantly, there were some oranges and yellows popping, visible in the gorge.

Directions:

1. Rexford Falls is found in the village of Sherburne. New York’s road system is windy, so it’s not as easy to direct you to Sherburne from any major city. So here’s what you do when you enter Sherburne.
2. NY-12 and NY-80 intersect in the center of Sherburne. Head south on NY-12 (S Main St).
3. Turn left on the first road after the NY-12/80 intersection, Chapel Street.
4. You’ll now be heading east on Chapel Street. Continue driving along Chapel Street, which will turn into Rexford Falls Road. After 1.25 miles of driving, you should come to a park on your left. There is a picnic area also, I believe.
5. To reach the base, you have to be at this park, which you can access from the north side of the brook by crossing the bridge. There isn’t any safe way to approach from the north side of the brook.
6. On the south side, head west along the path, which leads steadily downhill. Once you get close to the brook, you’ll notice a footpath that leads to the brook. From there you can walk/rock-hop upstream. I rate this as a moderate difficulty hike partly because of the steepness, but also rock-hopping upstream comes with its own set of hazards. Use logic and precaution on this hike and it will go well.

Accessibility: 5/10 (moderate)
Height: 35′
Length of Hike: View from bridge or 0.4 miles round-trip (the view from the bridge isn’t great, from “my viewpoint”

Where in the World is Rexford Falls?