Bailey's Ravine at Ayers Gap is a short trail famous for it's waterfalls located in eastern Connecticut
Bailey's Ravine has been on my Connecticut hiking map forever. So when I finally had a reason to head to the eastern half of the state I jumped at the opportunity to hike here. A fairly short hike of 1.5 miles, the ravine is home to 4 small water falls and a number of cascades. The trail itself is easy to follow, but the main trail avoids the deepest part of the ravine. There are a number of small unmarked side trails you can take down to the water but they can be poorly marked. The first photo here is from one of the first side trails found on the alltrails app that goes right down into the ravine for a nice view of this cascade. The hike back up is fairly steep, but all the main waterfalls are directly on trail!
The Cascade at Bailey's Ravine
The trail begins with a steep ascent but then is quite level for the rest of your journey. Located at the most northern section of the trail is a decent sized cascade that is photogenic. You can arrive here on the main trail but we hiked up the ravine... and I do not recommend this. The ravine can be extremely muddy and we were only okay because we had our waterproof boots.
After hiking all the way back on the other side of the ravine you will encounter the 3 true waterfalls on the trail. The first two are a double that feature as the main photograph of this trail found online. Unfortunately during our trip there was a ton of downed trees blocking the view. When these aren't blocked they are a beautiful photo opportunity and some of the most gorgeous in the eastern part of the state. A minute further down the trail is the last waterfall of about 5 feet.
The trail will then dump you out in someone's driveway where you will walk back to the parking lot on the side of the road. While this hike was very short and easy it's worth visiting and one of the prettier hikes in the state.
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