Royalston Falls

Royalston Falls IUCN Category V - Protected Landscape / Seascape
The eponymous waterfall of the protected area
location	Massachusetts , United States
surface	88 ha
WDPA ID	55554323
Geographical location	42 ° 43 ′  N , 72 ° 15 ′  W Coordinates: 42 ° 42 ′ 52 "  N , 72 ° 14 ′ 43"  W
Setup date	1951
administration	The Trustees of Reservations
particularities	Part of the Tully Trail and the Metacomet Monadnock hiking trail

Royalston Falls (formerly Forbes Falls ) is the eponymous waterfall of the same name, 217  acres (0.9  km² ) extensive nature reserve in the city of Royalston in the state of Massachusetts of the United States , which is administered by the organization The Trustees of Reservations . The hiking trails to the waterfall belong to both the Tully Trail and the Metacomet Monadnock hiking trail .

history

With the beginning of colonization by European colonists in the 17th century, most of the forests in Massachusetts were cleared to make way for agriculture and pasture, but also for firewood and construction wood. These large-scale clearings continued well into the 19th century, when New England farmers left their fields to head west in search of richer, less rocky soil. Today the forest is slowly coming back and gradually erasing the traces of human activity.

The present sanctuary served as a recreational park for local farmers in the mid-1800s and was known as Forbes Falls , since Calvin Forbes owned and farmed the land at the time. Forbes built paths, picnic areas, music-making facilities and a staircase down to the base of the waterfall. On the upper reaches there was even a casino for a short time, in which a dance hall was set up and live music was played.

Protected area

The 45  ft (13.7  m ) high waterfall fed by Falls Brook is a little off the main trails and requires a 0.8 mi (1.3  km ) descent  through a gorge . On the way there is a refuge set up by the trustees, where hikers can also spend the night. Due to the dense forest cover, the waterfall can be heard right up to its immediate vicinity, but not seen. Also worth mentioning are the natural rock bridges that Brook Falls has created over the centuries. The path is demanding and sometimes extremely wet and must therefore be walked with extreme caution.

In the vicinity are the protected areas of Doane's Falls and Jacobs Hill , which are also managed by the trustees, as well as Tully Lake , where the Tully Lake Campground is a campsite available as a base.

See also

• List of protected areas of the Trustees of Reservations

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} About Royalston Falls. The Trustees of Reservations , accessed June 23, 2014 . 
2. ^ Property History. The Trustees of Reservations , accessed June 23, 2014 . 

Web links

• Royalston Falls on the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System
• Royalston Falls on TripAdvisor