Gorge Cascade Falls

I Saw a Gorge At Least
Gorge Cascade Falls, Hamden
July 2011

For a longer description of the hike on the Red Circle Trail at Sleeping Giant, go here.

It’s a bit silly of me to write up these falls with only my one visit to them under my belt. For the simple reason that my visit came in the middle of a dry summer, and the falls were not really falling all that much.

Oh well. With 150 other waterfalls to find and write about, you’ll forgive me.

I hope.

As you are surely know, I am a Giant Master. And any Giant Master worth his or her salt knows that the Red Circle Trail is far more rugged than the walk up to the Sleeping Giant tower. It traverses a tumbled-down jumble of basalt boulders on the southern side, and scurries next to these falls tumbling down on the northern flank.

Or, as the CFPA Walkbook so eloquently puts it:

The Circle Trail uses much of the old Dickerman Carriage Road on its climb up the south slope. Passing below the cliffs of the right knee, it goes down the north side along the banks of the brook that drains the Inner Mountain Valley, passing through laurel, hemlock and beech. It continues along a delightful stream, descending over mossy rocks and eventually down a series of cascades through a 50-foot deep gorge.

Wow. That sounds positively beautiful! And I’m sure it is – in the spring after some snow melt or spring rains. However, as I’ve said, in the middle of July those cascades were nearly dry and the stream was completely dry in places.

But all is not lost! Despite the dry stream I did find some trickles over a falls a little bit further down the hill. And even though it was nearly dry, it was still very pretty.

People don’t necessarily go to Sleeping Giant for the waterfall. And certainly not the Red Circle Trail. But if I can encourage you to do anything this year, it would be to explore more of what the park has to offer beyond the tower.

The tower is great, but please, do yourself a favor and venture further afield.

Bonus Cascade: Sleeping Giant Guru Julie Hulten mentioned a small falls over The Giant’s knuckle on the Purple Trail. I just read my write-up of that hike and I didn’t really mention any waterfall, but I did take this picture, so let’s pretend this is it:

CTMQ’s Waterfalls & Cascades
CTMQ’s Sleeping Giant Intro Page