Hikes Gorges Waterfalls & More

Black Diamond Trail

Enjoy scenic view of Cayuga Lake and on this 8.5-mile stone-dust path along the upland slopes of Cayuga Lake makes for an enjoyable family-oriented walk, bike, or even cross-country skiing opportunity from the city limits of Ithaca to the 215-foot waterfall, Taughannock Falls.

Businessman’s Lunch Falls (Wells Falls)

Please use caution during the winter, we recommend viewing from the bridge as the trail may be covered with snow and ice. Businessman's Lunch Falls is located on Six Mile Creek. The falls can be viewed from the Giles St bridge or by a short .2 mi hike. Businessman's Lunch Falls is a set of four cascading falls - 30ft, 5ft, 15ft, 15ft - and has been a popular lunch spot for people working downtown.

Buttermilk Falls Lower

Experience Buttermilk Creek drop 600 feet as it plunges through a gorge down the eastern slope of the Cayuga Valley at the southernmost edge of the City of Ithaca. The lower fall that you will see is 165ft tall and cascades as you follow the trail. This state park offers five trails to wander through a remarkable variety of landscapes.

Buttermilk Falls Upper

Please use caution during the winter and follow all posted signage; trails may be closed due to snow and ice. While you visit Buttermilk Falls State Park, be sure to check off the upper park from your list. The upper park has a small lake, hiking trails through woodlands and along the gorge and rim, picnic areas and playing fields.

Cascadilla Gorge Trail

The Cascadilla Gorge Trail closes from mid-December to mid-April, there are still views visible from the bottom of the trailhead. Connecting downtown Ithaca with the Cornell campus, this natural area is managed by the Cornell Botanic Gardens. Ascending over 400 feet, this historic set of stone trails and staircases was originally constructed in the late 1920’s. You will see six waterfalls as the path leads you through the gorge formed by ancient bedrock.

Cornell Botanic Gardens

The Botanic Gardens proper consist of 25 acres of botanical gardens and 150 acres of the F.R. Newman Arboretum. Eleven gardens feature herbs, flowers, vegetables, rhododendrons, perennials, ornamental grasses, groundcovers, conifers, container gardens and plants with winter interest. An audio tour is available for each garden.

Denison Falls

Located on a primary connector trail, between the Cayuga Nature Center’s network of trails and the Black Diamond Trail. While walking to Denison Falls, you will notice smaller waterfalls in the area. At 6-stories tall, TreeTops tree house will also stand out! Please follow all posted signage. Parking available at the Cayuga Nature Center.

East Ithaca Recreation Way

The East Ithaca Recreation Way is mostly built on the former railroad bed of the Elmira Cortland & Northern Railroad from 1869. This multi-use trail is a great place to go walking, biking, jogging, and birding. Horseback riding is permitted along the trail section from Maple Avenue to Game Farm Road. Being close to Cornell, it is a heavily used commuter trail and provides easy access to campus (winter maintenance provided). When visiting you will find parking off Game Farm Rd. near Cornell’s Campus.

Enfield Falls

Enfield Falls is located in the lower park of Robert H. Treman. This is a short and easy walk from the parking lot with a unique swimming hole experience.

Fall Creek Gorge

Explore trails along the Fall Creek Gorge, managed by the Cornell Botanic Gardens with trails providing access to one of Cornell's iconic gorges. The Risley Trail leads to a picnic area at creek level on the north side of the gorge and the Horseshoe Falls Trail leads to an overlook in view of the 30-foot-high Horseshoe Falls on the south side.

Fall Creek Suspension Bridge

The Fall Creek Suspension Bridge is a pedestrian footbridge that spans the Fall Creek Gorge, a part of the hanging valley formed where Fall Creek passes through the glacial trough of Cayuga Lake.

Ithaca Falls

Please use caution during the winter, we recommend viewing from the bridge when trail is covered with snow and ice. A beautiful year-round, 150' vertical fall by 175' wide with cliffs rising another 100'. Visible from Lake St. bridge or a couple minute walk to the base of the falls. See Red-Tailed Hawks nest on cliffs above, Turkey Vultures and many other birds take advantage of air currents and a popular fishing hole. A short, but somewhat steep trail enters the woods and loose stone, and earth paths provide access up close to Ithaca Falls.

Lick Brook Falls At Sweedler Nature Preserve

Follow the trails along the rim of Lick Brook gorge and through the forest. Taken together, these two preserves provide an excellent example of the area's geologic history and ecological systems. The effects of ice age glaciers can be seen in the multiple waterfalls that splash down along Lick Brook on its journey to Cayuga Lake, including one that is nearly 140 feet tall. The Sweedler and Thayer Preserves contain more than 2 miles of hiking trails including a section of the Cayuga Trail.

Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve

The Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve in the town of West Danby consists of 537 acres of forests, meadows, brushland, gorges, streams, kettle ponds and wetlands. Several trails comprising a total of 3.6 miles are open year-round for hiking, skiing, and birding. The diverse habitats found in the preserve are home to an equally diverse variety of flora and fauna. Some rare species have been identified in the preserve and it provides an exceptional place for bird watching.

Lucifer Falls

Lucifer Falls is a 115 ft waterfall best reached from the upper entrance of Robert H. Treman State Park. A walk down the gorge trail will reveal stunning geology and stonework on the way to Lucifer falls. After viewing the falls, descend the gorge trail and cross over the stream to ascend the cliff staircase for a view of the falls from above. This is about a mile and a half hike.

Mulholland Wildflower Preserve

The Six Mile Creek Gorge is a diverse ecological area consisting of streams, gorges, waterfalls, marshland, forest, and meadows of goldenrods, asters, shrub thickets or young forests. The natural area offers level, creekside walks in the Mulholland Wildflower Preserve on the north side of Six Mile Creek. Steep cliffside trails can be found on either side of the creek. This area contains the City of Ithaca's reservoirs and is also designated as a unique natural area.

Sapsucker Woods

The beautiful 230-acre Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary is home to the world-renowned Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Four miles of easy walking trails lead you through forest and wetlands, perfect for birding. Hidden “gem” – nature artist Andy Goldsworthy created a sculpture for this site. Self-guided audio tours are available. Dogs and bikes are not permitted.

Smith Woods

Smith Woods is one of the few remaining old growth forests in central New York (32 acres), distinguished by its accessibility and flat terrain, bordering the Village of Trumansburg. Large beech, hemlock and maples inhabit the site, along with 20 other tree species and many spring ephemerals. There are three trails that traverse the forest - all converge near the beginning of the trail and at the other end along Rt. 96.

South Hill Trail

The South Hill Recreation Way is mostly built on the abandoned railroad bed of the Cayuga and Susquehanna Railroad. This multi-use trail is great for walking, jogging, nature appreciation, and bicycling, and is popular for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. Many benches and picnic tables are positioned at scenic points along the trail, all of which are off-road parking can be found off of Juniper Rd. The trail runs through beautiful, wooded areas with many creek crossings and small gorges.

Taughannock Falls Main

A spectacular waterfall in a well-maintained state park, Taughannock Falls is one of many sights within the park, yet it is easily the most popular not just within the boundaries, but in the entire region. Free-falling 215 feet as a single-drop waterfall from a hanging valley, Taughannock roars during spring, drawing thousands of onlookers who hike the wide winding canyon to the viewing area at its base.

Triphammer Falls

Explore the Cornell Botanic Gardens and Beebe Lake Natural Area on the one-mile loop trail around this man-made lake in the heart of Cornell campus. The scenic trail passes through mature and old-growth forests, over the historic Sackett Bridge, and past many lake views and stone seating areas From the Triphammer Footbridge, enjoy picturesque views across the lake, over Beebe Dam and into Fall Creek Gorge.

Upper Falls at Taughannock

To see the upper waterfall, proceed up the hill from the overlook to the end of Taughannock Park Road, turning left at the “T” onto Jacksonville Road and crossing the bridge. Pull into the small gravel parking area on the left immediately after crossing the bridge then follow the short path through the woods to the railroad trestle, which has been paved for pedestrian traffic.