Loading...

Distance:
0.2 Miles / 0.3 km
Type:
Out-and-Back
Difficulty:
Easy
Time to Hike:
~6 minutes
Features:
Surface Type:
Dirt
Park:
UMass Mt. Toby Forest
Town:
Sunderland, Massachusetts
Directions:
42.497721, -72.560522
Added:
April 24, 2017
Updated:
June 20, 2020

The Gunn Brook Falls Trail at the UMass Mt. Toby Forest in Sunderland, Massachusetts is an easy 0.2-mile out-and-back hike featuring two waterfalls. This hike is extremely short and is great for families with little kids.

Hikers should note that depending on what time of year you visit, you may need to cross Gunn Brook during high water (generally the Spring and Winter). In this case, if you wish to see both cascades, it's probably best to park in both Lower and Upper parking lots to avoid getting your feet wet. Otherwise, during the Summer this is less of an issue.

Waterfalls: The main attraction on this trail are the two waterfalls - Upper Gunn Brook Falls and Lower Gunn Brook Falls. The Upper Falls is about 15 feet high and 6 - 8 feet wide. The Lower Falls is slightly shorter, at approximately 10 to 12-feet tall and 4-feet wide. It's best to visit the waterfalls after a spout of consistent rain, in the early Spring, or in the winter when the waterfalls are frozen over. In the Summer you may find Gunn Brook a bit more dried up. Be sure to check out Gunn Brook Falls during the Spring to see waterfall at its peak.

Parking: There are two parking locations for this hike - the direction coordinates provided will bring hikers to the Lower Falls parking area, which is large enough for about 2 vehicles. You can also find parking at the opposite end of the trail, at the Upper Falls section of Gunn Brook Falls - at approximately 42.49696, -72.559113. During the winter, if Gunn Cross Rd is covered in snow, you can park at the intersection of Falls Rd and Gunn Cross Rd (without blocking the road) and hike up the road for an additional 0.1 mile one-way to the trailhead.

Pets: Dogs are allowed if leashed and their waste must be carried out.

Water source: If you have a water filter, you can refill in Gunn Brook.

Explore 202 trails near Sunderland, MA
  1. Parking

    42.497721, -72.560522
  2. Main Trailhead

    42.497614, -72.56049
  3. Lower Gunn Brook Falls - frozen

    42.497147, -72.560067
    Lower Gunn Brook Falls - frozen
  4. Lower Gun Brook Falls - frozen

    42.497147, -72.560067
    Lower Gun Brook Falls - frozen
  5. Upper Gunn Brook Falls

    42.496931, -72.559669
    Upper Gunn Brook Falls
Explore other trail routes for this hike, added by the MyHikes Community via Trip Reports.
No community routes found. To add your own route as a Community Route for this Trail guide, please leave a Trip Report with a GPX file on this Trail.

Hazards

Ticks - Lyme Disease More Info (CDC)

Season

Spring
Loading...
Loading...
25 '

Total Change
28 '

Ascent
34 '

Descent

5 Trip Reports

No Star-Ratings
Write-up by:
Tocra user profile picture
0.2 miles / 0.3 km
Trail added
April 24, 2017
Hiked on
April 24, 2017
Updated on
June 20, 2020
0.2 miles / 0.3 km
August 22, 2022
Lovely, lovely falls. We did this short “hike” due to an injured foot that couldn’t take a long hike. So glad we did. Just a beautiful lower and upper fall that was even flowing during the 2022 drought. Lots of moss and rock formations amongst hemlocks. Saw frogs and a baby snapping turtle and a small fish in the falls “pond”. Great place for when you want to be in nature but take a break from a longer hike. Pictures in album #4.
Hiking
0.2 miles / 0.3 km
April 23, 2022
Lovely place with tons of red trillium and even a garter snake warming up in the sun. Great directions and trail detail. Thanks Tocra!
Hiking
0.2 miles / 0.3 km
August 31, 2019
Hiked Gunn Brook Falls to both Lower and Upper Falls during late August, 2019. Gunn Brook was mostly dried up, but the waterfalls were still flowing. See the 3rd photo album in the list for what to expect during the Summer at Gunn Brook.
Hiking
0.2 miles / 0.3 km
December 28, 2017
Hiked down to the first set of falls at Gunn Brook in December 2017 when the falls were frozen. This is a tiny hike out and back, but it's well worth a visit. In the winter, if Gunn Cross Rd is covered in snow, you can park at the intersection of Falls Rd and Gunn Cross Rd and hike up the road for an additional 0.1 mile to the trailhead.
Dogs Hiking

Weather Forecast

In Sunderland, MA

Explore Hiking Trails

New Hikes

Weston Lake Loop
3.2 Miles
5.1 km
Easy
Loop
Cameron Overlook Hike
3.3 Miles
5.3 km
Easy
Out-and-Back
Hike to Tamarack Falls
1.3 Miles
2.1 km
Easy
Out-and-Back
Dutters Trail to Old Bark Loop
4.5 Miles
7.2 km
Moderate
Loop

Before you leave...

MyHikes is an indie web platform aimed to make exploring public trails easier for everyone. The site has no investors and is owned and operated by one person, Dave Miller (Founder & Admin). As the Founder, main contributor, and doer-of-all-things for MyHikes, I share my trips with over-detailed write-ups for fun on a volunteer basis and I believe that public trail information should be available to everyone.

It takes a lot of time 🕦, money 💰, and effort (including espresso shots ☕) to run MyHikes, including hiking , mapping , writing , and publishing new trails with high-quality content... along with building new features, moderating, site maintainance, and app development for iOS and Android . I simply ask that if you find MyHikes' trail guides helpful to please consider becoming a Supporter to help keep the site, iOS, and Android apps available to everyone.

Supporters unlock website and in-app perks with a one-time payment of $25 (you renew) 😎👍. Or you can simply make a Donation of your choice without a MyHikes user account. Otherwise, telling your friends about MyHikes is the next-best thing - both quick and free 🎉

Thanks for visiting MyHikes and have a great hike!️

Admin user profile picture

Dave Miller
MyHikes Founder & Admin