Last October, my husband and I took a short Fall Break camping trip to Grout Pond in southern Vermont. In addition to hiking the lake where we were staying, visiting the cute towns in the area, seeing one of Vermont’s famous covered bridges, and driving up Mount Equinox to learn about Carthusian monks, we decided to do one bigger hike while in the area: Lye Brook Falls.

Lye Brook Falls trail is in the 15,680-acre Lye Brook Wilderness, which is part of Green Mountain National Forest. The falls are seasonal, slowing to a trickle during dry spells. Luckily, we were there in late October after a lot of rain, so we were able to take in the 125-foot waterfall in all its glory.

The 4.4-mile hike begins in the forest. It was misting as we started the hike, and the forest took on a kind of eerie atmosphere in the autumnal light. Eventually the rain cleared, leaving brooks flowing and little tiny waterfalls along rock faces.

The falls, which are one of the highest in Vermont, cascades down a series of stone steps. There’s a higher view from a rock outcropping that allows you the best vantage point for the falls. You can also hike to the pool where the falls ends, but the top of the falls will be obscured from view.

We did pass several people on the trail, especially as we hiked back, so I would recommend getting there fairly early to be alone. It didn’t have the trail-less-taken feel of other wilderness areas that I frequent, but it was a lovely, easy hike to a truly stunning waterfall.

Thanks for reading! If you’d like to read about my other hiking adventures, check out the “Hiking” category at the top of the post.