Ausable Chasm

Two RVing friends and I decided to take this tour during our visit at Soos' Ruckus in the Mountains get-together. Left to right, Gayle, Louise, and me.

Want to take it with us? Enter here.

Inside were some choices...the basic Chasm Tour, or the Adventure Tour. We decided to start with the basic tour, as we didn't think we could do both in one day.

You start out by following a one-mile trail along and into the chasm. Along the way are some informational signs. We learned the chasm was formed a long time ago.

We'll keep our eye out for ripple marks along the trail.

These are fossilized prints of an unidentified prehistoric animal.

Louise reads about the geology of the area at this overlook.

This formation is called "Elephant's Head."

How it was formed.

View from the top.

This is Rainbow Falls, where the gorge begins.

This area is called "The Devil's Oven" and is part of a massive fault line that runs the length of Ausable Chasm. Rare earthquakes occur here. You can also see a group starting out on the Adventure Tour.

Adventurers climbing the ropes.

Another view of Rainbow Falls.

About the falls.

Now our trail will descend into the Chasm.

Looking down from atop the Elephant's Head to some more Adventurers.

Sort of tight-rope walking across the chasm.

Louise and Gayle descend the stairs to the "Inner Sanctum."

Along the walls of the chasm.

A hole in the wall.

More views. The Adventurers will cross that swinging bridge.

Meanwhile our adventure continues.

Looking up.

Our bridge doesn't swing, but you can see through it.

Louise with her camera.

Here's some of those Cambrian Sea ripples.

Louise on another bridge. Gayle kept hiding from my camera.

Swift water below.

An old support. The trails have been changed over the years.

There is another trail above that follows the rim.

The three of us.

The trail follows the chasm for about a mile, then we will ride a raft for about another mile to the end. You can see the raft launch from here.

While waiting in line for our turn, we watched others being launched.

Another group getting ready. You have a choice of the large raft, an inner tube, or an inflatable kayak.

Some tubers underway.

Looks like a nice gentle float from here.

Rafts are returned to the top of the chasm, and lowered by this large crane.

Tubes are piled inside the rafts for the trip down.

Glad we don't have to be in it when they launch.

Tubers are outfitted with helmets. We didn't have to wear one.

Everyone wears a PFD.

A tuber starting out.

Louise was hoping for a really cute guide.

As opposed to the not so cute ones.

She was also hoping for an orange raft.

Both her wishes came true. Here we are loading.

All set to go.

Nice float.

Looking back at the launch. Some tubers will be following us.

It gets pretty narrow ahead.

People watching us from up above.

It widens out here.

The guide points out this split rock.

Looking back at the tubers.

The course turns a bend here and there will be some rapids ahead.

Tubers are approaching the rapids too.

The guide hands out paddles and the paddlers get to practice a little.

Here we go...

Click on the video to take the ride with us.

After we were safely through, the guide said we could sit where we want. You see where Louise wanted to sit, next to the cute guide.

The guide told us about an old movie filmed here, where a horse and rider jumped off this ledge into the water.

The Adventurers are rappelling here.

We come to the end. If we kept following the river here we would end up in Lake Champlain.

This is how the boats are hoisted out of the river.

Tubers have to carry their own.

Disembarking.

Getting the boat out.

And on to the trailer for the trip back to the launch site.

Resting and waiting for the trolley.

The trolley takes us back to the parking area.

This is the dam above Rainbow Falls.

Hope you had as much fun as we did.