Adirondacks: Everton Falls Preserve

Clickable map

Why You Should Visit
Everton Falls Preserve protects a 1.5-mile stretch of the St. Regis River, including Everton Falls, the site of a 1800s timber town that cut itself out of existence.

Location
Northern Adirondacks along the East Branch of the St. Regis River

Size: 530 acres

What to Expect
This preserve provides public canoe access to a 9-mile section of flatwater on the St. Regis River above the falls. In addition, there is a short nature trail through hardwood and conifer forests. A preserve guide is available at the trail registers and the Adironack Nature Conservancy & Adirondack Land Trust office.

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Please see Preserve Visitation Guidelines

Directions
The Everton Falls Preserve is located on the Red Tavern Road (Route 14), an extension of Route 99.

From Route 30, travel west on Red Tavern Road approximately 7 miles.
From Route 5, pick up Red Tavern Road in the village of St. Regis Falls.
Travel east approximately 7 miles.

What to See: Plants
Wildflowers:

cardinal flower
bunchberry
starflower
bluebead lilly

Trees:

red pine
white pine
northern white cedar, which favor wet areas, have reddish-brown bark and scale-like flat needles. Look for deer under these trees for it is one of their favorite foods.

What to See: Animals

Brook trout
beaver
belted kingfisher
great blue heron
bald eagle
moose

Why the Conservancy Selected this Site
The Adirondack Nature Conservancy was drawn to this site because of its extensive river frontage. Today, the New York State Wild, Scenic, and Recreational River Systems Act helps protect the quality and beauty of Adirondack rivers by ensuring that the waters flow freely to their downriver destinations. This is especially important for the Adirondacks, which is the headwaters for five major watersheds including Lake Champlain and the Hudson, Black, St. Lawrence, and Mohawk Rivers. Throughout the Adirondacks, more than 1,500 miles of rivers are fed by an estimated 30,000 miles of brooks and streams.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation manages this preserve and recently established a visitor parking area and a canoe launch. From the earliest trappers and guides, who led pioneers and explorers down raging rivers, through the days of floating logs, to the present day canoeist and wildlife viewer, preserves like Everton Falls honor and reveal the natural heritage and history of our Adirondack rivers.