Winter Overview and Trail Conditions

This is part of the Cranberry Lake Waterfall Tour, which is just as impressive in winter as in summer, making this tour a year-round Adirondack Experience. None of the trails on the tour is marked, except by a trailhead sign. The trails are very easy to follow, but slightly difficult to locate. Bring a road map to help you find better trail locations. You should always be careful around rapids and waterfalls, no matter the season. In winter, the conditions can be even more hazardous, with ice and snow lining the edges.

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From the road, you will start off on a flat course that leads back to the Grass River. Quickly, you come to the river as the trail follows the course of the rapidly moving water. A copper-colored rocky area soon appears, giving the waterfall area its appropriate name. You can continue to snowshoe up along the river’s edge, following a very lightly marked canoe carry.  There are a couple more waterfalls farther up, and one in particular cascades into rapids below.

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By the numbers

Elevation: 1335 feet

Ascent: ~80 Feet

Distance Round Trip: 1.0 miles

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Approximate Time Round Trip 

Families with Kids: 1 hour

Experienced Snowshoers: 30 minutes

Out of Shape Snowshoers: 1 hour

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Trailhead Location

From the intersection of Route 3 and Route 30 in the Village of Tupper Lake, follow Route 3 toward Cranberry Lake. Follow Route 3 for 27 miles through Cranberry Lake to Tooley Pond Road. Turn down Tooley Pond Road and continue for 8.25 miles to the small trailhead on the right. Look for an 8 x 11-inch sign on a tree. Tooley Pond Road is a dirt road in sections and can be very rough and slippery in winter; drive carefully.  

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Difficulty: 1=easiest, 5=hardest

One: Short and flat trail with little elevation change.