Buttermilk Falls (western Pennsylvania - 6/18/2017)
Jun 20, 2017 6:47:10 GMT -5
Post by GaliWalker on Jun 20, 2017 6:47:10 GMT -5
This Father's Day, the family was out of town, so I decided it was high time to make the 1.5hr trip to Buttermilk Falls, reputedly the tallest waterfall in western Pennsylvania (45ft). This waterfall can dry up to a trickle, but after a week of thunderstorms I was hoping that it would have a good flow of water.
The falls area is gated outside 8:00am-8:00pm. The waterfall has a viewing area, but the view of the falls was somewhat obscured from there. I could see another viewing platform being constructed on the far side of the gorge, but for now there was no access allowed there. Since cliffs guarded the immediate area, I dropped down into the gorge well downstream of the falls (I later saw a much earlier access point). The slopes of the gorge were a lush green carpet of stinging nettles, so thick that I gave up trying to work my way up the banks of the stream. I switched to my water shoes and just splashed upstream in the water.
The falls area is gated outside 8:00am-8:00pm. The waterfall has a viewing area, but the view of the falls was somewhat obscured from there. I could see another viewing platform being constructed on the far side of the gorge, but for now there was no access allowed there. Since cliffs guarded the immediate area, I dropped down into the gorge well downstream of the falls (I later saw a much earlier access point). The slopes of the gorge were a lush green carpet of stinging nettles, so thick that I gave up trying to work my way up the banks of the stream. I switched to my water shoes and just splashed upstream in the water.