High Falls Gorge
High Falls Gorge in Wilmington: four Ausable River waterfalls from steel bridges and walkways, winter visits with free traction, tickets and the drive.
High Falls Gorge is a privately owned nature park of 22 acres on the West Branch of the Ausable River in Wilmington, where steel bridges and timber walkways take you past four waterfalls in a narrow rock gorge at the foot of Whiteface Mountain. It is about 60 road miles from the cabins, roughly an hour and a half through Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. The waterfall walk takes 30 to 45 minutes, the park has a summer season and a winter season, and it fits into a Whiteface or Lake Placid day without crowding it.
Where it is and who runs it
The park's address is 4761 NYS Route 86, Wilmington, NY 12997, on the stretch of NY 86 between Lake Placid and the Whiteface ski area. Coming from Wilmington, it is about a mile past the ski center, on the right. The lodge's phone number is 518-946-2278.
Roanka Attractions, a family company founded in 1976, runs the park. It is private land with an admission fee in every season, and the park asks visitors to leave rocks, plants and everything else where they find them.
Everything starts at the Main Lodge beside the parking lot. It holds the admission counter, the gift shop and the River View Cafe, and the walk to the falls leaves from behind it. Signs along the way explain the geology, the forest and the history of the river.
The gorge and its four waterfalls
At the gorge the West Branch of the Ausable runs through a deep, narrow crevice in the bedrock, and inside it the river drops over four waterfalls in quick succession, one feeding straight into the next. The tallest is a free fall of about 35 feet. The four have gone by the names Main Falls, Mini Falls, Rainbow Falls and Climax Falls, and together they drop roughly 80 feet. In the U.S. Geological Survey's place-name records the spot is listed as High Falls.
The walkways take you right alongside the falls and out over the water. The park's own name for the place is the Ancient Valley of Foaming Water, after the natural foam that forms in the gorge.
The West Branch runs about 36 miles northeast to Ausable Forks, fed along the way by Lake Placid and the Chubb River. At Ausable Forks it joins the East Branch, and the Ausable then runs on to Lake Champlain in the town of Peru.
The waterfall walk
The walk begins behind the lodge with a bridge over the Ausable. On the far side, a stone structure marks the gorge's original entrance; in 1890 visitors reached that point over a rope bridge. Today the route is a chain of three steel bridges, catwalks and groomed paths with handrails, fencing and places to sit, and the whole walk climbs or drops no more than about 100 feet.
The park described two ways to see the falls in 2026, each a half-mile round trip.
- The Easy Path. A gravel and deck surface with no stairs and benches along the way. It is the route for anyone who would rather not climb.
- The walkway loop. Wood-decked walkways built out over the river, with open stairs and handrails. In summer it includes two glass platforms where you can stand and look straight down at the water.
A group can split up and meet again: someone who wants to skip the stairs takes the Easy Path while the rest do the loop. A third, shorter route, a quarter mile round trip, is wheelchair accessible as far as the center of the falls.
The fencing along the walkways is at least four feet high and backed with metal mesh. The walk itself takes about 30 minutes; in summer, allow at least 45 so you can stop at each falls and on the glass. In the 2026 summer season the park posted the last waterfall walk at 4 p.m., with everyone back at their cars by 4:30.
Wilmington Notch and the rock
High Falls Gorge sits in Wilmington Notch, the steep, narrow pass NY 86 follows between Lake Placid and Wilmington. Geologists count the notch among the narrowest and deepest of the many valleys in the central Adirondacks that run northeast and were formed by erosion along fault zones. The gorge follows a fault zone, with cliffs on both sides.
The notch mattered in the last ice age too. During the Wisconsin glaciation it helped channel the moving ice, and as the glaciers melted back it played a part in forming lakes of meltwater. About 10,000 years ago the last glacier was still melting back off the Adirondacks, shaping the mountains and valleys you drive through to get here.
The bedrock itself is far older. Whiteface Mountain, whose lower slope the nature trail climbs, is mostly anorthosite, an igneous rock that formed about 1.2 billion years ago under great pressure roughly 15 miles below the surface. The same rock forms the base of the gorge, and panels along the walk explain it. Anorthosite is made almost entirely of plagioclase feldspar, a common light-colored mineral, and the slides on Whiteface show up pale because they expose a type of anorthosite with few dark crystals.
The Moon has the same rock. Anorthosite, a calcium-rich white rock, makes up most of the lunar highlands, and Apollo 16 astronauts brought a sample of it home, which is why the gorge's rock gets compared to moon rock. Some Adirondack anorthosite also ended up in New York City, and the panels at the gorge tell how.
The nature trail and the hemlocks
Away from the falls, a separate nature trail makes a one-mile loop through the woods and climbs about 300 feet up the lower slope of Whiteface Mountain. It takes about 30 minutes and is rated beginner to intermediate, with steep pitches, uneven ground and no boardwalk. Wear closed-toed shoes that tie on; the park does not allow sandals or flip-flops on it. The trail can close on stormy days, and in the 2026 summer season the last start was posted at 3:30 p.m.
The trail runs through the park's many American hemlocks, a tree that can live more than 100 years. It is a good add-on for anyone who wants a little climbing after the falls, and in winter it turns into the park's snowshoe trail.
How the gorge became an attraction
People have paid to see these falls for well over a century. The park traces its walks back to the 1890s, and a Plattsburgh Sentinel story of July 28, 1899 described rough wooden footbridges and beaten paths through the gorge.
For most of that time the land belonged to a lumber company or an electric company, which leased the gorge to a series of separate operators. Roanka Attractions bought the property from New York State Electric and Gas in 2001. The steel bridges, walkways and groomed paths of today replaced the old wood footbridges and dirt tracks.
The river keeps the owners busy. Some of the steel under the walkways and stairs dates to 1961 and stays wet. After Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 the park needed two separate contractors for repairs, and in the summer of 2024 it spent just under $1 million replacing worn sections of walkway and stairs while staying open to visitors.
Summer and fall visits
As posted in summer 2026, the 2026 summer season runs from May 2 to October 25, every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with one closure on the Sunday of Ironman Lake Placid in July. The park sets its dates a season at a time, so check its schedule before a trip in a later year.
Summer is the only season for the two glass platforms and for the Woodlands Picnic Area, a spot by the river shaded by tall evergreens. The park's 2026 rules welcome a picnic there from May to October, with no alcohol and no grills.
The summer season runs late enough to cover fall color, which makes the gorge an easy stop on a foliage drive through the High Peaks. The fall foliage guide has the timing and the best roads.
Winter visits and ice cleats
The winter season runs from mid-December to March, five days a week, Friday through Tuesday. The schedule the park posted in 2026 opens the 2026-27 season on Saturday, December 19, 2026, with hours of 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through the end of the year, closed on Christmas Day and open on Wednesday, December 30 and Thursday, December 31 for the holiday week. For January to late March 2027 it lists 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday through Tuesday, closed on Easter Sunday. Check the park's site before a winter trip, since the dates are set a season at a time.
Staff clear the waterfall walk of snow, and the park lends Yaktrax, traction devices that slip over your boots, at no charge. Use theirs and leave your own spikes or crampons in the car: under the policy posted in 2026, guests may not bring their own traction gear onto the walk, to protect the decks. Through the winter, ice builds up in formations along the cliffs of the gorge, and on weekends and holidays there is a campfire for roasting marshmallows after the walk.
In winter the nature trail becomes a snowshoe trail, open only when conditions allow. Snowshoes are required on it because the trail ices up, and it costs extra on top of admission, since staff have to break the trail. Bring your own snowshoes or rent a pair at the park for a small fee. Its rental snowshoes, MSRs in 2025, could also be taken off the property for a daily rate. Snowshoes are not among the cabins' amenities, so renting here is an easy way to try it.
The lodge has limited indoor space in winter, so the park does not allow picnic lunches then. Check the winter opening date and the traction policy on the park's site before you go. The winter driving guide covers the roads over from the cabins, and every cabin has its own hot tub for the evening after a cold walk.
Tickets and hours
Admission is a one-day ticket, sold at the admission counter in the Main Lodge. As posted in summer 2026, the 2026 summer season prices were $20 for adults 13 and up and $15 for children 4 to 12, with children 3 and under free. Winter tickets cost a little more: $20.75 for adults and $16.75 for children in the 2025-26 winter. Prices for the 2026-27 winter were not yet posted in October 2026.
The table below is the park's schedule as posted in summer 2026. It can change, so treat it as a guide and confirm the dates before you drive over.
| Season | Dates | Days | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer 2026 | May 2 to October 25, 2026 | Daily, closed Ironman Sunday in July | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Closed | October 26 to December 18, 2026 | ||
| Winter, holiday weeks | December 19 to 31, 2026 | Friday to Tuesday, plus December 30 and 31; closed December 25 | 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. |
| Winter, January to March | January 1 to March 28, 2027 | Friday to Tuesday; closed Easter Sunday | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
In 2026 the counter took major credit cards, Apple Pay and U.S. cash, and Canadian cash at its exchange value, though not personal checks. There is an ATM in the gift shop.
Groups get special rates; in 2026 the park asked for group reservations 14 days ahead. Hours, dates and prices change from year to year, so check the park's tickets page before you go.
The River View Cafe and the gift shop
The River View Cafe in the Main Lodge serves an Adirondack-style menu with daily specials, desserts and gluten-free choices. It holds a beer and wine license, with a six-seat bar, 40 seats indoors and 16 outside. As posted in 2026, it served a pub menu every day from Memorial Day weekend to Columbus Day, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and a lighter winter menu of soups, sandwiches, baked goods, espresso and hot chocolate, Friday through Tuesday until 3 p.m.
Food comes packed to go, so you can eat inside or carry it out to the picnic area. The cafe's daily summer run ends around Columbus Day, about two weeks before the park closes for the season, so bring lunch for a late-October visit.
The gift shop shares the lodge. It stocks regional books, local souvenirs, home decor, clothing and outdoor gear.
Accessibility and older children
The quarter-mile accessible route takes a wheelchair as far as the center of the falls, and the Easy Path has no stairs, a gravel and deck surface and benches. The walkway loop has open stairs and the nature trail is steep and uneven, so neither suits a wheelchair. In 2026 the park had one wheelchair to lend at the admission gate, first come, first served, so there may be a wait on holidays.
Children 10 and older and teenagers will find both routes and the nature trail well within reach.
Dogs at the gorge
Pets are not allowed at the gorge, in the Main Lodge or on the trails; the walkways are narrow and the bridges have open stairs. The park accepts service dogs as the ADA defines them, and asks handlers to be ready to answer questions and show documentation.
The cabins welcome dogs for a fee, so plan the gorge for a part of the day when someone else in your group has the dog, or pick a dog-friendly outing instead. The dog guide has places where dogs are welcome.
What to wear and bring
- Shoes. Shirt and shoes are required. Comfortable walking shoes work on the waterfall walk; the nature trail needs closed-toed shoes that tie on.
- Wind. The gorge can be very windy. Bring a layer even on a warm day.
- Winter. Boots, a warm jacket, a hat and gloves. The park lends the traction, so leave your own at home.
- Smoking. Not allowed on the trails; there are designated spots in the parking lot and at the front of the building.
- Electric cars. The park had no charging in 2026.
The packing guide covers the rest of a trip to the cabins, season by season.
The drive from the cabins
High Falls Gorge is about 60 road miles from the cabins, about an hour and a half. The route is County Route 25 and NY 30 south to Paul Smiths, then NY 86 through Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. From Lake Placid the gorge is about eight miles east on NY 86, through Wilmington Notch, on the left. The Lake Placid and Whiteface day trip describes the drive in detail, and getting to the cabins covers the last miles home.
Parking was free in 2026, in the lot beside the lodge on the north side of NY 86, with room for cars, motorcycles and RVs. Fill the tank in Saranac Lake or Lake Placid on the way over.
Wilmington
Wilmington is a small mountain town that has never had more than about 1,200 year-round residents. It took its name in March 1822 from settlers who had come from Wilmington, Vermont. Its first industries ran on the West Branch. Reuben Sanford, who arrived from Woodbury, Connecticut in 1803, built a forge, a sawmill and the Sanford Iron Works, helped separate the town from Jay and became its first postmaster, and around 1812 put up a wooden dam that powered an iron forge, potash and starch factories, and grist and saw mills. Part of that dam broke in 1878, the spring thaw and big blocks of ice destroyed the dam in March 1936, and the present dam was built in 1938.
Tourism took over from the mills in the twentieth century. In 1920 Frank E. Everest built a power system for his Whiteface Mountain House hotel, which had 75 rooms in 1916, and he pushed for a road up Whiteface; Lake Everest is named for him. Construction of the Whiteface Memorial Highway began in 1929 with Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt turning the first spade, and it opened on July 20, 1935, built to honor the veterans of World War I and later rededicated to all veterans. The ski center on Whiteface took over from the smaller Marble Mountain area in the late 1950s, and in 1980 it held the Alpine events of the Lake Placid Winter Olympics.
Today the town includes the hamlet of North Pole, home of Santa's Workshop, and the Flume, the falls on NY 86 a mile east of the ski area.
Pairing it with Whiteface, Lake Placid and Santa's Workshop
Because the walk takes under an hour, the gorge works best as one stop in a bigger day. The Whiteface ski area is about a mile beyond it, Lake Placid is about eight miles back, and Santa's Workshop at North Pole is about six road miles away.
- Whiteface. In summer and fall, pair the gorge with the Veterans' Memorial Highway or the Cloudsplitter Gondola; the Lake Placid and Whiteface day trip has both. In winter, skiers can spend the day on Whiteface while the rest of the party walks the gorge.
- Lake Placid. Lunch or dinner on Main Street and a walk by Mirror Lake round out the day, and the Olympic sites start on Main Street itself.
- Santa's Workshop. The North Pole park reopens for holiday weekends from late November 2026; check its hours page before you go. The gorge's posted winter opening is December 19, 2026, so a day with both fits only the last days before Christmas; check both parks' schedules. The Santa's Workshop guide has the details.
- Ausable Chasm. The region's other big gorge, open to visitors since 1870, is far downstream on the same river; the Ausable Chasm day trip covers it, and it makes a separate day from the cabins.
A summer or fall day
| Time | Plan |
|---|---|
| 7:45 a.m. | Leave the cabins for the 60-mile drive through Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. |
| 9:15 a.m. | Tickets at the Main Lodge, then the walkway loop and the glass platforms, about 45 minutes. |
| 10:15 a.m. | The one-mile nature trail through the hemlocks, about 30 minutes. |
| 11:00 a.m. | Early lunch from the River View Cafe at the riverside picnic area. |
| Noon | On to Whiteface for the Memorial Highway or the gondola. |
| Late afternoon | Main Street and Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, then dinner and about 52 road miles home. |
A winter day
Leave the cabins after breakfast and arrive soon after the 9 a.m. opening, on a Friday through Tuesday. Strap on the park's Yaktrax for the waterfall walk, then rent snowshoes for the nature trail if the snow allows. On a weekend or holiday, stop at the campfire for marshmallows, warm up with soup or hot chocolate in the cafe, and spend the afternoon in Lake Placid or on the slopes at Whiteface. The snowshoeing guide has more trails for the next day.
Questions
How long does a visit to High Falls Gorge take?
The waterfall walk is a half-mile round trip and takes about 30 minutes; in summer the park suggests allowing at least 45. The separate nature trail adds a one-mile loop of about 30 minutes. Add lunch at the River View Cafe and it still leaves most of the day for Lake Placid and Whiteface.
Is High Falls Gorge open in winter, and do I need ice cleats?
Yes, Friday through Tuesday from mid-December to late March. The schedule the park posted in 2026 opens the 2026-27 season on December 19, 2026. Staff clear the walk and lend Yaktrax traction devices at no charge, and under the 2026 policy visitors may not use their own traction on the decks. Snowshoes are required on the nature trail, at extra cost, and can be rented at the park. Check the winter dates before you go.
How much are tickets to High Falls Gorge?
As posted in summer 2026, the 2026 summer season prices were $20 for adults 13 and up and $15 for children 4 to 12, with children 3 and under free. The 2025-26 winter prices were $20.75 and $16.75; 2026-27 winter prices were not yet posted in October 2026. Tickets are sold at the admission counter in the Main Lodge, so check the park's tickets page before you go.
Can I bring my dog to High Falls Gorge?
No. Pets are not allowed in the lodge or on the trails, because the walkways are narrow and the bridges have open stairs. ADA service dogs are accepted, and handlers should be ready to answer questions and show documentation. The cabins welcome dogs for a fee; the dog guide lists places where dogs can come along.
Is High Falls Gorge wheelchair accessible?
Partly. A quarter-mile round-trip route reaches the center of the falls by wheelchair, and the half-mile Easy Path has no stairs, a gravel and deck surface and benches. The walkway loop has open stairs and the nature trail is steep. In 2026 the park lent one wheelchair at the admission gate, first come, first served.
How far is High Falls Gorge from the cabins?
About 60 road miles, roughly an hour and a half, by County Route 25 and NY 30 to Paul Smiths, then NY 86 through Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. From Lake Placid the gorge is about eight miles east on NY 86, toward Wilmington. Parking was free in 2026.
Can I visit High Falls Gorge and Santa's Workshop on the same day?
Only in the last days before Christmas. Santa's Workshop reopens for holiday weekends from late November 2026, and the gorge's posted winter opening is December 19, 2026. The two are about six road miles apart in Wilmington. Check the hours pages of both before you plan; the Santa's Workshop guide has the details.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Hours, fees and schedules change; confirm before you go.
- highfallsgorge.com highfallsgorge.com/plan/
- highfallsgorge.com highfallsgorge.com/explore/
- highfallsgorge.com highfallsgorge.com/tickets/
- highfallsgorge.com highfallsgorge.com/cafe/
- whitefaceregion.com whitefaceregion.com/attractions/high-falls-gorge
- whitefaceregion.com whitefaceregion.com/story/2019/07/five-things-you-didnt-know-about-hig
- whitefaceregion.com whitefaceregion.com/snowshoeing/high-falls-gorge-snowshoe-trek
- ausableriver.org ausableriver.org/explore/waterfalls/high-falls-gorge
- adirondack.org adirondack.org/uncategorized/business-profile-high-falls-gorge/
- nnywaterfalls.com nnywaterfalls.com/ausableriver/highfallsgorge
- adirondackdailyenterprise.com adirondackdailyenterprise.com/news/local-news/2024/07/high-falls-gorge
- whitefaceregion.com whitefaceregion.com/story/2022/200-years-of-wilmington
- whitefaceregion.com whitefaceregion.com/story/2023/walk-through-wilmingtons-history
- whitefaceregion.com whitefaceregion.com/story/2018/01/brief-history-of-olympic-mountain
- goadirondack.com goadirondack.com/entries/ausable-river
- ottohmuller.com ottohmuller.com/nysga2ge/Files/1983/NYSGA%201983%207-%20General%20Geol
- airandspace.si.edu airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/lunar-rocks
- ausablechasm.com ausablechasm.com/
- whitefaceregion.com whitefaceregion.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/2022wfrrecmap_web.pdf
- northpoleny.com northpoleny.com/village-hours
- router.project-osrm.org router.project-osrm.org/
In this guide
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The aviation cabin: flight-themed décor, a Jøtul gas stove, a large open deck with its own hot tub, and a smokeless fire pit on the lawn.
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Sources
21 references, listed in full at the end of this guide: official park, state, tourism-office and business sources, checked October 2026.
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Photos on this page: Santa's Workshop - North Pole NY by Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and cropped for this site. All photo credits