When we arrived in early May, most of the Cascadilla Gorge Trail was closed. We were able to see the first three falls in the gorge, and then the rest of the trail was blocked. If you want to see more of the gorge and more falls, you should show up in mid-May or later.

The first drop that I viewed on the Cascadilla Gorge was a very nice cascading waterfall that doesn’t really even require entry onto the gorge trail. It can be seen at the entrance of the park. It is also the furthest downriver. A short hike will get you closer to the falls, though.

Directions:

1. When you’re in Ithaca, try to somehow get to Linn Street. A GPS system would probably be very helpful if you don’t know the area. You can try and park on Linn Street, though when I visited, that was virtually impossible. It is much easier to park on one of the streets running perpendicular to Linn. I parked at a parking meter near a church.
2. Head back to the entrance to the Gorge, which looks like a park.
3. Start walking up the gorge.

Accessibility: 10/10 (easy, I haven’t experienced the whole hike, but I gather it gets much less accessible as you continue on.)
Height: 15′
Length of Hike: 0.2 miles round-trip

The first falls in the Cascadilla Gorge in May 2009

Where in the World is Cascadilla Falls #1?