I always love finding beautiful roadside waterfalls in New York, so I was excited when I had a chance to visit Clarendon Falls for the first time.
Clarendon Falls is located on the outskirts of the town of Clarendon in Orleans County, New York. What’s great is that it’s less than a 10-minute drive from another popular roadside waterfall, Holley Canal Falls, and only about 25 minutes from Medina Falls, another easy-to-reach waterfall.
That means that in only about 35 minutes of driving, you can see three beautiful waterfalls in the Greater Niagara region of New York.
Visiting Clarendon Falls
Clarendon Falls can be found just south of town on Holley Byron Road along Sandy Creek.
It is located within a small park that has no posted name that I could find. This park is rather small and, besides the waterfall, you’ll only find a pavilion, a flagpole dedicated to local veterans, and a grassy field. However, there is a relatively large gravel parking area that provides easy access to this beautiful waterfall.
The park can be found at the following coordinates: 43.191917, -78.065306. You can also use the address for an adjacent home: 4562 Holley Byron Road, Holley, NY 14470.
From the parking area, you can see Clarendon Falls in the distance, so you don’t even need to get out of your car if you don’t want to. However, you’ll almost certainly want to walk the 200 feet or so to the base of this beautiful waterfall.
There is no defined path to get there, but the grassy field between the parking area and the waterfall is flat and typically mowed during the warmer months of the year, so the walk should provide little trouble for most.
Clarendon Falls is approximately 25 feet in height and, when it is flowing, is quite beautiful. Unfortunately, because the waterfall sits near the source of the stream, it only flows well after heavy rainfall or snow melt. So, make sure to plan your visit for when water levels in the area are high.
There is a private home at the top of the waterfall, and you might be able to see the house and deck poking out through the trees. That must be a wonderful property to own.
When visiting, make sure to respect the private property on the far side of the creek and at the top of this beautiful waterfall.
There isn’t much infrastructure near the waterfall, though there is a single bench if you want to take a moment and relax while visiting. There is also a light pole, and this waterfall is typically illuminated at night (though I’ve only been here during the daytime, so I can’t confirm that it is).
Overall, while Clarendon Falls is certainly not as awe-inspiring as some of the other waterfalls within an hour or so drive of this spot (namely Niagara Falls, High Falls in Rochester, and the waterfalls of Letchworth State Park), this is definitely a spot that’s worth visiting if you find yourself traveling across western New York.
Looking for more places to visit nearby? Check out the Jell-O Museum, the Lockport Locks Boat Tour, and Lower Falls in Rochester.
[Click here for information on how to use the coordinates in this article to find your destination.]
