Popular US waterfall routes are switching to winter mode
Parks and recreation departments in several U.S. states have begun preserving canyon trails ahead of the winter cold snap. Safety measures include covering stone steps and wooden decks that run directly near water or under waterfalls and become unsafe due to ice.
In New York's Watkins Glen Park, a popular trail through 19 waterfalls closed on October 25, 2026, leaving only the upper trail along the edge of the cliff open for walking. In neighboring Stony Brook Park, access to the canyon is planned to be blocked on November 2, and its reopening is not scheduled until the end of May 2027. Similar restrictions are also being introduced at Buttermilk Falls Park, where in winter only a view of the lower cascade from the parking lot remains available.
In Ricketts Glen Park in Pennsylvania, with the onset of frost, the trail past 21 waterfalls is opened exclusively to equipped ice climbers, closing it to ordinary hikers. In Franconia Notch Park in New Hampshire, the Flume Gorge is completely preserved: some of the wooden structures and bridges are dismantled for the winter so that they are not destroyed by snow and ice.
Source: 7 Waterfall Hikes To Time Before Winter Closures In 2026 - TheTravel
Context
In narrow granite crevices, such as Flume Gorge in New Hampshire, wooden platforms are attached directly to vertical 90-foot cliffs. The risk of collapse under the weight of snow and the pressure of freezing ice forces the park service to dismantle or modify some of the structures each year for the winter.