Photo: PA Uploader · CC0Wadsworth Falls
Worth the drive
Is it plungeworthy?
A block on Coginchaug River.
The details
- Type
- Block
- Watercourse
- Coginchaug River
- Coordinates
- 41.52631, -72.69576
About Wadsworth Falls
Wadsworth Falls is a 30-foot block in Connecticut, on Coginchaug River.
It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.
Plungeworthy rates Wadsworth Falls 7/10 — worth the drive. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
Wadsworth Big Falls is central Connecticut's broadest curtain — the Coginchaug River dropping 25 to 30 feet (sources genuinely split) over a wide ledge, with enough volume to earn the 'Big' in the name year-round.
The park splits the experience sensibly: the falls is for looking — swimming and picnicking are prohibited at the drop itself — while a designated swimming pond with a sandy beach elsewhere in the park handles the hot days. Little Falls, a slimmer 40-foot cascade on Wadsworth Brook, hides along the trail system between them.
Out-of-state plates pay the standard CT fee April through October; Connecticut vehicles park free.
Getting there
- Trailhead
- Wadsworth Falls State Park, Route 157, Middletown/Middlefield (separate small lot near Big Falls off Cherry Hill Road)
- Parking
- Main lot and falls lot; CT plates free, out-of-state seasonal fee April 1 - October 30
- Road
- Route 157 — paved
- Hike
- 0.2 mi round trip (Easy — the falls overlook is steps from the Cherry Hill Road lot; longer park trails optional)
- Heads up
- Little Falls is a worthwhile add-on via the main trail system.
When to go
Good year-round on the Coginchaug's volume; spring is loudest. Beach season brings the crowds to the pond, not the falls.
Rules & fees
- Fee / pass
- Free for CT plates; out-of-state fee April-October
- Dogs
- Leashed; prohibited on the beach
- Hours
- 8am to sunset
- Warnings
- No swimming at the falls — the designated pond beach is the swim spot.
Researched from CT DEEP — Wadsworth Falls State Park · CT State Parks — Wadsworth Falls. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Wadsworth 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 Wadsworth Falls?
Wadsworth Falls drops about 30 feet, in Connecticut.
Where is Wadsworth Falls?
Wadsworth Falls is a waterfall in Connecticut, at 41.52631, -72.69576.
Is Wadsworth Falls worth visiting?
Worth the drive — Plungeworthy rates it 7/10.
Gear for the trip
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