Feel the Churn
Buttermilk Falls, Plymouth
December 2022
Every state has its own Buttermilk Falls. Most states have multiple. Connecticut even has two. That’s right, our little state with a general paucity of decent waterfalls couldn’t come up with different names for Plymouth’s Buttermilk Falls and the much smaller falls of the same name in Norfolk. I’ll let you know up front that if you’re having some choice paralysis over which Buttermilk Falls to visit, go to Plymouth. In fact, I’d argue that these falls are among the best of any named falls in the state.
You can reach the falls off of Lane Hill Road. Park and walk up the blue-blazed Mattatuck Trail. During the winter, Lane Hill Road is closed, but the trail is only 500 feet from where the road is closed, so the falls can be enjoyed year round.
I approached from the east from Allentown Road, as I was hiking a decent chunk of the Mattatuck Trail, having begun in Wolcott. This little segment of the Mattatuck is quite nice; tall pines, soft footfalls, old millworks then the long descent next to Buttermilk Falls. I absolutely loved this mile of hiking.
Do you want to know what my wife and I think about when we hear the word “buttermilk?” An old Daily Show segment called “Slimming Down with Steve.” In fact, we reference this sketch all the time – the premeal prayer, the reaction to his first bite of the pasta, and of course, “buttermilk.” So since we’re talking about a Buttermilk Falls, you should take the five minutes to enjoy this old Steve Carrell sketch.
Sigh. I love that so much. I really hope that link stays alive forever.
And I love this waterfall! It just keeps going and going and going. There are several waterfalls here and I can’t say which one is the Buttermilk Falls, but I think that’s why “falls” is a singular plural world. There are falls here. Lots of falls. It’s all Buttermilk Falls. Something like that. Connecticut Waterfalls give the impression there is one Buttermilk Falls in particular:
From the top of this waterfall, onlookers are unable to get a full grasp of the height and beauty of this 55-foot falls. By carefully scrambling to the bottom of the falls, viewers can finally see its elusive personality. The horsetails, which are surrounded almost entirely by hemlock-trees, cut their way down to pools at your feet. There are plenty of flat trail sections adjacent to the brook that serves well for picnicking, photography, or for just relaxing and gazing up at the falls. Small wildflowers and ferns also add to the beauty, as they grow in abundance around the rock-strewn river in season.
As ever, my pictures do not do this falls justice. They are relatively terrible, actually. Even my friend Justin Coleman’s picture doesn’t convey the beauty of this area:
Photo by Justin Coleman
Plymouth is one of those towns that gets short shrift. Most people refer Plymouth as Terryville because Terryville covers the large majority of Plymouth. Which is weird… but Eli Terry deserves the honor I suppose. These falls are in the Terryville section of Plymouth. Pretty much everything in Plymouth is in the “Terryville section of Plymouth.” Regardless, don’t skip Buttermilk Falls here. Not too difficult to get to, and the mildly rugged hike up alongside of them is fun and will provides several photo opportunities.
Feel the churn, not the burn.
CTMQ’s Waterfalls & Cascades
CTMQ’s Mattatuck Trail Section 1
Susan Golden says
June 7, 2024 at 1:14 pmJust so you know a little bit of unknown history of the falls. My great grandmother Edna Chesney bought the land the falls is on as well as building parcels at the bottom where the falls empties into a pond. She split the land there into 4 parcels for her grown children so they could all be together. My grandparents got the parcel with the pond and my grandfather built the house there himself as well as a garage with apartment above. My aunt up on the hill above them and my uncle on the other side of a field beside my grest grandmothers little duplex that at one time was either a turkey or chicken coop before they tore it down for her house. It was a family farm. The most interesting part is that my great grandmother saved pennies during and after the depression and when she saw a sign in a window for the land and the falls property she bought it. With saved pennies!!!
I just read an article praising Mr. Tull for bringing this property before the conservatory to purchase it because my grandparents and my grandmothers sibling’s had it up for sale. They are the ones who sold it to them not him. For years they shared and allowed hikers to walk their private property and wanted it to stay that way which is why they sold it to the conservatory so everyone could enjoy it in the future. They didn’t want building to go on it. This was the playground for generations of our families children. It was so special to all of us and is still to this day.
We just left there last week when we went home for my aunts funeral and took a hike and sprinkled my mother’s and niece’s ashes there. It’s still so beautiful, my great grandmother and grandparents would be so happy to see it’s still the same. I was gravely disappointed to see that someone allowed a house to be built a bit further up and it looks like more is coming. Shame on whom ever allowed this to happen on that side of the road amd rigjt in front of the trails!!! That would have broken their hearts. As far as I was told they were promised that that wouldn’t happen that’s why they sold it to them.
I hope you find this little story interesting because I always thought it was. My great grandmother was a little spitfire of I don’t even think 5 feet tall but she was the boss in that family, to do that in those hard times was remarkable.