Bingham Falls

Stowe , Lamoille County, VT , USA

Also Known As:
Orpha Cascade, Lewis Falls, Grotto Cascade, Roaring Falls

An old postcard image from the archive

Bingham Falls is a series of cascades in a narrow gorge culminating in a 25' leap into a large round pool. The West Branch of the Waterbury River flows into a narrow crevice, over some small intermediary cascades, then crashes into the tight gorge below. After flowing over and around large boulders in the middle gorge, the river collects itself for the 25' plunge into the pool below. The falls were very nearly lost to us. A developer from Massachusetts attempted to purchase the land around the falls for the purpose of building a resort. Although the falls were supposed to remain accessible to the public, swimming was no longer going to be permitted. Happily, the developer was thwarted, and Bingham Falls will remain in pristine condition. I visited the falls in late June of 2005. There is some fairly major trail work being done. The steep scramble to the base will be a thing of the past. A stone stairway is being constructed and is slated to be finished in October. The names Lewis Falls, Grotto Cascade and Orpha Cascade have been associated with the falls in the distant past, but the names have long fallen out of use. Grotto Cascade referred specifically to the shelving drop just above the lowest tier, Lewis Falls seemed to refer to the tight drop leading into the gorge proper, Orpha Cascade referred to the upper cascades, and Roaring Falls referred specifically to the lowest tier.

The bedrock at the falls consists of Hazens Notch Schist and gneiss.

Bingham Falls has multiple drops, and many vantage points. Bring a lot of film as the area around the falls will yield many photo opportunities. As always, have a polarizer and a tripod. Also, a warming filter, 81B is my choice, might be desirable in order to compensate for the abundance of cooler tones around the area. The steep terrain of the area limits your ability to move around from vantage point to vantage point. A zoom lens will prove very helpful. Most of the shots are in the 50-80mm range.

The falls are located a short hike off Route 108 in Stowe, about 1.5 miles southeast of Smugglers Notch. There is a path leading downhill from a fairly large turnout. The sound of roaring water assures you that you are in the right place. The trail goes to the river above the falls, runs upstream to a crossing, then follows the opposite bank downstream utilizing an old trail. The views of the falls from the opposite side are much better than those of the near side.

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