Lye Brook Falls

Author's Comments

Almost five miles round trip is enough to thin a crowd, and Lye Brook benefits from the math. The trail climbs gradually through hardwoods that have been left alone long enough to feel ancient, and the walk in is half the reason to come. I have made this hike in early June when the canopy was still translucent and the brook was running hard from late snowmelt, and I have made it in October when the forest floor was the photograph and the falls were almost an afterthought. Both versions are honest. The falls themselves are tall and narrow, dropping in stages over dark rock that holds water in a way that rewards a long exposure. Morning is the time. The light filters down through the trees rather than hitting the falls directly, and the contrast stays manageable. Once the sun climbs, the upper ledges blow out and the lower pool goes muddy in the shadow. A tripod is not optional here if you want the water to do what water does in the photographs you remember. What I love about Lye Brook is the restraint of it. There is no overlook, no railing, no interpretive sign telling you what you are seeing. You walk in, you stand at the base, you work the composition for as long as the light allows, and then you walk out the way you came. The wilderness designation means the trail will not be improved and the falls will not be made convenient. That is the whole point.

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