Gorge Trail to Taughannock Falls

The trailhead is located right off NY Route 89 with plenty of parking just across the street from it. Be sure to take your camera and tripod because these 215 ft tall falls are a sight to see! 

The hike to the base of the falls is a very easy 1.5 miles out and back. In the summer months the trail is well shaded and has plenty of places along the trail to cool off in the stream or wait until the end and catch the refreshing mist from the falls! Fall months in New York are some of the best colors you'll experience but often hard to plan for since peak colors last only about 2 weeks and change from year to year. 

If you plan on taking photos early morning is best to avoid crowds. This is a pretty powerful waterfall so to get the soft cottony look you won't need much more than a 1-2 second exposure. Because of all the surrounding trees its always a good idea to take a circular polarizer to reduce the glare on the water and brighten that foliage! To capture the power of these falls you'll need 1/50th of a second or faster to freeze the motion.

To hike to the overlook of the falls, check out this adventure: Taughannock Falls Overlook.