High Falls on the D&H Canal

High Falls offers several distinct points of interest to guide your stay: the D&H Canal and its locks, the Five Locks Walk along the towpath, and the museum, with its focus on the canal and the community. Getting there is another part of finding your way: Route 213 runs from Rosendale over Rondout Creek and through a cut in the terrain to High Falls. When deciding how to spend your time, you can choose between the trail, historic structures, and museum exhibits. These different focuses offer different perspectives on the area.

D&H Canal: Locks and Museum

High Falls Locks 16 through 20 were built in 1850. In 1999, they were excavated and restored as much as possible. The two dates mark distinct chapters: the construction of the locks and a later effort to excavate and restore them. This gives the historic infrastructure a specific time frame.

The D&H Canal Museum in High Falls houses a working lock model, a reconstructed interior of a canal boat cabin, and several dioramas. They depict canal and community life from 1825 to 1898. This perspective extends beyond the locks as structures to include life along the canal.

Five Locks Walk and Towpath

In High Falls, the Five Locks Walk follows the towpath of the D&H Canal. The trail is about half a mile long and can be used free of charge year-round during daylight hours. Seasonal conditions and local notices should be taken into account. The walk and the museum offer different points of focus: on the trail, the towpath is the walking route; in the museum, the focus is on historical exhibits. When choosing a focus for your stay, you can thus distinguish between taking a walk and learning about canal history.

Getting There and the Landscape

When driving from Rosendale, Route 213 crosses Rondout Creek before descending through a cut in the terrain to High Falls. This sequence offers specific guidance for this route: first the creek crossing, then the descent to High Falls. It describes one particular approach, not a general route for getting around the area.

Rondout Creek lies below the bridge in High Falls. The remains of the High Falls Aqueduct are near the D&H Canal Historical Society and Museum in High Falls. The aqueduct remains and the locks thus complement the museum exhibits with other named points of reference connected to canal history.

Historical Connections in Marbletown

The High Falls Historic District in Marbletown has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1998. For orientation, it is worth considering this district as a separate historical point of reference alongside the canal structures in High Falls: it is located in Marbletown, while the locks, museum, and aqueduct remains mentioned here are associated with High Falls.

Discover more destinations: Phoenicia, Stone Ridge, Ellenville, Highland, Lake Katrine, Accord, Rosendale, Boiceville

For the main travel overview: Ulster.