Taughannock Falls State Park: Easy Hiking, Beautiful Views

Taughannock offers a beautiful MUST-SEE waterfall with easy hikes that can be done with kids and dogs. Near the Finger Lakes? Check it out!

The United States offers over 10,000 state parks and 63 National Parks. These parks offer a variety of things for everyone, but what I love to focus on is the hiking in each of these beautiful places.

Each park is preserving a little piece of America’s beauty and as an avid outdoors woman, I love finding awesome hikes of all kinds.

When I’m looking for a state or national park to visit, I am usually looking for 2 things. Awesome hikes and amazing views. Typically I have just a day or two at these places, so I try to get the best “bang for my buck” (if you will), and pick hikes accordingly.

I look for a balance of beauty and quality hiking.

Taughannock Falls State Park offers both of these crucial things.

The high quality views and the ease of the hikes has created an incredible place that I have now been to 3 times and will probably visit again.

So, let’s start with the basics.

Where is Taughannock Falls State Park?

Taughannock Falls State Park is located right by the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. This one is right by Ithica, New York and there are several other state parks right near it to explore as well (future posts on this I promise).

The Finger Lakes region of New York is a beautiful section of the state and if you are any where near Cayuga Lake, I suggest spending a day at Taughannock Falls. You can spend anywhere from a few hours to several days here. I’ve done both.

So you might be asking, how long should I expect to stay here?

Hours or Days here?

The first time I visited this hidden gem, I was on a road trip with my friends from college. (You can read about that here An Unforgettable Road Trip with My Best Friends).

Anyway, we had a short window of time to spend here so we did the shortest hike and then left. A total of 3 hours tops.

The second time I visited I went camping for 4 days at their campground with my most incredible boyfriend (he’s now my husband so I’m allowed to say this!) and a few of his friends. We were able to explore more the area as well as surrounding state parks.

The most recent visit was last summer, we had just gotten married and we had our 5 month old puppy with us. We camped there for several days and were again able to enjoy a familiar place.

Camping at Taughannock

Unless you book with a campground who takes pictures of each camp site, camping at a new place is always a bit of an adventure. Is it going to be clean enough? How far away are my neighbors? Will there be mostly gravel or grass at my site?

Taughannock Campground is fairly simple, with some tent sites, some trailer/camper sites and some sites with electricity. We have a simple tent and don’t need electricity, so we went with the basic tent sites.

Take a look at the map here!

There are 2 bathhouses and both times we stayed here, the bathrooms were pretty clean. It’s just your basic bathhouse with 2 showers and 4 bathroom stalls, but it wasn’t gross or something to turn your nose up at.

Trust me, I have been to a few campgrounds where I would rather pee in the woods than use the bathroom. Taughannock Campground is not one of those places.

Planning on camping here? Check out my camping checklist! Never forget the camping essentials again!

So what about the Trails?

There are 3 main trails in this park. You can view the Topo map here and a more basic map here – you’re welcome (lol).

• South Rim Trail – 1.2 miles
• North Rim Trail – 1.5 miles
• Gorge Trail – 0.75 miles

These trails all surround or lead to the falls and all three of them can be done in less than a full day. But I doubt you’ll want to leave that quickly.

Hiking for me is a way to escape the crazy days of life. It’s not a race and my husband and I often take our time so I can snap pictures and we can enjoy our time together.

Taughannock is the perfect place to do this. And while I recommend doing all of these hikes, I also recommend stopping to enjoy the beauty around you.

Rim Trails – Where to Start

If you plan on camping here, you will be able to start at the back of the campground. This is nearly the beginning of the North Rim Trail. Check out the campground map here (the trail runs right behind camp sites 34 – 27).

If you’re just visiting for the day, you can park at one of the parking lots near Cayuga Lake or there is a small parking lot right near the trailhead on Route 89. The trailhead to the North Rim Trail is across the bridge from the parking lot and begins just off of Route 89. You can’t miss it.

The North Rim Trail is blue on this map from the New York State Parks and Recreation Page. Check out the map!

North Rim Trail – Details

The North Rim Trail starts right on Route 89 and you start by ascending over 150 stone stairs. Take your time, and just know, this is the hardest part of the trail.

After the stairs, the trail is beautiful and offers many small overlooks as you get closer to the falls. You are 400 feet above the Gorge Trail and you can see the people hiking below. As you get closer to the falls you will come upon a parking lot, a visitors center and overlook.

This overlook offers an awesome downward view of the falls. Definitely check it out!

After the overlook, you will continue on the trail that runs mostly parallel to Taughannock Park Road.

The trail will begin to turn to the left and there are 2 picturesque bridges that you cross. This is the end of the North Rim Trail. If you continue on and loop around, you are now on the South Rim Trail.

South Rim Trail – Details

Assuming you have just finished the North Rim Trail, you are now heading back towards the falls.

The South Rim Trail runs parallel to the canyon and you can see pools of water below. The canyon grows deeper the further you hike and you are soon once again back in the woods.

As you approach the falls on this trail, you will not be able to see them. There are thick trees and a fence preventing you from getting too close. But this part of the hike is well shaded and you can hear the falls below.

Eventually, you begin to descend back down towards the parking lot where you started. There are long stairs for you to work your way down and eventually you come to the end of the trail, the parking lot, and the Taughannock Inn entrance.

Besides the initial climb up and the stairs back down, this loop is very easy and fairly flat. Easy for dogs and kids who can walk well. This trail isn’t particularly stroller friendly so be aware of that.

Gorge Trail

Now comes the best part. The Gorge Trail.

The Gorge Trail is 0.75 miles long and leads you right to the base of the falls. You can choose to stay on the trail which runs parallel to Taughannock Creek (easy and very stroller friendly).

Or, you can walk in the creek bed.

I suggest some old sneakers or water shoes on your feet, and then you are able to walk up the creek bed. And on a hot day, the water feels amazing. Even our dog Luna thought so!

I highly recommend this as it’s a way to enjoy the cool water, and truly grasp how high the canyon is around you.

Word of Caution: the creek bed can be kind of slimy, so be aware of the algae. Check out Luna slipping in these pictures! (Yes I was laughing, but I swear I love her!)

The canyon walls reach up to 400 feet and you feel as if you have stumbled into the Grand Canyon in AZ.

The creek bed and the trail can become quite packed in the summer time, but it’s worth the crowds.

You can rock hop and stay dry or embrace the water and get soaked. Either way, you are quickly approaching the main event.

The Taughannock Falls

As you wind through the gorge, you can feel your anticipation grow. Is the waterfall going to be around the next bend?

You can hear it (assuming the water is flowing well) before you see it. When you come around that final bend, it takes your breath away.

These falls are 215 feet high surrounded by high cliffs and trees on top of the cliffs. It’s absolutely stunning!

There is a wooden bridge in front of the falls and you are not allowed to go past.

Everyone heads out of the creek bed and back to the main trail so they can cross the bridge and reach the closest spot to the falls.

There is a paved landing here surrounded by a small stone wall to keep you from getting too close to the pounding water.

Depending on how much rain has happened recently, the falls can create a cool mist for you to feel if you walk all the way to the edge of the paved area. You may have to be patient as many people will probably be trying to get a picture of the falls up close and personal.

I suggest this part of the wall right near the bridge for a great view of the falls and the surrounding cliff walls. (ALSO, look what changed in just a year! Boyfriend/girlfriend to husband/wife with a puppy!)

The Hike Back

As you head back to the parking lot, you again can reenter the creek bed for a wet experience or you can follow the trail back to the parking lot. Either way, it is a wonderfully easy hike with a gorgeous view at the end.

We saw people of all ages completing this hike and I would recommend it to all who have any sense of adventure!

Other Things to do in the Area

This area of New York is beautiful and offers several close state parks if you want more hiking. I would highly recommend Watkins Glen State Park and Buttermilk Falls State Park.

There is also a wonderful cidery in the area who specializes in sparkling cider. Check out Finger Lakes Cider House at their website. You have to try the Honeoye (trust me)!

My husband and our beer-drinking friends also enjoyed the Ithaca Beer Company. We sat outside and the rolling green hills created a beautiful view for me while my husband drank a few beers of various flavors. (I’m not much of a beer drinker, but he liked all of the beers he tried).

Cayuga Lake is also RIGHT there. If you finish your hike and have some time, I highly suggest relaxing by the lake. We brought tubes to float in and a few adult beverages and had a relaxing afternoon one day we were there. Luna enjoyed swimming in the lake and we were able to kick back and relax!

Forget something?

There is also a Walmart and a Wegmans right in the town of Ithaca! So if you forget something you need for hiking or camping, you can pretty much find it at Walmart. Or if you forgot just about any food item, swing by Wegmans for all of your food/snack needs.

Returning to Taughannock

The central campground location, the relaxing lake and the easy yet beautiful trails have kept us coming back to Taughannock Falls State Park again and again. We will most-likely be going back again in the near future and I really want to see the falls again in the winter!

If you haven’t ever been, I 100% recommend this little state park. It’s easy trails and stunning views offer so much, including some memories that will last a life time!