Guest Author - Brenda Potter Reynolds

Sue and Rich Freeman's book, "200 Waterfalls in Central and Western New York", intrigued me from the first. Who doesn't love a splashing, splattering waterfall?

Saturated with cabin fever, my husband and I seized the first somewhat warm day, grabbed the book, and headed down towards the Finger Lakes.

I can tell that this book will soon be as indispensable as our dog-eared copy of "Quiet Waters". Each waterfall listed includes everything you need to know to visit, including location, parking, the waterway it's located on, hiking or creekwalking time, admission fee (if there is one), contact for more information, best season to visit and best place to view the waterfall. Each hike is rated for difficulty, from one boot for easiest and four boots for most difficult.

A feature that I especially liked is a place to write your comments and the date you visited for each waterfall. This idea I plan to implement in some of my other guidebooks, for a handy place to keep essential information together.
One of the waterfalls we visited was the New Hope Falls. The falls were beautiful, but what made the trip special was the working mill, tiny covered bridge, and flocks of ducks.

Several of the waterfalls were "hidden" in plain site, you just had to know where to look. I was glad to have the guide with us.

At the end of the book, the Freemans have divided all of the waterfalls into lists, such as waterfalls viewable from the roadside, short hikes to waterfalls, long hikes to waterfalls, and wheelchair accessible waterfalls. They also are listed by difficulty.

by Brenda Potter Reynolds

"200 Waterfalls in Central and Western New York" is available from Footprint Press at Footprint Press.