A Yantic River waterfall and gorge in downtown Norwich, preserved as Uncas Leap Heritage Park and sacred to Mohegan Tribe history.
Yantic Falls, long known as Indian Leap and today preserved as Uncas Leap Heritage Park, drops through a rock gorge on the Yantic River in downtown Norwich. The City of Norwich, which acquired the 1.2-acre site in 2010, describes it as sacred ground in Mohegan Tribe history: the falls mark where the 1643 Battle of Great Plains between the Mohegan and Narragansett concluded. Stone mill ruins from the site's 19th-century industrial era still stand along the gorge, a reminder that the falls once powered Norwich's mills as well as carrying older tribal history.
Two connected routes lead to the site: the roughly 1-mile round-trip Uncas Leap Trail, mostly flat with sidewalk sections, and the longer 2.8-mile round-trip Heritage Trail, which follows the Yantic River from downtown Norwich. The city states that sections of the park with water views are wheelchair accessible, though other stretches include steep grades. The park is open year-round and free to visit; check the city's park page for current conditions, since interpretive and trail development at the site is ongoing.
Know before you go
Uncas Leap Heritage Park, 196-200 Yantic Street, Norwich, CT; city-owned, open to the public.
Open year-round; check city notices for seasonal trail conditions.
Uncas Leap Trail: about 1 mile round trip, mostly flat with sidewalk. Heritage Trail: about 2.8 miles round trip along the Yantic River from downtown Norwich.
No fee; city park.
City states some water-view areas are wheelchair accessible; other sections have steep grades.
2026-10-12. Conditions and requirements can change; confirm with the land manager before travelling.
Sources & further reading
This is a researched visitor guide, not a claim that our editors have personally visited. Trail conditions, permits, and access can change.
