A town best known for waterfalls, we stopped here again on our latest trip to Ithaca to check out the awesome sights!
Montour Falls is a small town best known for Waterfalls, and being located only 3 miles from the tourist destination of Watkins Glen. That's why we visited this spot a year ago. There is SO much more to see here though and while we were staying in Ithaca we decided to stop down here at the end of the day in an attempt to see the other awesome falls in town.
Our first stop was the Eagle cliff falls. This trail is located at the back of a normal park. Behind the ball fields and play ground you will see a large trail sign and a series of three waterfalls. The trail itself is extremely short and takes only minutes to complete.
The real gem is hidden at the back of this trail. The main fall drops into a small gorge that makes for an absolute picturesque setting. I was incredibly fortunate to have this area completely to myself and took some of my favorite photos of all time. It's a seriously magical spot that shouldn't be passed up. I've been told it gets quite popular though so plan accordingly! This is also located only minutes down the road from our second location.
Deckertown Falls is another short trail but this one is much steeper and doesn't have the same stairs and infrastructure as Eagle Cliff. The water flow was heavy when we visited but it is possible at times to climb up the stream bed to get an up close view of the main drops. We had to settle for some long distance shots!
There are some cellar ruins on the right at the very beginning of the trail along with numerous private property signs located to the right of the trail. We assume this means all of the land to the right of the trail but I cannot confirm this. All trails lists this as a public trail and there is parking with signage and a well worn path so I feel comfortable recommending it.
If you follow the trail upwards there is a series of cascades and drops to see. The trail ended abruptly under the highway where it looks like a trail should continue but ends in an apparent landslide. I can't say for sure this happened but it looks like it.
Just beyond this area you can make out an impressively large fall and cascades but I could not find a good way to view them. Perhaps pulling over on the side of the road above would give you a view? The main falls featured in everyone's photos online are the big drops at the start of the trail so I'm not sure these are really accessible. They are obscured by trees so good luck!
Shequaga Falls is probably the single most impressive waterfall in town. It's exceptionally tall, at 136 feet, and fans out quite wide. The road that runs above it partially ruins the aesthetic in my mind but it's definitely worth a stop. A small park exists in front of the waterfall allowing for perfect views of this impressive flow.
The park sign spells the falls name Shequga which is a transliteration of the native american name. The bridge above spells it Chequaga and it is also known as Montour Falls. Giving the village of Montour falls it's name.
We visited this waterfall last year and it was much more impressive after the rain!
Our last quick stop is this gorgeous roadside waterfall known as Aunt Sarah's Falls. We actually passed right by it last year and didn't notice it! The water flow is much less than the other waterfalls in town and I suspect it was probably very dried up when we visited.
This time it was vibrant and flowing. While it's not as powerful as many in town, it still has a very large drop that fans out impressively. The green moss that grows all over the falls gives it a lovely color and character of it's own as well.
Crossing the road here to see the falls up close was unpleasant. This is one VERY busy stretch of road and I found that I had to wait quite a while for a break in traffic. There is more than adequate parking at the huge lot across the street though so don't sweat that at least.
Over all we really enjoyed starting our second finger lakes adventure in Montour Falls. I wish we had time to visit when we were at Watkins Glen last year as this area is a beautiful companion to that. If you get the chance to visit be ready to be overwhelmed by the great photos you'll be taking!
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