It is said that few places on Earth remain unexplored thanks to satellite imagery, GPS mapping, and, may I add, Instagrammers.

The waterfall on Arden Brook lies on a side trail off the main Arden Point trail. It is considered seasonal, meaning, water flows only after some rain and can dry up in the summer. But I didn’t know that. I was just surprised to learn there was a waterfall nearby, just across the Hudson River, and so off I went. It was summer.

I was not disappointed. Yes, the flow was not strong as waterfalls go, but the waterfall was there, photogenic and set in a deep gorge carved by thousands of years of vertical erosion. I found no way down to the falls, and from the few photos I saw online, it seems no one did, too, perhaps also for thousands of years. All were taken from the trail above the cliff walls, where trees and shrubs obscured the otherwise breathtaking view.

Because the waterfall is off on a side trail of the main trail where hikers would rather stay on their way to the main attraction, Arden Point, I would think few would bother making the detour to a seasonal cascade obstructed by twigs and branches that may not even be there. That would explain the scarcity of photos or any mention of the waterfall on Arden Brook online.

If so, then what I was looking at may be one of the few remaining places on Earth left unexplored, a formation that took thousands of years in the making and that no human has ever set foot on, a gift from Mother Nature in the form of a waterfall in its most pristine for those who dare venture off the beaten path.