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Click the images for enlarged view
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Location
Map
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On Stony Creek in the
town of Warsaw, Wyoming County. Stony
Creek is a tributary of Oatka Creek which
flows into the Genesee River. From the
intersection of routes 19 and 20A in Warsaw,
go west for 2 blocks and turn left onto
Liberty St. Continue to the town park
and leave your car in the farthest corner
(southwest) of the park. See the Map.
We have heard this waterfall referred
to as Warsaw Falls, Stony Creek Falls,
and Crystal Brook Falls.
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Access
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Private.
This waterfall is located on private land
but landowners have not objected to responsible
use and the gully has been used by hikers
for years. You can access the gully from
an unmarked trail in the extreme southwest
corner of the town park. Climb a short
distance on the trail and then follow
a utility right-of-way down into the gully.
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Hiking
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This is a hike of medium
difficulty. During high water, the hike
would be extremely difficult and dangerous
since you must hike in the stream much
of the time. The total distance is just
over 2 miles for the round trip.
As an alternative,
it may be possible to hike to the top
of the falls along the railroad right-of-way.
The best view is from the rim on the north
side of the gully. You can scramble down
the north side of the gully to the base
of the main waterfall but this is an extremely
steep and dangerous climb.
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Details
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This is one of the
largest wild waterfalls in our region,
and we visited it during the rainy summer
of 2000 when there was good flow in Stony
Creek. In addition to the main waterfall,
there is a 12' high cascade where the
creek exits from a tunnel under the railroad
grade about 100 feet upstream from the
main falls, and two cascades (8' and 6')
in the gully downstream from the main
falls.
The trails show signs
of frequent use and we encountered three
other parties during the hike. But surprisingly,
we found very little trash in the gully
or at the waterfall. There are neither
park rules nor private posted signs in
this gully. Perhaps this makes users of
the gully feel more personally responsible
for its well-being.
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| UPDATE |
From Charles,
17-Jul-2004
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We
visited this falls on 7/17/04 based on your instructions.
Some updates (assuming you haven't been back since
the Summer of 2000):
The end of the utility ROW is very worn now
and must be crossed before scrambling down into
the gully itself. Rocks have been thrown in to
provide a crossing area but it is very awkward.
A few people had to take a minute and decide
which foot to lead off with to prevent slipping
once in down into the utility ROW. Climbing out
presented no problem.
The trip was very litter free with the exception
of a few large pieces (bicycle) that were obviously
carried downstream during a storm or flooding.
Poison ivy greeted us about half way to the falls
on the south side of the creek. We walked back
in the creek the whole way. A few areas were
clogged with trees and other high water debris.
I wouldn't change the medium difficulty notation
though.
Otherwise a wonderful hike for our first one
and a magical falls to end at. Espcially how
its approach is around a bend. We are going back
again this summer with some friends and going
to take a small lunch to eat on one of the large
flat rocks. |
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