This fantastic gorge trail will feed your inner waterfall chaser with three gorgeous falls and a cool suspension bridge thrown in. It is not your typical state park gorge trail, where you are right up next to the waterfalls. This trail takes you high above the falls and provides you with aerial views of these falls. However, you need to time your visit here carefully because the gorge isn’t open year-round.
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Suspension Bridge
Built in 1934 as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal, the 270-foot long suspension bridge spans the gorge of Fall Creek, the largest tributary flowing into Cayuga Lake. Even though the bridge stands 140 feet above the gorge, there is no need to be afraid. The bridge is encaged in wire, and while it might sway in high winds, you can’t fall out. It is from the suspension bridge that you can get the best view of Rocky Falls. The suspension bridge has recently undergone a restoration, so you can feel secure in its sturdiness.
Waterfalls
This incredible gorge is often called a Staircase of Falls, which, with Fall Creek, flows over numerous waterfalls from Triphammer Falls (which we did not include in this article), Rocky Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Forest Falls, and finally, Ithaca Falls.
Rocky Falls
Rocky Falls is a 55-foot waterfall that can be seen in all its perfection from the top of the suspension bridge.
Horseshoe Falls
To view the 30-foot Horseshoes Falls, visitors need to take the stairs down into the gorge to the viewing area. This area was traditionally the place where Cornell students would swim; however, swimming is now prohibited here due to the dangerous conditions. There are strong undercurrents that have trapped people in the rock ledges.
Forest Falls
Forest Falls, the tallest of these three waterfalls at 60 feet, can be seen from the bridge on Stewart Ave. There is a fair bit of traffic on this street, so make sure to mind your kids (or dogs) if you are walking on the shoulder of the bridge.
Hiking Trails
Dog Friendly – Yes, Dogs are allowed on leashes. However, there are places where the pathway is quite narrow; you will want to make sure that your dog is okay around people. We have never had people just reach out and try to pet our dog without permission, but we had several people here just do it. It was sort of jarring. We weren’t expecting that.
Terrain – There is a variety of terrain here, consisting of graveled paths, stoned stairs, and concrete sidewalks. The trails run up and down along the cliffside, so this is not ideal for strollers or people with knee problems; there are numerous stairs leading in and out of the gorge in several places. This area can also be slippery, be sure to wear proper footwear. The trails down to the gorge are not open year-round. They are gates that are locked and close the stairway during the winter or during dangerous conditions.
We somehow miraculously planned our visit at just the right time. It was crappy out enough to keep the crowds away but warm enough that the trails into the gorge were open.
We recently revisited in the Fall, and the gorge and waterfalls look spectacular, surrounded by the colorful autumn leaves. The wet leaves did make the staircases a bit more slippery, so be careful if you hike here in the fall and early winter.
Getting to Fall Creek Gorge
The problem with visiting Fall Creek Gorge is that there isn’t much parking available. There is only one parking lot in the central area of the gorge, which only holds about half a dozen vehicles. While a large portion of the trail is on the Cornell Campus, there is no public parking available on the campus.
Address: Fall Creek Drive, Ithaca (Enter Fall Creek Gorge into your GPS)
Google Map Link
More Photos from Fall Creek Gorge
