Check out this Frozen Waterfall Hike in Massachusetts - Royalston Falls

Rozen Waterfall Hike- Royalston Falls in Massachusetts

Frozen Waterfall Hike- Royalston Falls, Massachusetts (February)  

Royalston, Massachusetts is a small town up against the New Hampshire border in Central Massachusetts. About an hour and a half drive from Boston, the sparsely populated town is mostly covered in forests and wetlands and boasts a number of natural wonders including three waterfalls (Doane's Falls, Royalston Falls, and Spirit Falls), miles of hiking trails, and campgrounds at the scenic Tully Lake. All of the locations noted are operated by the Trustees of Reservations and are open to the public year round.

Directions to the Royalston Falls Trail head 

From the Boston area you'll drive out Route 2 West to Exit 19 near Phillipston, and from there take Route 68 up to Royalston Center (signs will mark Royalston Center as an historic district). From THIS point, don't trust you GPS! It will most likely want to take you down Falls Brook Road, which turns into a dirt road, which turns into a fire road, which turns impassable. There is a trail head over on this side of the Falls but I wouldn't recommend following Falls Brook Road very far without 4 wheel drive. Instead keep an eye out for the Trustees sign for Jacob's Hill and then keep to the left when you come to the next fork, staying on Route 68 (Warwick Road) until it merges with Route 32 (Athol-Richmond Road). It's a bit of a drive and bit remote- so be prepared for your cellphone reception to be spotty. 

Entrance to the trail head & parking at Royalston Falls

The parking area is marked by a green Trustees sign and there's room for a number of cars. In the Summer this is a somewhat popular spot and part of two larger hiking trails. The Tully Trail is a 22 mile loop around Royalston that will take you by all three waterfalls in town plus a number of other outdoor highlights including a brief detour into Warwick State Forest. Using the campgrounds at Tully Lake, this could make for a great day or two of hiking. Royalston Falls is also located on the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail which stretches 117 miles all the way from Connecticut through the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts and up to Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire (Monadnock is about 18 miles hiking from Royalston Falls).

The hike down to the Falls from the trail head is listed as 0.8 miles, and it's mostly moderate but can get tricky as it's often very wet and muddy. After a big rain we've seen sections of this walk down into the forest flooded which can take some time to navigate. There are one or two minor water crossings-  just a quick hop over a brook really. When you reach the Falls Brook Shelter, the trail will flatten out a good amount and then follows along the river down to the Falls. The trail markers are yellow & white, but it's a well worn trail here and hard to lose your way.

Make sure to pack microspikes or crampons for this hike in the winter

In winter- it's a bit of a different story. You won't find many of other hikers, and I would never attempt this hike without a decent pair of micro-spikes. Our walk down this weekend was very icy, and while there are some wire safety rails around the Falls itself- that area is almost always a pure sheet of ice and very dangerous. It's a 45 foot drop into chaotic rocky gorge so be very careful.

The Falls Brook Shelter near Royalston Falls

As mentioned, from the parking area there's a 0.8 mile hike to the Falls. The first section from the parking area goes down, down, down hill (keep that in mind for the walk back up). This section tends to be very wet, and was fairly iced over when we hiked it. Without spikes I don't think we'd have made it very far. When you reach the Falls Brook Shelter your are very close to the waterfall. The shelter offers bare-bones sleeping for up to 12 hikers, on a first come basis. Besides four walls and a roof over your head, its open and exposed to the elements and there are no facilities.

The crossing at Falls Brook

At the shelter you'll come to a crossing over Falls Brook. From this point you basically just follow the water down to the falls. The trail is marked with white blazes and easier to see without snow on the ground, but as long as you keep close to the water you're going the right way.

Trail markers pointing the way. 

Falls Brook itself is a peaceful little stream that meanders along this section of woods with a few drops here and now. There's a small pond where the water pools up a bit, unnamed as far as I know.
A bit wild & overgrown its hard to get up close to the shore, and this time of year- hard to tell where the shore stops and the ice begins. Oh,and don't trust ice on moving water. Even if it looks frozen solid here it's unlikely to be safe.

Small pool along Falls Brook

I'll note again how peaceful and quiet Falls Brook is, and the woods here mostly empty besides a chickadee or two. It's funny, because just past here is a roaring waterfall that seemingly comes from nowhere and drops 45 feet into a icy gorge, but you'll barely hear the roar on the way.

Royalston Falls iced over in Winter

This is a shot into the gorge all iced over at Royalston Falls. It's so hard to capture the scale of this with a camera- it's a bit more than a four storey drop and the canyon walls are all built up with giant icicles with water kicking up a roaring frothy mess down below. This is one of my favorite spots in all of Massachusetts, partly just because of the surprise when we first discovered it.

Edward Hitchock, early Professor of Geology (and the first scientist to study dinosaur footprints found throughout Central Massachusetts) visited the Falls in 1838 and suggested the name "The Royal Cascade". Partly for its majesty, and likely in part for Issac Royal for whom the town of Royalston is named. Locals at the time called this Forbes Falls as it was on land owned by Calvin Forbes who farmed in the area.

As mentioned earlier, there is a safety wire strung around the gorge to prevent hikers getting too close to the edge here- but in winter the trail along the corners of the waterfall can be a solid sheet of ice, and the safety wire- which is only at waist height, is not going to stop you from going over the edge if you slip suddenly. You really need some micro-spikes or real crampons to be safe here. This is a beautiful spot- but very remote, and actually dangerous if you're not careful.

Revolutionary War soldier's grave at Newton Cemetery near the parking area

The walk out of Royalston Falls is a bit more strenuous then the walk in. It's uphill the whole way- I'd say moderate for experienced hikers, but again usually wet, muddy and slippery which will add a lot of time and effort.

By the parking area you'll notice a small graveyard, this is Newton Cemetery. The earliest stone here dates to about 1794, with the majority falling in the early to mid-1800's. The stone pictured is marked a a soldier in the American Revolution. Working on some research about that and will post an article when I find out more.