Photo: Morrowlong · CC BY-SA 3.0Falls Brook Falls
Worth a detour
Is it plungeworthy?
A tiered on Falls Brook.
The details
- Type
- Tiered
- Watercourse
- Falls Brook
- Coordinates
- 42.01669, -72.95459
About Falls Brook Falls
Falls Brook Falls is a 30-foot tiered in Connecticut, on Falls Brook.
It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.
Plungeworthy rates Falls Brook Falls 6.5/10 — worth a detour. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
Falls Brook Falls in Tunxis State Forest is a 20-foot staircase horsetail in the Hartland woods — the payoff of a blue-blazed loop through one of the quieter corners of the state forest system, with multiple stream crossings and a mossy ravine that feels further from Hartford than it is.
Full disclosure on the numbers: a separate lower falls on the same brook, outside the forest boundary, is taller — 50 to 60 feet by some accounts — but there is no trail to it, the ravine approach is a steep off-trail scramble one guide calls 'an accident waiting to happen,' and we don't publish directions to it. The on-trail upper falls is the destination here.
Come in spring or after rain; the brook is small and honest about it in dry spells.
Getting there
- Trailhead
- Falls Brook Trail, Route 20, Hartland (Tunxis State Forest)
- Parking
- Roadside on Route 20 — limited shoulder, genuinely tricky in winter
- Road
- Route 20 — paved
- Hike
- 1.4 mi round trip, 295 ft of climb (Moderate — blue-blazed loop, stream crossings, slippery moss, icy in winter)
- Heads up
- Loop length is cited between 1.1 and 1.7 miles depending on the route taken.
When to go
Spring runoff and post-rain windows; the crossings get sporty in the highest water, so aim for the middle of the flow curve.
Rules & fees
- Fee / pass
- Free
- Warnings
- The taller lower falls has no trail and a hazardous ravine approach — skip it. Moss-covered rock throughout the loop.
Researched from CTMQ — Falls Brook Trail · CT Woodlands — Falls Brook Trail. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Falls Brook Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.
Where it is
Before you go
The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.
Common questions
How tall is Falls Brook Falls?
Falls Brook Falls drops about 30 feet, in Connecticut.
Where is Falls Brook Falls?
Falls Brook Falls is a waterfall in Connecticut, at 42.01669, -72.95459.
Is Falls Brook Falls worth visiting?
Worth a detour — Plungeworthy rates it 6.5/10.
Gear for the trip
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