Carpenter Falls (Bahar Nature Preserve)

Location: On the west side of Skaneateles Lake; Directly north of the Village of New Hope; Town of Niles; Cayuga County; New York

Maps: Google Map, Topographic; Trail map; Interactive map;

GPS Coordinates:

• Parking lot: N 42.81333 / W 76.34142
• Carpenter Falls: N 42.81174 / W 76.34309
• Angel Falls: N 42.81779 / W 76.33837

Directions: From Rt 20 in Skaneateles, head south on Rt 41A for about 8 miles. After Derby Rd on your right, will be Appletree Point Rd on your left. Turn down Appletree Point Rd and follow it for a quarter mile to the junction with Carver Rd. Park in the small lot.

From Cortland and points south, take Rt 41 north for 2 miles to Rt 41A. Head north on 41A for roughly 30 minutes. Just past the junction with CR 66A make a right onto Appletree Point Rd. Follow it for a quarter mile to the junction with Carver Rd.

Or use Google Directions.

Parking: Park at the junction of Appletree Point Rd and Carver Rd. There is a paved ecco-lot with space for about 12 cars. Additional parking is roadside along Appletree Point Rd. There is no parking at the shore, but you may be able to squeeze in on the side of Appletree Point Rd very close to it.

Evidence of an old mill can be found in the form of the remnants of a sluiceway dug above Carpenter Falls between the parking area and the falls. In 1820, James Carpenter settled here with his son John H. Carpenter and operated a saw mill, planing mill, shingle mill, and cheese box factory along the falls. John operated a still near the site, and later a grist mill (which then converted to a saw mill).

At one time Warren S. Clark operated a cider mill along the creek.

The trail that runs down the gorge rim is referred to as “Old Jug Path,” supposedly for the old dirt road it traces. It is believed that a distillery once stood along the creek somewhere between Carpenter Falls and the shoreline (we are not sure exactly where) and took advantage of its seclusion in the gorge for privacy, as well as access to the landing on the lake for distribution, allowing it to prosper during Prohibition.

A significant portion of the gorge was safe in the hands of nature-lover Hu Bahar and his family. After his death, in an effort to secure the preservation of the land, his widow Dawn generously sold 25 acres to the Finger Lakes Land Trust at a reduced cost in 1998 and the Bahar Nature Preserve was established. The Land Trust aggressively sought out adjoining parcels to save them from development, purchasing another 33 acres in 2005 and then another 29 acres in 2007. Totaling 87 acres, this mix of lake watershed, filled with immature mixed and coniferous forest, steep rocky cliffs, a fragmented trail system and a sliver of a beach is a lot to manage. So in 2008 the Land Trust transferred management of 36 acres of the western-half of the property to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). The uplands, together with Carpenter and Angel Falls are included in this segment, in what is now called the Carpenter’s Falls Unique Area. Most notably, the state maintains the rim trail (Old Jug Path), the parking area, and the informational signage. In 2022 the completion of a $1.27 improvement project added the Accessible boardwalk to the a new upper falls viewing platform, paved parking lot, bike rack, toilet, and stone steps leading to a viewing area at the base of the upper falls.

Difficulty: Easy to see Carpenter Falls from the top. Very difficult to get to the rest of the falls.

Distance: Just over a mile one way.

Markings: The trailhead is marked. The rim trail (Old Jug Path) is a well-defined and marked gravel and dirt trail. From the parking area to the observation platform upstream to the left is elevated wooden plank, suitable for wheelchair access.
Heading downhill and downstream is a bit rougher and not accessible to chairs, but much improved over the primitive trail that was here prior to 2022. The offshoots to the creek bed below the falls are not marked, but can be found if you are looking hard enough.

Trail Guide:

1. From the parking area and the informational sign, head west along the wood boardwalk trail (you should begin to hear Carpenter Falls) and should reach a nice spot to view it from in about a 10th of a mile. Around this area is a stone steps leading to a viewing area below the upper falls.
2. You can continue along the trail to where it reaches the creek bed above the falls (near the road) and you can follow it briefly downstream to the very crest to enjoy a spectacular view of the amphitheater-like gorge.
3. Turn around and head back along the same trail. You now have a few options.
   1. You can continue down this trail (Old Jug Path) for about a mile taking steep, unmarked branches to get to the bottoms of the remaining falls, and then coming back up to the trail and continuing all the way to the lake.
   2. Or you can take one of the branches down just below Carpenter Falls, and explore the creek from there, climbing down a 20 foot falls downstream and ending up at the crest of Angel Falls. To get to the bottom of Angel Falls and then the final 11 ft waterfall, you will have to climb a steep trail back up to the main Jug Path and then back down another branch further down. Note that hiking down into the gorge is not an official trail, possible prohibited and dangerous. Proceed at your own risk.
4. If you make it to the shore of Skaneateles Lake, you can take the winding Appletree Point Rd back up to the parking area for a loop or head back up the way you came.
5. There are so many unmarked branches (many of which are steep climbs where rope is almost necessary) that we recommend you take care in navigating and traversing the preserve. Keep safe and don’t get lost. Our interactive map below plots the major routes over a satellite view of the gorge.

Maps: Trail map; See the interactive map below