Race Brook Falls
Worth the drive
Is it plungeworthy?
A 5-tier tiered on Race Brook.
The details
- Tiers
- 5 drops
- Type
- Tiered
- Watercourse
- Race Brook
- Coordinates
- 42.08962, -73.4218
About Race Brook Falls
Race Brook Falls is a 80-foot tiered in Massachusetts, on Race Brook. The water falls in 5 distinct tiers.
It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.
Plungeworthy rates Race Brook Falls 8.1/10 — worth the drive. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
Race Brook Falls is a five-cascade ladder climbing the eastern flank of Mount Everett — the lower falls alone runs about 100 feet, the most spectacular single piece, with a 30-footer, a three-step series, and a 60-foot fall stacked above it. Counted together it's one of the biggest waterfall systems in southern New England.
The base of the lower falls is a half-mile walk with about 300 feet of gain — a fair-effort, big-reward stop. Above that the trail turns serious: roughly 1,000 more feet of climbing in a mile to reach the upper falls and the Appalachian Trail on the ridge.
This is the Berkshires at their steepest and least manicured — no platforms, no rails, just a blue-blazed trail beside a brook that spends most of its elevation in a hurry.
Getting there
- Trailhead
- Race Brook Falls Trail pull-off, Route 41 (South Undermountain Road), Sheffield — about 142 East Street
- Parking
- Roadside pull-off, roughly 10 cars, free
- Road
- Route 41 — paved
- Hike
- 1 mi round trip, 300 ft of climb (Moderate to the lower falls; strenuous beyond (about 1,000 feet of gain in the next mile to the upper falls))
- Heads up
- Part of Mount Everett State Reservation (DCR). The full loop over Mount Race via the AT runs about 6.6 miles.
When to go
Spring and after rain — Race Brook is a steep, flashy drainage that thins to a trickle in dry stretches of late summer. The upper falls are best combined with a foliage-season ridge hike.
Rules & fees
- Fee / pass
- Free
- Dogs
- Leashed (standard DCR)
- Hours
- Sunrise to sunset
- Warnings
- Steep, wet rock near every tier — this system rewards boots, not sandals.
Researched from Berkshires Outside — Race Brook Trailhead · Wikipedia — Mount Everett. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Race Brook Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.
Where it is
Planning a visit? We want your photo.
Race Brook Falls doesn't have a photo yet. If you make the trip, send one to hello@plungeworthy.com and we'll publish it here with credit to you.
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 Race Brook Falls?
Race Brook Falls drops about 80 feet across 5 tiers, in Massachusetts.
Where is Race Brook Falls?
Race Brook Falls is a waterfall in Massachusetts, at 42.08962, -73.4218.
Is Race Brook Falls worth visiting?
Worth the drive — Plungeworthy rates it 8.1/10.
Gear for the trip
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