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Location / Directions / Maps

Location:  On the south end of Canandaigua Lake; in the Hi-Tor WMA; near the village of Naples, in the Town of Middlesex; Yates County, New York.

Maps: Google MapTopographicInteractive Map.

GPS/Locations: DEC parking lot: (N 42.67333 / W 77.33757)
Creekwalk entry point: (N 42.66920 / W 77.33385)
First waterfall: (N 42.66847 / W 77.33378)
Top of massive waterfall: (N 42.66734 / W 77.33512)

Directions: From the village of Naples, head north on Main St and make a right to take NY-254 N for 4 miles.
Turn left onto W River Rd/Sunnyside Rd and follow for 1/2 mile.
Keep right onto S Hill Rd. And follow it around and up the hill. It will pass the parking area for Cark Gully (Lower). Keep going.
After about 1.8 miles, keep your eye out for for a dirt parking area on your right.

Use Google Directions.

Parking: Dirt parking area on S Hill Road is kind of in the middle of nowhere on top of the hill. There weren’t any signs for it last I checked. There are some wooden posts making up the boundary of the lot. There’s room for about 15 cars.

Weather

MIDDLESEX WEATHER

Information / Accessibility / Accommodations

Number of falls: 3 waterfalls and a few small drops along the way on this recommended hike. Seeing them all would require dangerous climbing (at your own risk). There’s a 4th and 5 falls at the Lower Clark Gully end, if you want to count all the large ones in the whole gully.

Size/Types: All of them are ribbon cascades down slippery shale. From top to bottom:
5-8 ft falls in the upper reaches of the gulf, if you choose to explore north.
60+ ft cascade
15 ft cascade
Over 80 ft cascade at a turn in the gorge (in two segments) – an extremely risky climb.
An estimated 30 ft cascade in two segments just above the falls at the end of the Lower Clark Gully hike.

Best time to visit: Spring or after several days of moderate rain. The Gully is very narrow and thus subject to dangerous flash flooding. Do not risk going if there’s a chance of heavy rain.

Flow: Low.

Waterway: Clark Gully, a tributary to the West River, which flows southwest, then just a mile from Clark Gully hooks north and empties into Canandaigua Lake.

Time: 1 hour to hike the rim, 2+ hours if you attempt a climb down.

Seasons/Hours: Open all day, all year, but for safety reasons, make sure you only attempt this with suitable hours of light ahead of you. Avoid going during the Grape Festival or hunting season.

Admission: Free.

Handicap Accessibility: No.

Pets: You’ve got to be insane if you bring your pet on this climb. The rim trail isn’t a great idea either due to steep and abrupt dropoffs and overgrowth that can lead to ticks.

Accommodations: Restaurants and shops in the village of Naples to the south.

Waterfall just above Lower Clark Gully - by Chris Babcock
Waterfall just above Lower Clark Gully - by Chris Babcock

Description

I separated the Upper and Lower Clark section of the gully into two guides because there are really two ways to approach this super-steep ravine. A walk up the lower gorge from Naples Valley is exhilarating. While steep, it’s relatively easy-going, with a single large fantastic waterfall at the end. Observers hiking from below may notice a second waterfall just above that. The lower hike is only a quarter of the way up.

What else does Clark Gully hold? Several very tall waterfalls in a steep and narrow gorge. A DEC trail from above will take people along the rim for a bit, with maybe a peek at one of the falls if you risk glancing over the edge, but those seeking more adventure and risk, branch off and creekwalk down, climbing, or falling their way to see any of the 4 large and elusive falls. Since I started covering the waterfalls of New York, I have seen no less than 6 instances of people getting injured and requiring a rescue from the gully. Are they not following safety measures? Are they taking too many risks? Is the gully simply not suitable for human passage?

The upper reaches of Clark Gully are wild. There are no trails in the gully and you will need to climb some slippery rock. For those who do, they have conquered one of the riskiest and most beautiful glens in the region. Feet slip, ropes snap, people break. Some make it. That doesn’t mean you will.

Hiking / Walking Trails

Difficulty: Very difficult to climb down the gully and steep waterfalls.
The rim trail is easier, but is not well maintained and comes awfully close to the edge.
Read over these waterfall exploration safety tips before attempting this hike.
Want an easier hike? Try the Lower Gully.

Markings: Some blazes from the trailhead and down the rim trail, but not very well maintained.

Distance: About a quarter mile to the top of the falls at Lower Clark Gully

Description: From the DEC parking area off of S Hill Rd follow the trail across the field and into the woods.
At about a tenth of a mile you will be at the gully. You will reach a branch in the trail and have a choice between sticking to the DEC trail, or climbing down and creekwalking the gorge.

Continue on the DEC trail: The trail continues along the rim for almost a mile until it hits the site of an old landslide. As you go further downhill the trail seems to be less maintained, so coat on the insect repellant, maybe bring something to bushwack with, and listen out for any falls. Some say you can see one or two from the rim if the leaf-cover is light. Be careful, the cliff can creep up on you and it’s not very stable.

Blazes will stop at the landslide, which is now overgrown. People like to make camp on the other side of that ridge.

Creekwalk and Risky Climb:
Look for a trail to your left that heads downhill. Follow it for a hundred feet or so downhill (with the gully on your right).

When accessible, enter the creek on the right. This point seems to be an old road that crossed the creek.

It has been reported there is a cascade of about 5-8 ft in height upstream. That’s out of the way but may be easy to get to.

Continue downstream, passing small cascades along the way. You will know when you hit the first large falls shortly after entering the glen. The view from the top can be intimidating. My guess is that it’s just shy of 70 ft tall. Descend using the path on the left. Some kind strangers may have left a rope.

Next up is a 15 ft cascade around the bend. You may get wet climbing down this one.

A bit further down is the top of a giant cascade, possibly over 80 ft tall, in two parts. It twists around a slight bend so its height from above is a bit misleading. Stop, enjoy the view and contemplate if you are going to risk this one. I recommend ending your hike here. If you do descend, be safe and share your conquest with me.

Below that large waterfall are a bunch of smaller falls and a long trek down to a 30ft cascade that sits in the gully on a bend just above the Lower Clark Gully‘s falls.

Map: Interactive.

A waterfall within Upper Clark Gully - by cbobcat49
A waterfall within Upper Clark Gully - by Chris Babcock
A large waterfall within Upper Clark Gully - by cbobcat49
A waterfall within Upper Clark Gully - by Chris Babcock

Clark Gully Interactive Map

History

This was formerly the Seneca Nation homeland, where the “People of the Stone Hill” held their base for hundreds of years in a settlement called Tsonontowan, near what is now Naples, NY.

Clark Gully’s importance to the history of the Seneca may be sacred. Several theories suggest that the people who believe that the creator opened up a stone mountain to let the first Seneca out into the world, can be geographically aligned to this very spot. With the homeland of the Seneca being nearby, and South Hill being the most prominent stone feature, Clark Gully could very well be the crack in the stone that the Seneca people first walked out of. Does the archaeological evidence support this? I have found little in the way of any study done by credible sources. But we have found many people interested in “spiritual” and “sacred” places that have made their own conclusions. The area surrounding the gully, more frequent uphill, has numerous rock piles and formations. Unfortunately, because of the nature of wooded areas in New York, it’s silly to think that a circle of flat stones would be left uncovered for a thousand years, let alone 10. Massive rock piles require much more effort to create, and are a common result of pioneer settlers clearing land for plowing. If there is real archaeological evidence to be had, it’s buried deep. That said, Frederick Houghton states in The Characteristics of Iroquoian Village Sites of Western New York (1916) that artifacts found at the site are most likely of “pre-Seneca origin.”

Despite there not being certain proof that this site is the sacred origin site of the Seneca people, it should be treated with respect, not only for people’s beliefs, but because it is just downright beautiful, and we are lucky to have it.

The gully is named after Col. William Clark and family, who first settled in Italy Valley in 1790. William lived in the valley until his death in 1851, at the age of 81. The land passed through his family for several generations. The gully seems to be named in his honor, rather than because he owned the land it is on.

Waterfall just above Lower Clark Gully - by cbobcat49
Waterfall just above Lower Clark Gully - by Chris Babcock

Clark Gully Media

Videos

YouTube video

Contributor Photos & Art

NYFalls Talk Message Board member, and the most experienced waterfall explorer I know, Chris B (cbobcat49) climbed from Lower Falls all the way up. These are the photos he shared on the board (from lowest to highest falls in the gully):

Clark Gully Falls - by cbobcat49Waterfall just above Lower Clark Gully - by cbobcat49Waterfall just above Lower Clark Gully - by cbobcat49A waterfall within Upper Clark Gully - by cbobcat49A large waterfall within Upper Clark Gully - by cbobcat49A waterfall within Upper Clark Gully - by cbobcat49

Who to Contact

NYS DEC Region 8
6274 E. Avon-Lima Rd.
Avon, NY 14414
Phone: (585) 226-2466
[email protected]

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