Thundering Brook Falls
Drop everything
Is it plungeworthy?
A 4-tier tiered on Thundering Brook.
The details
- Tiers
- 4 drops
- Type
- Tiered
- Watercourse
- Thundering Brook
- Coordinates
- 43.68066, -72.78647
About Thundering Brook Falls
Thundering Brook Falls is a 71-foot tiered in Vermont, on Thundering Brook. The water falls in 4 distinct tiers.
It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.
Plungeworthy rates Thundering Brook Falls 8.5/10 — drop everything. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.
What you'll find
Thundering Brook Falls is a long cascading drop — genuinely one of Vermont's taller falls at roughly 140 feet, despite older listings understating it — reached via a uniquely engineered piece of the Appalachian Trail: 700 feet of elevated boardwalk plus 500 feet of gravel tread, built to ADA/ABA accessibility standards with a grade under 3% the whole way.
What sets it apart isn't the drama of the drop itself (you view it from a platform partway up, not from the base) but the fact that this is one of only five wheelchair-accessible stretches of the entire Appalachian Trail — a rare combination of a real wilderness waterfall and genuine universal access.
It sits right on River Road in Killington, a short, flat walk from a dedicated accessible parking lot, making it one of the lowest-effort ways in the state to see a genuinely tall waterfall.
Getting there
- Trailhead
- River Road, Killington
- Parking
- Wheelchair-accessible lot on River Road
- Road
- River Road, Killington — Green Mountain National Forest / Appalachian Trail corridor
- Hike
- 0.8 mi round trip (Easy — ADA/ABA-accessible boardwalk at 3% grade or less)
- Heads up
- A second parking option further along Thundering Brook Road gives a longer approach.
When to go
Accessible and worth visiting year-round given the boardwalk surface, though foliage season and spring snowmelt (peak flow) are the most scenic windows.
Rules & fees
- Warnings
- No restrooms or potable water at the site.
Researched from USFS — Thundering Falls · Appalachian Trail Conservancy — Thundering Falls · Secret Falls — Thundering Brook Falls Trail. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Thundering Brook Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.
Where it is
Planning a visit? We want your photo.
Thundering 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 Thundering Brook Falls?
Thundering Brook Falls drops about 71 feet across 4 tiers, in Vermont.
Where is Thundering Brook Falls?
Thundering Brook Falls is a waterfall in Vermont, at 43.68066, -72.78647.
Is Thundering Brook Falls worth visiting?
Drop everything — Plungeworthy rates it 8.5/10.
Gear for the trip
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