A glacially carved chute-and-pothole falls on the Hancock Branch in the Green Mountain National Forest, framed by bridges and open to snowshoers in winter.
April through June
Big water window
in a typical year
Snowmelt
What drives it
Hancock Branch of the White River
Climatology
Data on this page
Hancock Branch of the White River is ungauged
USFS Green Mountain
Managed by
their rules govern
Trail status, closures and safety rules belong to each falls' managing agency, named and linked on every page.
The season
What fills Texas Falls, and when
The Hancock Branch drains high Green Mountain country, so Texas Falls churns hardest with the April to June melt and mellows through fall. The Forest Service dates the sculpting to glacial meltwater 12,000 years ago; the modern melt re-enacts it in miniature every spring.
Typical best flow: April through June
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What the agency itself says
The trail follows along the Hancock Branch of the White River, and crosses the river three times on bridges.
Green Mountain National Forest (US Forest Service)What a snowmelt year looks like at full send: Palouse Falls in mid April, when the Palouse River is still carrying the melt. The same falls in late August is a ribbon. Timing is most of the visit. “04-15-14-palouse” — Dsdugan — CC0
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Right now
Current flow at Texas Falls
The other half of the story: the same Palouse Falls in late August. Nothing is wrong; this is what a snowmelt river does every year once the melt is spent. “Palouse Falls 20100829” by Mark Wagner, CC BY-SA 2.5
Getting there
Access, in the agency's words and ours
The Forest Service trail crosses the river three times on bridges with a loop usable for hiking and snowshoeing, off Route 125 near Hancock. The observation area is a short walk from the parking lot.
Melt water carving rock (Vernal Fall, Yosemite, NPS photo). Texas Falls does the Vermont version through glacially cut potholes. “Rainbow in the mist of Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park. NPS-Madelyn Carpenter (18497149938)” — NPS Natural Resources — Public domain
Common questions
Texas Falls flow season FAQ
The reliable big-water window is April through June. The Hancock Branch drains high Green Mountain country, so Texas Falls churns hardest with the April to June melt and mellows through fall. The Forest Service dates the sculpting to glacial meltwater 12,000 years ago; the modern melt re-enacts it in miniature every spring.
Hancock Branch of the White River has no USGS gauge near the falls, so the seasonal pattern above is the flow guide for Texas Falls, and Green Mountain National Forest (US Forest Service) is the source for current conditions on the ground.
Late summer runs gentle through the potholes, which is when their carved shapes show best. The roar is a melt-season feature.
Green Mountain National Forest (US Forest Service). The Forest Service trail crosses the river three times on bridges with a loop usable for hiking and snowshoeing, off Route 125 near Hancock. The observation area is a short walk from the parking lot. Trail status, closures and safety rules are theirs, and their page is linked on this one; nothing here overrides what they publish.
Yosemite Falls in May, running on snowmelt that will be gone by late summer. The National Park Service tells visitors the falls can be dry by August, which is why every falls page here starts from its watershed. “Tourists below Yosemite Falls (39832011431)” by Mike McBey, CC BY 2.0
One of Vermont's highest waterfalls at over 100 feet of total drop, coursing through a gorge outside Stowe, at full song during the Green Mountain melt.
Flow windows are typical-year climatology drawn from the driver and the agency language quoted above, not forecasts. Live readings and per-date percentiles are U.S. Geological Survey data, public domain; the above-or-below-typical line is our comparison and is labelled as such. Access, trail and safety information belongs to Green Mountain National Forest (US Forest Service). National picture: waterfall season across the US → Hero image: “Rainbow in the mist of Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park. NPS-Madelyn Carpenter (18497149938)” — NPS Natural Resources — Public domain
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