Viola Falls in the Hillyer Ravine

Information about Viola Falls:

Name: Viola Falls

County: Greene

Region: Kaaterskill Clove

Location: Hillyer Ravine

Order within west side of the ravine: 1st of 2 drops (1=highest elevation)

Order within waterfall: 1 of 1 (1=highest elevation)

Total Height: 36' (GPS inf 2011)

Top Elevation: 2,229

Bottom Elevation: 2,193

Type of Waterfall: plunge

Number of Drops: 1

GPS location: N42 10.073 W74 03.536 (top of waterfall)

WGS84 location: 42.167883,-74.058933 (top of waterfall)

UTM location: 577732, 4668845 (top of waterfall)

Named: 1800's

Previous or Alternate Names: none known

Description: Viola Falls gets it's name from the Viola flowers that bloom in November of each year. It doesn't have a large volume of water like some of the other waterfalls in the Kaaterskill Clove. But, it does have some beauty. You can get to the base of the waterfalls by carefully hiking down the east side of the falls.

Hiking Distance: ~7.5 miles (round trip) from Palenville.

Hiking Distance from Trail: Top of the falls are on the trail

Trail Information: Waterfalls & Poet's Ledge hike

Time: Average 5 hours round trip

Elevation Gain: 1,600 from Rt 23a.

Difficulty: Easy - You can access the top from the DEC trail

Final access to top of waterfalls: Hike

Final access to bottom of waterfalls: Carefully descend on the east side of the falls

Digital Mapper: Topo Terrain Satellite

Known Access Safety: Mossy and slippery rocks

Unattractions:Long hike to get there

Common Animals: bears and dear

Risky Animals: Bears (high)

Access Methods: Hike

Maps, Profile, and GPS files

Directions to Trail Head from New York State Thruway (Easist, not the shortest):

Take New York State Thruway to Exit 21 (Catskill).

Take a left out of the NYS Thruway entrance road.

Go approximately 1/4 mile

Take a right onto Route 23 West

Go approximately 6.6 miles to Cairo, NY

Take a LEFT onto Rt 32. McDonalds Rest. on corner.

Go approximately 7.7 miles on Rt 32

Take a RIGHT onto Rt 23A

Go approximately 3.0 miles on Rt 23A .

When you come out of Palenville, you can park in 3 different areas. (1) Park just before bridge (west bound lane); (2) Park 1/4 mile past bridge; (3) Park 4/10 mile before bridge in DEC parking lot.

You cannot park at the trail head!

Do NOT park by the red building next to the bridge.

Do NOT park on Malden Ave or in someone’s driveway on Malden Ave.

Do NOT drive up the dirt entrance road to the trail head - this is PRIVATE property - AND there is NO place to park or turn around once you get to the trail head.

Comments about this Hike

Viola Falls is located on the DEC Trail from Poet's Ledge to Buttermilk Falls. The trail runs right across the top of Viola Falls. This waterfall is a short waterfall. But, in reality it is much bigger then what you see here. It continues to cascade another 200' down rim of the south Kaaterskill Clove. The waterfall is actually about 200' high if you consider the cascade. Viola Falls gets it name from the Viola Flowers that bloom there in late October and early November.

There is another two waterfalls just east of Viola Falls. Some people mistake these two waterfalls for Viola Falls. These two waterfalls are the ones you hear at Poet's Ledge when the water levels are higher.

Mile Stone Chart

Mile Point Altitude Notes
0.00 680’ Parking - From Route 23A turn onto Malden Ave - Walk past double guard rails (watch out for poison ivy on left side of road).
0.62 680’ Walk up wide dirt driveway about 250’ ( look for green Long Path trail marker on tree - hard to see from Malden Ave) - Turn right and walk up narrow dirt driveway past metal gate (If gate is closed, walk around gate).
1.01 Road branch - Go straight
1.27 Road branch - Go Right
1.33 1,255’ Road Branch - Go Right - leave dirt road and continue onto the foot path
1.40 Leave private land onto public land
2.13 1,955’ Level off for a while
2.31 2,067’ Giant steps
2.34 2,102’ Ledge #1 (views)
2.44 2,264’ Rock-in-the-Path
2.52 2,325’ Reach top of moderate ascent - Levels off after this for several miles. Total ascent of 1,661’.
2.57 2,317’ Start of Boreal Forest (Watch for black bears at this point)
2.63 2,341’ Trail Branch - go right to Poet’s Ledge (0.44 miles) - Yellow trail markers
2.98 2,187’ Mossy Notch
3.07 2,145’ POET’S LEDGE - Outstanding View! - Enjoy. Be careful of the opening between the rocks on the ledge. It is a 30’ fall. There are blueberry bushes around the ledge, which bears can be very possessive of (end of June - early July).
3.74 2,183’ Viola Falls
7.48 680’ Return back to Rt 23a.

Pictures of Viola Falls

Viola Falls at Low water.
Photo by Catskill Mountaineer

Viola Falls at Low water.
Photo by Richard Kugel

Links and References:

CatskillMountain.com Forum - Ask questions, talk about your experience with this hike

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