Black River Park

Looked like a nice spot from the pictures. But it's not a park. I could sort of see a trail that reaches the small water fall, but it looked like it hadn't been maintained in a while. You can see the water fall from the street. There is a flour mill across from the falls, they have some kind of tunnel goes under the bridge to the base of the Falls. But it also did not look very maintained. I can see how the place would have looked much better when it was maintained. Apparently they call it half moon falls because of how the base is shaped like a crescent moon 🌙

Arrived at ~11a on a Saturday and had a decent amount of foot traffic. Great babbling brook with mini falls. Fantastic walking trails; only gripe is that the trail markings should be repainted more often so folks don't get lost.

Nice challenging trails. Some trails are overgrown and hard to see where the go. Recommend using a map app. Trails could use a few more markers to help navigate. Make sure to use your bug spray. Some areas are rocky but nothing to hard. Nice wildflower meadow with a bunch of butterflies. Portable bathroom at the gravel parking lot

Clean trails with a few overgrown and muddy parts. Definitely apply bug spray. There were some nice areas to appreciate. A couple waterfalls, the Kay Cottage Ruins, and the Kay Environmental Center. Enjoyed this park. Plenty of parking spaces at the Cooper Mill Parking lot across from Old Mill Tavern. Overall a nice hike.

We set out here today with the express intent to walk a portion of the Patriot Path from Cooper Gristmill to the Kay's Cottage ruins. The trail is flat for much of the way along the river and quite pretty although it is fraught with roots and rocks and you do need to watch your footing carefully. It would not be good for strollers, etc.

We passed a spillway where we found a father and daughter fishing. There are many postings saying trout stocked waters. You will also pass a fenced off mine.

Where you have to cross from blue to green the trail is marked with a post but its very easy to miss it while watching your footing but be assured black and orange also link with the orange trail you seek.

There were a ton of freshly fallen leaves today which made downhill portions slippery. Hiking boots highly recommended for this trail! Trekking poles could be useful for some as well given the footing.

Kay's cottage ruin is worth finding! Itscharming and beautifully intact! There is also a water spillway here which makes for lovely photos. The map shows a second ruin further down but the orange trail appeared to dissolve into nothingness so we abandoned the search for that one. Instead we set our sights on the higher ruin on the yellow trail.

Its a climto get to this ruin which isnt far from the environmental ed center but its worth seeing. It was an old blast furnace of some sort that im dying to know more about!

Its 1.6 miles between the Kay Center and the Cooper Gristmill. There is a tavern across the street that I have eaten at twice and highly recommend as well. A beautiful day in the woods with fascinating history. Highly recommended!