Hiking in the Hope Falls: trails, map and practical info

Hope Falls is another name for Tenant Creek Falls according to Northern New York Waterfalls and Experience Our Adirondacks; Adirondack.net and Protect the Adirondacks call it Tenant Creek Falls. The trail is in the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, on public Forest Preserve land, according to Protect the Adirondacks.

To the first waterfall

From the parking area the trailhead is obvious, according to Northern New York Waterfalls. A short way in there is a registration kiosk, where signing in is important. The first waterfall is 0.9 mi (1.4 km) from the trailhead, or 1.8 mi (2.9 km) round trip: you return by the same trail (Protect the Adirondacks). This section is marked with yellow plastic DEC trail markers on the trees (Northern New York Waterfalls). Protect the Adirondacks describes it as trampled in many places, eroded and wet, but easy to follow. It passes through groves of hemlock and mature hardwoods (Adirondack.net). The first waterfall is the most popular destination, and several groups may be there at once on a nice day (Protect the Adirondacks).

Beyond the first waterfall

Two more waterfalls lie farther up Tenant Creek, 2.1 mi (3.4 km) from the trailhead (Experience Our Adirondacks, Protect the Adirondacks). The trail is no longer marked after the first waterfall; an informal herd path follows the creek (Adirondack.net, Experience Our Adirondacks). For all three waterfalls, Experience Our Adirondacks gives 5 mi (8.0 km) round trip and 525 ft (160 m) of elevation gain; Protect the Adirondacks gives 4.2 mi (6.8 km) round trip. Those figures do not apply to the first waterfall alone.

Access and season

The way in is Hope Falls Road, a seasonal dirt road that is closed in winter (Experience Our Adirondacks, Protect the Adirondacks). In winter, some hikers still snowshoe or cross-country ski the longer approach from a winter parking area, which adds about 1 mi (1.6 km) each way; Experience Our Adirondacks advises bringing microspikes for possible ice. For dog rules, any fees and road conditions, check with the NYSDEC before you go.