I used to go up to that place to go ice climbing, right in that north-facing bend in the river, back in the times when it got cold enough for ice. I'm guessing it's kind of wet and ugly in the spring, but it was amazing ice in the winter. In addition to the big vertical cliffs there are a couple of little creeks that you could hike up with crampons, each leading up to an amphitheater of tall smooth ice. Quite an exceptional spot to be in, at the right time.
Hard to say. I was never there when foliage was out, and things have changed in the intervening 25 years or so. I don't think there was a trail back then. There was a little pull-off on the cliff side with space for about 4 cars. There was a big factory right across the river. The view right in front of my nose was ice.