Kent Falls State Park

Kent Falls State Park

Connecticut State Park

307 acres in Kent, CT

Parking: Large lot for about 100 cars at 462 Kent Cornwall Rd, Kent, CT

Trail Map                Trails: 1.5 miles           Rating: ★★★★☆

The main feature of uber popular Kent Falls State Park is the waterfalls.  The lower falls just off the main parking area are an impressive 50 ft (commonly thought to be as much as 70ft) as Kent Falls Brook drops heading toward the Housatonic River.  There are stone stairs with several viewing platforms of the upper falls along the southern side of the brook and about 1 mile of trails north.  Picnic tables sit in a large open field between the parking area and the base of the falls.

Hiking

From the parking area the paved path passes through a short covered bridge over the brook heading directly for the first set of falls.  At the base of the falls, a small amphitheater type viewing area showcases the lower falls.  Though there are signs warning that the rocks are closed to the public.

Stone Steps Trail

• Stone stairs climb along the side of the falls for about 1/3rd of a mile offering a number views and viewing platforms.  Signs and fencing protect the falls from erosion and people from injury so there aren’t any opportunities to get up close and personal.  It’s easy to see the heavy use this trail gets, but thankfully the beautiful scenery holds your attention better.
• At the top of the falls is a small kiosk with a short history and old fashioned carved trail map.  If the water is low you can cross right over the brook to access the red and yellow trails and if the water is high you can hike up and over the bridge to the left to bypass the water.

Red Trail

• The red blazed trail follows the opposite bank of the falls for about 0.4 miles from Dugan Road down to the side of the  parking lot.  It is a narrow trail cut into the steep slope.  It offers a nice loop hike option but doesn’t offer any views of the falls.

Yellow Trail

• From the top of the falls the yellow blazed trail branches off the red trail heading north towards the old CCC camp along the old graded road the men were building in the 1930s.  While never completed there you can see evidence of the stonework and rock retaining walls.
• The trail takes a hard turn at an old wolf tree and descends back to meet the red trail.  This is the least used trail in the park and was overgrown in a few spots. Near the hard turn the trail must become a stream during heavy rains based on the erosion occurring.

Geology

At the lower falls many of the ledges you’ll see are marble, which is a bit unusual for Connecticut, but the area falls within the ‘Marble Valley’ a narrow strip running along the eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains.  Over 450 million years ago this area was a shallow sea filled with coral.  That coral eventually consolidated into limestone and then tectonic forces compressed it into marble.

The marble is mixed with Stockbridge limestone and harder Berkshire Schist.  At the top of the falls you can gneiss lumpy rock that upon close examination will appear dark red with hints of garnets, our state mineral.

History:

Established as a state park in 1919 when 219 acres were sold to the state at a bargain rate by Alain White of the White Memorial Foundation.

This area was home to the Schaghticoke people who lived along the Housatonic River and undoubtably spent time along the falls here, the state says that there is some evidence that they fished and camped here.

In colonial times a handful of mills used the area around the falls for power including Morgan’s sawmill (1738), Benton’s Gristmill (1769), and Stuart’s Gristmill (1793).

Prior to being a state park the land was owned by Carl and Mary Lorch who operated the homestead as Lorch’s Farm.  The State Park Commission had approached them in 1915, but Carl was unwilling to part with just the falls.  After his passing, Alain White purchased the property from Mary and allowed her to live on the property until April 1920.  The White Memorial Foundation sold it to the state for $1,250 (about $21,000 in 2022).

In the 1930s the WPA and CCC Camp Macedonia both worked within the park including a graded road.  There was plans to build a stone building to house the paintings of Rex Brasher, but was never undertaken when the CCC program ended.  The Youth Core also did significant work in the 1970s upgrading the trails and the DEEP has undertaken a couple major improvements to the steep trail along the falls.

Links:

• The Geology of Kent Falls State Park
• Peter Marteka – Connecticut’s Waterfalls: Five Beauties Not To Miss (2017)
• CTMQ – Kent Falls Connecticut’s Largest Waterfall, Sort of (2009)
• A Shared Landscape: a Guide and History of Connecticut’s State Parks & Forests, by Joseph Leary, Friends of Connecticut State Parks, Inc., 2004, pp. 211–212.

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Last updated August 12th, 2022