We made a spur of the moment decision one Saturday afternoon in early June to head to Ithaca and Rob’s alma mater, Cornell University. In all the years we’d been together, I had never seen where Rob spent his undergraduate years, and he hadn’t been back since shortly after graduation himself. Since the weather in the Philly-area, where we live, wasn’t supposed to be very pleasant the next day, it gave us a chance to get out of the house and make the most of our weekend!
We arrived in Ithaca in the evening and drove around Cornell’s campus, checking out the dorm he lived in on North Campus for two years, the Communications building where he was on the debate team, the famous bell tower, sunset over Cayuga lake, and more. We drove downtown, and happened upon the annual Ithaca Festival, in its second of three days. We listened to some music, but since it was pretty late, most of the food vendors had packed up, so we walked a little and found a taqueria and cantina that was still pretty busy, and enjoyed some delicious tacos and margaritas! If you’re in the mood for tacos in Ithaca, make sure to stop by Viva Taqueria.
The next morning, after breakfast at our hotel, we started exploring the state parks near Ithaca! There are quite a few to choose from, so whether you want to want to be right on Cayuga Lake, hiking up along a gorge and exploring the waterfalls and rivers, fishing, swimming or more, Ithaca has a park for you! We started at Buttermilk Falls State Park, located just a few miles southwest of Ithaca, and with it’s main waterfall found right at the entrance. Since it was a spring weekend, the entrance fee for our car was in effect, but the receipt for our $8 entry would also get us into all other New York State Parks for the rest of the day, so it was totally worth it! We parked and walked over to the base of the waterfall, where we took a few pictures and listened to the calming sound of the water. When a lifeguard is present, swimming is allowed at the base of the waterfall in the pool, and several hiking trails are accessible to walk along through the gorge around Buttermilk Creek. We didn’t hike here, but will definitely take advantage of it on a future trip, since there are more waterfalls and other sights as well! We would definitely enjoy camping here as well. Also for next time is a park just a little further south – Robert H Treman State Park also features several water features on Enfield Creek, including Lucifer Falls, a 115-foot waterfall. Camping, almost ten miles of hiking trails, and swimming in stream-fed pools are available here as well.
After Buttermilk Falls, we headed northwest of Ithaca to Taughannock (sounds like ta-gann-ick) Falls State Park, which features the tallest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains, Taughannock Falls. At an impressive 215 feet, this waterfall is 33 feet taller than Niagara Falls (although Niagara Falls is wider and has more water flow through it) and is visible both at the end of a 3/4 mile hike through the valley on the Gorge Trail, and from a viewing platform up above. The overlook platform is right next to a parking lot up on one side of the valley, and is handicap accessible, although the hike through the valley is not strenuous or rough, so that is an option for those with limited physical abilities as well, and we saw several strollers on the gorge trail while we were there.
We both had colds when we visited, so we initially weren’t planning on hiking the gorge trail. When we first arrived at the park, we parked on the right hand side of Taughannock Blvd, walked a little to the Lower Falls, and returned to the car. We crossed the road to check out the marina area, where there is a playground, picnic areas, and marina located on Cayuga Lake. We sat alongside the lake for a few minutes before driving up to the top overlook platform, where there is also a visitor’s center and bathrooms (I now own a Ithaca is Gorges shirt). The view from the top was stunning, and when we saw strollers among the people at the end of the hiking trails, we decided to give that hike a go! We returned to the bottom and set off on the 3/4 mile trail to the base of the falls (1.5 mile roundtrip). The trail brought us alongside the creek (where, despite state park regulations about swimming, there were people swimming and wading in the weakened summer flow) and through the forest. We crossed the creek on the bridge near the falls, and spent some time on the viewing platform. The 215-foot falls and the 400-foot tall cliffs all around it were quite impressive, and it was such a pleasant day to sit and enjoy the sounds of the water.
Allan H Treman State Marine Park
Ithaca Falls
Suspension Bridge – Falls Creek with Rocky Falls, Cornell Hydroelectric Plant and Horseshoe Falls
Herbert F Johnson Museum of Art
Ornithology Lab