Photo: Outdoor Craziness · CC BY-SA 3.0Bingham Falls
Worth a detour
Is it plungeworthy?
A 5-tier tiered on West Branch Waterbury River.
The details
- Tiers
- 5 drops
- Type
- Tiered
- Watercourse
- West Branch Waterbury River
- Coordinates
- 44.5171, -72.766
About Bingham Falls
Bingham Falls is a 25-foot tiered in Vermont, on West Branch Waterbury River. 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 Bingham Falls 6.9/10 — worth a detour. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
Bingham Falls is a twisting, narrow mini-gorge on the West Branch Little River carved into schist, with a series of roughly five cascades stacked in a slot canyon rather than one clean drop — about 90 feet of total descent, the largest single plunge around 30 feet. The main event is that plunge into a genuinely deep, cold swimming hole at the gorge floor, walled in on both sides by rock.
What makes it distinct from Vermont's other roadside falls is the gorge itself — narrow enough that sections of the descent trail run right along the lip and are roped off. It reads more like a slot canyon than a classic waterfall viewpoint, and the swimming hole at the base has real depth, unlike most Vermont swim spots that are shallow ledge pools.
It sits on Stowe Land Trust conserved land just off Mountain Road (Route 108), the main corridor between Stowe village and Smugglers' Notch, so it gets steady drive-by traffic from resort visitors.
Getting there
- Trailhead
- Two paved pull-offs on Route 108/Mountain Road, or the Stowe Land Trust Mill Trail on the opposite bank
- Parking
- Roadside pull-offs, no fee; competitive on summer and fall weekends
- Road
- Route 108 (Mountain Road), between Stowe village and Smugglers' Notch
- Hike
- 0.25 mi round trip (Easy but steep at the bottom — stone stairs, slick when wet)
- Heads up
- The Mill Trail alternate (1.3 miles, 150 feet of gain) gives a bird's-eye gorge view from the far bank instead of the base.
When to go
Best flow is spring through early summer; the gorge and swimming hole stay swimmable through late summer in a normal year. Fall foliage season draws heavy resort-adjacent traffic given the Route 108 location.
Popular enough with both hikers and swimmers that parking, not trail conditions, is the binding constraint most summer weekends.
Rules & fees
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Warnings
- Roped-off gorge-edge sections exist for a reason — stay back. Stone stairs are slick when wet.
Researched from Go Stowe — Bingham Falls · Stowe Land Trust — Bingham Falls · World Waterfall Database — Bingham Falls. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Bingham 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 Bingham Falls?
Bingham Falls drops about 25 feet across 5 tiers, in Vermont.
Where is Bingham Falls?
Bingham Falls is a waterfall in Vermont, at 44.5171, -72.766.
Is Bingham Falls worth visiting?
Worth a detour — Plungeworthy rates it 6.9/10.
Gear for the trip
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