The tallest waterfall east of New York, 20 feet taller the Niagara Falls, Taughannock Falls is an impressive and easy to visit attraction just outside Ithaca
This was the second day of our western New York trip and we were exhausted as soon as we woke up. The prior days 3 hikes with 2,000 stairs had definitely worn us down. Today was going to be a little lighter. We began by visiting Ithaca Falls, only minutes from our hotel. While there are many falls in downtown Ithaca, many are closed currently. Luckily Ithaca falls is by far the most impressive. Photos do not do a lick of courtesy to this place, as it towers above you and fills your field of view. The small park has some history as well but a short visit of ten minutes is plenty to take it all in.
A small drive north will take you to Taughannock Falls state park. The main lot was full but there is more then adequeate parking provided across the street in front of the lake. This was our only really chance to see any of the finger lakes during our trip. As lovely as it was we were in a time crunch. After crossing the street you'll see the awesome archway for the Inn nearby.
Not even thirty seconds further up the trail you'll come upon the second largest falls in the park. The "little falls" or "rainbow falls" are cute but when we visited the water levels were quite low. While this made the falls small, it opened up half of the stream bed for people to casually stroll on. The rest of the trail is composed entirely of flat gravel, not something I love.
It really doesn't take more then 45 minutes round trip to see this stunning waterfall and it's 100% worth visiting. The crowds were moderate but not crazy. When you come out of the tree line you will have a perfect angle for photos long distance in front of the falls standing on top of the bridge. There is also a much closer area to congregate just across the bridge.
There is also a viewing platform above the falls that provides spectacular birds eye views. I convinced my group that we would have to take a 4 mile hike to get up there, to which they all groaned and said lets leave. The truth is, it's a nice easy car ride to the top with a visitor center and everything. I had to get them to look to the left the entire drive up so they wouldn't see the signs, but it worked!
Nobody suspected a thing and the dumbfounded looks on their faces when I pulled into the parking lot was priceless. The crowds were think but luckily people gladly stepped out of frame just long enough for me to take a photo... only when I got home did I realize that I had gotten just the wrong angle! Whoops, I'll make sure to take more time in the future and check my work, this is what it's like to not be a professional.
Take your time here, the area is small but the view is incredible. The gorge the fall cuts through is slowly collapsing back, just like at Niagara. I wonder, in time, how much different this will look. In the meantime, this was one of the only state park gift shops actually operating! Make sure to stop in.
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