Tucked deep within Chestnut
Ridge Park, New York, is a small waterfall called the Eternal Flame Falls. The
waterfall is so called because of a simple phenomenon – a natural gas leak just
underneath the falls that just happens to be burning. The flame is not really
"eternal" in the sense that it goes out occasionally. Often it is re-lit by the
next hiker that finds it extinguished.
Chestnut Ridge Park is situated on 1213 acres of the northern face of a series
of hills sandwiched between the Eighteenmile Creek and West Branch Cazenovia
Creek valleys in Erie County. The park itself is a superb summer family
destination containing miles of hiking trails, cycling paths, several playing
fields, tennis courts, and a wealth of picnic facilities and shelters. Eternal
Flame Falls, despite being located within the park boundaries, is off on the
fringe, away from the crowds, and most directly accessible from a trail that
begins on the southern edge of the park.
As you approach the falls, the smell of rotten-egg hits your nose. What you
smell is the natural gas that leaks from between the shale layers. The gasses
produced during the decomposition of the organics within the rock deposits are
under pressure and push out through cracks and loose layers within the rock. One
large fissure is located right within Eternal Flame Falls, in a small grotto
that protects the gas seepage from the falling water and any wind, enabling it
to sustain a flame when lit. Two other, smaller seepages within the grotto can
be lit, although they can't hold a flame as large or as long as the primary
flame. There are several other gas seepages, or springs, around the falls, but
locating them can be tricky and lighting them often impossible. Some are located
underneath the pool below the falls, and can be seen as bubbles rising up from
the bedrock below.
Eternal Flame Falls is highly dependant on rainfall and melt water. It is
usually only flowing in early spring, or after long bouts of heavy rain. It
reaches 30 ft high, cascading over sloping shale in two segments. A small
grotto, 5 ft up from the creek bed, to the right houses the natural gas spring
that can be ignited to create a flame of 4-8 inches in height. When flow is
high, the water pours over the grotto, covering the flame and diffusing the
light like a lampshade.
Eternal Flame Falls is truly one of the most unique waterfalls in the country
and one of the few remaining natural areas that we find on our planet. It is
said that the falls may be the only one of its kind on the planet.