Zabriskie’s Waterfall
Location: Adjacent to Bard College; In the hamlet of Annandale-on-Hudson; Town of Red Hook; Dutchess County; New York.
Maps: Google Map; Topographic; Interactive map.
GPS Coordinates:
- Zabriskie’s Waterfall: N 42.01688 / W 73.91353
- Lower waterfall: N 42.01722 / W 73.91594
Directions: Take NY-9G to the south end of Bard College. Turn west onto River Rd, then veer right onto Annandale Rd. Follow Annandale into the campus and at the white Octagon building head west (left) onto Blithewood Ave. Follow it for a thousand feet and turn into the large parking lot on the left (just before the fork in the road).
Parking: The lot off of Blithewood Ave has space for dozens of cars. Be sure not to interfere with campus operations.
Weather
Information / Accessibility / Accommodations
Number of falls: 2 natural waterfalls and a small man-made dam are located on this stretch of the creek.
Size/Types: Zabriskie’s Waterfall (the upper-most falls) is a 15 ft cascade over a large jagged rockface. Further downstream is a 3 ft tall man-made concrete dam. Further downstream, near where the creek joins with the Hudson River, is a larger cascade with 2 major drops (15 ft tall for the upper drop and 20 ft for the lower).
Best time to visit: Summer when school is out. Winter and early spring may not be a great time to visit as the downstream dam leaves the basin below the falls to get flooded.
Flow: Moderate. It’s likely to be flowing year-round.
Waterway: Saw Kill, which has its origins in the hills about 7 miles to the east (near Doty Hill) in the town of Milan. After the falls, here the water empties into the Hudson River, which travels south through New York City and out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Time: About 15 minutes to see Zabriskie’s Waterfall.
Seasons/Hours: No hours are posted, but there’s no artificial light. It’s best to visit in daytime. Even better on weekends or in summer when college operations are not in full swing.
Admission: Free.
Handicap Accessibility: None.
Pets: No rules are posted, but pets need to be on a leash in public.
Swimming: While students and visitors do bathe here, the college’s water treatment facility outlets into the creek, so it’s not something I would advise.
Accommodations: Hiking trail.
Description
AKA: Falls on the Saw Kill, Bard College Falls.
A short walk on a defined path along the Sawkill Creek at Bard College takes you to the top and bottom of this beautiful 15-ft tall cascade. Just before the falls, the water drops down a series of small irregular ledges, turning white just before it tumbles down the mossy limestone face of the falls. At the bottom, a shallow pool frequently attracts bathers from Bard College. The graffiti-covered structures adjacent to the falls on the north rim are actually a swimming pool and bathhouse formerly operated by the college. At the time (around the 1960s), the pool and lounge deck had a beautiful view of the falls. The college is using this old area as a farm of sorts.
While most visit just the first waterfall, those looking for more adventure can continue along the stream on the north side, up and down the hill, to see more waterfalls. There is a second waterfall, created by a man-made concrete dam, approximately 0.2 miles farther down, just before the creek reaches the Hudson River. The last waterfall, totaling about 50 ft in height, is about 500 ft downstream near where Saw Kill meets the Hudson.
History
This land was originally inhabited by the Esopus, Munsee and Muhheaconneok (Mohican) people. Many of the major highways and roads in the region that we have today were first blazed as trails by them.
Red Hook gets its name from the Dutch “Red Hoek” (“Hoek” often referring to a peninsula”) named for the Cruger Island peninsula just to the north of here and the red fall foliage it took on in autumn. The hamlet of Annandale-on-Hudson was previously the village of Cedar Hill, but changed its name upon the donation of the Annandale Estate by Dr. John Bard who built a school here.
Several mills existed on this stretch of Saw Kill since the late 1700s, but precise records were not kept. Judge Robert Livingston owned a mill at the lower falls (near the Hudson) as early as 1770. The mill was burned by General Vaughan in 1777 as a part of his campaign up the Hudson. It was rebuilt and eventually ownership passed on to Livingston’s widow Margaret Beekman.
Another mill, owned by General John Armstrong was located just east of here, on the location of another falls on college property, at the Annandale Triangle. This was the first of many sawmills that would give Saw Kill its name.
Dr. John Bard (1819-1899), grandson of Samuel Bard, the founder of New York Life Insurance and Trust Company, George Washington’s personal physician, and founder of Columbia University’s Medical School in Manhattan. Dr. John Bard purchased a large estate in Cedar Hill (which included the mills along Saw Kill) with his wife in 1853 and named it Annandale. As devout Christians, they established a parish school (Bard Hall) on the estate in 1854, and expanded it with the Chapel of the Holy Innocents in 1857. With influence from the Episcopal Church in New York City, John donated the school and a portion of his estate to the diocese in 1858 to build a greater theological college. In 1860, St. Stephen’s College was founded. The school officially changed its name to Bard College in 1934. Secularization of the college took place in the mid-1900s.
The falls are named after Captain Andrew C. Zabriskie, a new York Militia Captain and real estate investor. He migrated from New York City to Annandale and settled on the Blithewood estate, just north of what is now Bard College (and the waterfall was not on his property). The Blithewood estate was sold to the college in 1951 for $1.
Hiking / Walking Trails
Difficulty: Easy to moderate. Most people just visit the first waterfall, Zabriskie’s Waterfall, which is down a moderate gradient. The second and third waterfalls continue along an uneven trail down a small gorge and the trail is not as well defined or maintained.
Markings: Gravel trail, steps, and some wood/rope railings.
Distance: From the parking area to Zabriskie’s Waterfall is just under 400 ft. To see all the waterfalls it’s just under a quarter mile.
Description: From the parking area, head south past the water tower and down the wide gravel trail leading through the wooded area, down to Saw Kill. At about 200 ft the trail will bend to follow the stream and Zabriskie’s Waterfall will be just ahead on the left. Follow the trail, now lined with log steps and rope, to the base of the falls.
To see the remaining falls continue on the trail west, following the stream. It’ll take you back uphill, over a stone arch and then back down to the lower falls.
Map: Interactive.
Zabriskie’s Waterfall Interactive Map
Interesting Stuff
Montgomery Estate
The 380-acre estate was purchased by Janet Livingston Montgomery in the 1770s. In honor of her late husband, British General Richard Montgomery, she commissioned a federal-style mansion, and named it Chateau de Montgomery. The home was designed and built by local builders (the names of have since been lost) and an expansion was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis and exterior spaces landscaped by Andrew Jackson Downing. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated a National Historic Landmark.
The estate passed through the Livingston descendants until 1985 when it was sold to Historic Hudson Valley. It was then sold to Bard College in 1992. The college has kept the property open to the public, provides guided tours, and maintains the property, including its barns, orchards, and gardens.
Photography Tips
Silky Water Effect
- To get that smooth cotton-candy look to the falls, you need to use a Neutral Density (ND) filter on your lens. The ND filter will block some of the light from entering the lens without altering the color, and thus allows your shutter to stay open longer. This blurs the water and creates a soft white gloss to the foamy areas of the falls. Check out the article for all of the details.
More tips
- See the Articles for more photography tips.
Who to Contact
Bard College
Phone: 845-758-6822
