Worcester might be known for its mills, colleges and vibrant arts scene, but waterfalls? Not so much.
Yet off Olean Street, tucked behind the trees at Cascades Park, about a half-mile from the Holden town border, lies a peaceful nature trail leading to a modest but striking waterfall that spills into Cook Pond.
According to Colin Novick, executive director at the Greater Worcester Land Trust, Cascading Waters is flowing continuously for the first time in more than four years due to the spring’s heavy rains.
In May, about 8.5 inches of rain fell in Worcester — more than any May over the past four years, according to the National Weather Service. The five-year average for May precipitation is 5.49 inches in Worcester.
“Mother Nature turns it on and Mother Nature turns it off,” Novick said. “There’s no throttle, there’s no dam, there’s no outlet,” it is a natural waterfall dictated by the watershed.
The Cascades is made up of several areas of land: Boynton Park, Cascades West, Cascades East, Cascades Park and Cascading Waters, he said.
Cascading Waters is part of the Greater Worcester Land Trust’s thousand acres of open space in the city and neighboring towns. A trail runs up the side of the falls and onto Cascades West, according to the land trust’s website.
Several trails follow along streams and there are vernal pools that can be explored in the spring.
Due to rainy weather in Massachusetts, there’s been a significant improvement in drought conditions, MassLive reported May 10, making now a prime time to visit Cascading waters to witness the waterfall in action.
“After several months of experiencing drought conditions, I am pleased to share that the central region has returned to normal,” Rebecca Tepper, the state’s energy and environmental affairs secretary, wrote in a statement.
“The rain we have received in recent months has helped replenish our streams and groundwater levels and nourished our gardens and forests,” she said.
Allison Dunn, chair of the department of Earth, Environment, and Physics at Worcester State University, leads a team of researchers that monitor water quality at Cooks Pond.
She said that Worcester was in a hydrologic drought as recently as mid-May.
“So while May was quite wet with double normal precipitation, it has just brought us back to overall normal,” said Dunn.
She added, “Cascading Waters is particularly sensitive to recent rainfall, so I’d imagine the flow is pretty good there right now. It commonly will stop flowing during dry summer months.”
Cascading Waters waterfall in Worcester on May 29, 2025.(Sophia Harris/For MassLive)
Novick said the trails along the waterfall are a “great introduction to the city of Worcester’s trail system. There’s a nice little short hike from Olean Street to the waterfall. And if you’re feeling more feisty, there are other options.”
He added there are many hiking options, including a cart road that’s perfectly flat, as well as “steep switchbacks that get you to the top of the hill.”
Along the trails, everything is marked with trail signs, maps and tree markings, Novick said.
“It’s a great place to sort of start and discover the trail systems,” he said.
According to the Greater Worcester Land Trust website, the trail lengths at The Cascades vary from .2 miles to 1 mile.
- Blue Circle Trail: 1.0 miles
- Red Circle Trail: 0.2 miles
- White Triangle Trail: 0.4 miles
- Yellow Circle Trail: 0.2 miles
Carla Gomez’s pit bull, Leaf, takes a break in front of the waterfall at Cascading Waters in Worcester on May 30, 2025.(Sophia Harris/For MassLive)
Tammy Stevens, of Phillipston, admired Cascading Waters from the bottom of the Blue Circle trail with her border collie, Douglas, before deciding if she wanted to embark on the hike May 29.
Stevens said she saw the waterfalls on social media and had to see it for herself.
“I heard about the Cascading Waters and I had to come check it out,” Stevens said. “I like to find things like this where you can get out into the woods a little bit and explore.”
Leila Gentile, of Worcester, parked right in front of the waterfall and got out to lean against the stone border to take it all in. With her eyes fixed to the waterfall, Gentile said she heard about Cascading Waters from her sister and wanted to see the beauty for herself. She said she wasn’t planning on hiking but still wanted to see the falls.
“I just wanted to see the waterfall, it is very beautiful — very cool,” she said.
Carla Gomez, from New York City, stopped in front of the waterfall with her pitbull, Leaf, to admire and catch her breath after hiking the Blue Circle trail.
Gomez said the Cascades is her and Leaf’s favorite hiking trail.
“It just brings us peace,” Gomez said.
Nancy Cronin, of Worcester, barely had enough time to put her SUV in park before two yellow labs, Hogan and Murphy, jumped out to splash in the waterfall.
She said she hikes the trails often because it is her dogs’ favorite hike.
“They enjoy this trail especially because of all of the water, this is their favorite spot,” Cronin said.
Erica Holdmore brought Annapoorna Holdmore to Cascading Waters for the first time from Auburn.
Pausing at the bottom of the waterfall to discuss the possible hiking trails ahead of them, Annapoorna Holdmore said Cascading Waters were “absolutely beautiful.” Erica Holdmore said she figured it would be a good time to see the waterfalls because of the recent rainfall.
“It’s always a fun hike,” Erica Holdmore said.
Annapoorna Holdmore noted that the trails are kept clean and that she was happy that the trails were well marked.
Erica Holdmore added that the waterfalls are a “hidden gem” in the winter because the water freezes while flowing, making it look “frozen in time.”
