Celebrating Cohoes Falls

The four-acre Falls View Park is located adjacent to Brookfield’s School Street Hydroelectric Plant on North Mohawk Street in Cohoes, New York. The park offers a view of the scenic Cohoes Falls, that spans the Mohawk River between Cohoes and Waterford, New York. Visitors to Falls View Park can now enjoy a wide range of recreational and historical features from areas never before open to the public.

* Check out more images in our Flickr gallery here

Whether you enjoy fishing, hiking or taking photographs of the Falls, each visit will define a new experience. Falls View Park is open to the public from May 1 through November 1, from 7:00 a.m. to dusk. The park is staffed by a full-time park steward.

Background

Since its unveiling on August 21, 2008, Falls View Park has become a point of pride for Brookfield and the City of Cohoes. It also marks a unique public/private collaboration between Brookfield, the City of Cohoes and the National Park Service’s Erie Canalway Heritage Corridor.

Thousands of visitors gather annually at the park’s upper and lower levels to enjoy spectacular views of the Falls.

Upper Level

Visitors to Falls View Park can enjoy easy access to a variety of amenities contained in the park’s upper level:

A two-bus drop-off area on North Mohawk Street;
Park entrance, off street parking and informational kiosk, also located along North Mohawk Street;
A 192-foot pedestrian bridge that brings visitors into the heart of the park is topped with IPÊ wood, a strong, dense wood, harvested only from naturally sustainable forests;
Interpretive panels and signage highlight the historical, educational and geological significance of the Cohoes Falls, Mohawk River and other nearby points of interest; and
An 80-person amphitheater, picnic area and fishing platforms – all Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant.

Lower Level

Additions to the park’s lower level were revealed at a public celebration hosted by Brookfield in May 2010. The Lower Level of the Park is open during regular Falls View Park hours, 7 AM to Dusk. Visitors to the lower level, accessed via a steep stairway, will find:

Fishing platform and viewing deck at the back of the hydropower plant’s powerhouse.

Please also note that the descent and ascent to the lower level by the stairway can be physically strenuous for some individuals.

Riverbed Access

Visitors can access the riverbed via a natural trail at the base of Cohoes Falls, open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 to 3, conditions permitting. Conditions including weather, upstream flows and staffing can cause the riverbed access to be closed.

Brookfield recommends that visitors check the NOW area on the homepage, call (518) 743-2083 for updates or check with the park steward stationed at the upper level to determine whether the riverbed trail is open on that particular day.

For your safety, please remember to observe any alarms or warnings from the park personnel who request that you evacuate the riverbed area.

Fast Rising Waters: The Mohawk River drains an area of more than 3,450 miles above Cohoes Falls. Distant storms and snowmelt send torrents down the river even when conditions are bright and sunny here. Upstream canal and powerplant operations can raise water levels rapidly, and unpredictably.

Deep Channels: There are sudden deep drop-offs and fast moving water across the base of the falls and in the center channel.

Rough and Slippery Footing: Floods and debris that course down the Mohawk several times every year scour holes in bedrock, rearrange gravel, uproot trees, and coat rocks with slippery silt.

Falling Rock: The Greywacke shale of the lower Mohawk gorge is soft and somewhat unstable.

Don't Forget...

For those wishing to find a year-round view of the Falls, visit Brookfield’s Overlook Park adjacent to the hydroelectric facility on School Street.

This award-winning park features views of the Falls and the Mohawk River, a picnic area and benches. Information on awards can be found here and here.