Taughannock Falls State Park

After ending our brief tour of the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail, we just had to stop at one of the outstanding attractions in the Finger Lakes and the whole northeast.  Driving south on NYS Rt 89, we turned onto the Taughannock Park Road in Trumansburg to the falls overlook.  The falls can already be seen from the end of the parking lot with only a few short steps down to the nice viewing area.

The name Taughannock could have originated from the Algonquian word Taconic ("in the trees"), from the Delaware word Taghkanic ("great fall in the woods) or after a Lenape (Delaware) chieftain killed in a nearby battle named Taughannock.


Plunging 215 feet to a deep pool surrounded by rocky cliffs towering nearly 400 feet above, Taughannock Falls is the tallest free falling waterfall in the northeast, higher than any of the three falls comprising Niagara Falls (American Falls -180ft, Canadian Falls - 170 ft, Bridal Veil Falls -181 ft). It has, however, much lower volume, its moderate flow sometimes becoming a trickle in the summer. Following the heavy rains prior to our visit, the flow of water from the falls was tremendous enough.



To get a closer view of the falls from below, we drove a little further south on NYS Rt 89 to the Taughannock State Park. We took the Gorge Trail, a 3/4 mile trail that follows the Taughannock Creek to the base of the falls. 

Taughannock Trail Map

We passed Lower Falls,  a 15 ft high cascade which is easily seen from the parking lot.  The third waterfall in the park , 100ft high Upper Falls can be seen in the narrow upper gorge,  requiring a hike on the north or south rim trail, something we were not prepared to do at the time.

The trail was flat and wide, flanked by high cliffs or dense growth of maples and birches on one side and the creek on the other.  It was hot and humid that afternoon but the walk was relatively pleasant.  Still, it was tempting to join the people walking alongside the creek, some even going for a dip to cool off.

At the small bridge crossing the creek, we immediately saw the majestic waterfall and were rewarded  by its refreshing mist at the end of the trail.






The walk back to the car was anti-climatic until we decided to see the lakeside part of the park.  In the waning hours of the day, the lake seemed so peaceful, with only a few folks on kayaks and SUPs, families fishing off the shore and hardly any power boats, a proper ending to our day on Cayuga Lake.

References:
1. Taughannock Falls State Park. New York State. Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
2. Taughannock Falls State Park. Paleontological Research Institute.
3. Taughannock Falls State Park. NYFalls.com
4.Taughannock Falls State Park.VisitIthaca.com
5. Taughannock Falls. Taughannock.com
6. Hiking Trails at Taughannock Falls. CNY Hiking.