Ithaca Falls Natural Area New York, Hiking, Pictures, Movie

Ithaca Falls Natural Area: Ithaca has many beautiful gorges and waterfalls. One of the most famous is Ithaca Falls, which is 150 feet high and 175 feet wide. These stunning falls are visible from Cayuga Street, a short walk from downtown or Cornell. Getting close to the water is very easy to do.

The valley in which Cayuga Lake is located is a long and narrow glacial valley. A glacial moraine damned the lake. There are many fossils are within the Devonian era rocks . The many fossils found in this area help supply the Museum of the Earth located here.

There is a small park near the trail to the falls for spectators wishing to relax in the grass or sit on a bench and enjoy the scenery. During the summer it is a popular swimming location for residents and students.

Water has shaped the natural landscape of the park. During the past million years, water in the form of giant mounds of ice, or glaciers, covered New york State several times, dramatically transforming the land in its path. In this region, the most recent glacier moved through shallow river valleys leaving in its place deep, steep-sided throughs. When the glacier receded north about 10,000 years ago, water filled these new troughs, creating

For more information about the Finger Lakes New York State Parks go to Finger Lakes State Parks.