My Favorites
1. Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen
2. Ithaca
Taughannock Falls
Ithaca is probably best known for Cornell University and the movie Road Trip. What I didn’t realize is that it is also a mecca for waterfalls. The time of year you go will dictate the waterfall activity. I have a tendency to find things that are either closed or nonexistent, it’s kind of a running joke with friends and family. So of course the first day of waterfall seeking resulted in 3/4 empty waterfalls. Luckily the next couple days after were more fruitful and we were able to see some spectacular ones.
See & Do
- Downtown. Bit of a progressive college town vibe with outdoor shops and restaurants. Not a ton going on, but nice to walk around.
- Cornell’s Campus. Nice architecture, bustling with student activity when school’s in session.
- Ithaca Museum of Art. Nice artwork and sculptures.
- Finger Lakes. Beautiful lakes and a ton of wineries. Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake are the two largest, the former probably having more of the wineries. Check out the small town of Trumansburg. We stopped at Three Brothers winery which was awesome. Three wineries (sweet and dry), one brewery, great ambiance, $14 for passport tasting. Dean’s Cove was a nice brief stop with a view of the lake.
Waterfalls
- Taughannock Falls. The largest and most popular. There is a rim trail (above) (north and south) 1.5 miles each way and a gorge trail (below) 0.75 miles each way.
- Buttermilk Falls. The Gorge Trail runs along Buttermilk Creek & Rim Trail form a 1.5-mile loop. The Bear Trail takes you along Buttermilk Creek to Lake Treman and the falls, 1.5 miles one way.
- Tremen State Park. Has Lucifer Falls (0.5 miles to falls from north parking lot) which is outstanding and more than just the one picture I posted and Lower Falls (100 yards from south parking lot) where you can swim.
- Cascadilla Gorge Trail. Start at bottom of Cascadilla Parkway Rd and walk up to end at main waterfall. Trail ends at upper bridge on Cornell’s campus at Snee Hall. It’s a 0.5-mile moderate walk up stairs from there. Very pretty hike.
- Triphammer Falls. View from the footbridge.
- Ithaca Falls. Located around town, massive, great views. Top is near a bunch of fraternity or sorority houses.
- Ludlowville Falls. View from Ludlowville Park.
- Pulpit Falls. Nice view from gorge trail, 0.3-mile strenuous hike.
- Lick Brook Falls. A 1.2-mile roundtrip strenuous 500-foot climb.
Food & Drink
- Collegetown Bagels. Great for breakfast.
- The Crow’s Nest. Pirate-themed cafe at Cornell. Check the hours. There’s also a cool book/vinyl store right there.
- Moosewood. Good vegetarian restaurant.
Tips
- Logistics. Stop at a visitor’s center and pick up a map that lists out all the state parks and waterfalls.
3. New York City
Central Park
4. Adirondack Mountains
Whiteface Mountain
Upstate New York feels like the complete opposite of New York City. At the heart of it is the beautiful Adirondack Mountains. A nature lover’s paradise. While some of the towns can get busy in the summer and fall, during which the fall foliage colors are incredible, it’s easy to find peace, quiet, and adventure. It’s probably easiest to orient around the well known Olympic town of Lake Placid and branch out from there. The area is huge and there is a ton of wilderness to go exploring, especially if you’re camping.
See & Do
- Lake Placid. Home to the Olympic Center which saw the historic U.S. olympic hockey victory over Russia in the 1980s, as featured in the film Miracle. You can go inside and see the hockey arena. There are actually multiple of them, as there’s a very old one and new one. The town is pretty nice if you’re not, or need a break from, camping. There are also some ski jumping and other nearby facilities from the olympics, most notably Mt Van Hoevenberg where you can do the luge. Nearby is Cascade Mountain with nice mountain views.
- Whiteface Mountain. Beautiful drive up to the summit with breaktaking views of the Adirondacks and Lake Placid.
- High Falls Gorge. Nature park with waterfalls and hiking.
- Saranac Lake. Town similar to Lake Placid.
- Tupper Lake. A bit more off the beaten path town nestled on the lake. There’s an observatory nearby.
- Buttermilk Falls. Really cool river with waterfalls.
- Ausable Chasm. Deep chasm. Pretty cool site. A few different paths to walk around. Worth stopping if its on your way.
5. Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
One of the most impressive waterfalls in the United States, Niagara Falls remains a very popular tourist destination. Located just 30 minutes outside of Buffalo, it’s very accessible to reach. The town isn’t great and it’s expensive, so I chose to stay in Buffalo and visit as a day trip since I had a car. There are also busses and trains such as Amtrak. Or a ride share. The state park where the falls are is nice and quite large. Be prepared to walk. Parking near the visitor center. There are a few different viewpoints as well as an elevator to the base of the falls and cruises along the river for a fee. You can also walk across the bridge to Canada, paying a $1 toll which you get back upon re-entering the U.S. The Canadian town is a lot nicer than Niagara and the views from the Canadian side are fantastic. The only negative was the wait time to cross into Canada which took at least 45 minutes. Not sure if it was due to staffing or it’s always slow. Coming back into the U.S. was quick. I actually did this twice, once for the day trip to the falls, and then again en route to Toronto after dropping off my rental car in Buffalo. It was very easy to bus from Buffalo to Niagara, walk across to Canada and then bus to Toronto from the main bus terminal. After researching, this for me seemed to be the easiest, most flexible, and cheapest option, all things considered.
Buffalo has an interesting history and used to be a very wealthy, flourishing city. It’s become a bit rough around the edges though and as a result, not that particularly interesting. Though every city has its hidden gems. Two interesting places nearby, however, are Eternal Flame Falls over a natural gas pocket that when lit produces a flame under the waterfall and the impressive falls of Letchworth State Park which I would highly recommend if you have the time or it’s on your way.
Other Considerations
The Catskills & Hudson Valley
Kaaterskill Falls
Another popular mountain range and forest preserve. Given its relatively close proximity to New York City, the Catskills are a destination for weekend warriors, and it gets very crowded during weekends over the summer. The Hudson Valley is probably the most well known area and best jumping off point. Famous for farms and fishing, among other things. Located along the Hudson River. Between these two areas are other forest and wilderness areas with some small towns scattered throughout such as Woodstock, Phoenicia, and Tannersville. If coming from the east, take NY-28. Kaaterskill Falls and North-South Lake are nice areas for hiking and water activities.
Corning Museum of Glass
Glass World
Wow. The glass sculptures in the museum are incredible. Corning is known for their masterpieces and you can find pieces of theirs or things made of their glass around the country, probably even around the world. You can also sign up to make your own glass piece. My sister and I made multi-colored slugs and my mom made a glass pendent.
Saratoga Springs
Roosevelt Baths & Spa
Cute town with some neat shops and restaurants situated in an area with natural healing springs. While not natural hot springs, there is a bathhouse, Roosevelt Baths & Spa, that features wellness services and spring water supplemented with hot water and minerals. Congress Park was very nice. I especially liked Saratoga Tea & Honey Company and Lyrical Ballad Bookstore which houses rare books in an old bank vault among its wall to wall books.