In late July, 2007, I got an email from a local resident, quite understandably upset with visitors' behavior at the falls. For the record, these activities shouldn't be taking place at a swimming hole: Graffiti, vandalism, defecation, drinking, or drug use. A few bad apples are spoiling the place for everybody. Please people, show some courtesy and behave yourselves. Substance abuse (drugs or alcohol) lead to bad decision making processes. I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but leave your recreational pharmaceuticals at home. Ditto the booze. I don't want to step on broken glass, nor do I want to haul your dumb ass off the rocks because you thought a drunken backflip was a good idea. Don't leave your feces in the woods, you should be doing all your elimination at home, okay? This is a swimming hole, not a sewage treatment facility. Please be mindful of your behavior as it affects other people trying to enjoy the place. Whatever you bring in, bring out including trash, diapers, tampons, beer bottles, and other assorted litter and debris. Maybe a few dedicated visitors can carry out trash like I do when I'm there. Remember, your supposed to be responsible. If you ARE a responsible visitor, please disregard this rant. Thank you and God bless...sheesh...
Joiner Brook is yet another Winooski River tributary that has a good waterfall. There are several schist formations that are intersected by every river and stream that drops into the Winooski River Valley. Huntington Gorge, Honey Hollow, Duck Brook, Crossett Brook, the Mad River, the Little River, all of them have either falls or gorges where they cut through these rock layers.
Joiner Brook is one of the best. It has a fairly large drainage, it gets runoff from three different mountains, and the narrow valley funnels the water very quickly down off the slopes. The Potholes are a very popular swimming hole in the summer. Icy water isn't necessarily a deterrent. The middle pothole is about 6'-10' deep and about 40'-50' across. It is nearly perfectly round, and is a great shade of emerald green. There are rocks to dive from, rocks to sun on, and a good southwestern exposure makes the most of the sun. If you're in the area on a hot summer day, bring your swimsuit. A cautionary note: In the summer of 2004, a swimmer drowned here. The water was high at the time, and the swimmer became caught in a recycling current in the upper hole. Needless to say, swimming in any constricted feature in high water is dangerous. In low water, the falls are safe, and shouldn't be missed.
I've seen a couple of antique photos that show a dam above the falls and a large penstock to the left of the falls, but happily, no remnants are visible today.
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