Falling Into A Good Time in Ithaca
As offered by BRCTraveller Stirling Grodner
NY: We had been gone all weekend and I just wanted to go home. But my dad and my brother had other ideas. They wanted to go play at Taughannock Falls, a waterfall outside of Ithaca, New York, and the waters surrounding it. In spite of my weariness, I certainly wasn’t going to let them have fun without me!
So, I put on my bathing suit, jumped out of the van and headed towards the water. There were many ways to enjoy Taughannock Falls, the approaching river and the accompanying state park. There was a hiking trail that overlooked the area. There were also many bare spots on the rock that one could walk on. Of course, my dad, my brother and I chose the most dangerous route: struggling upstream in the water. To clarify, where we entered the water at the park, we were not actually at the main waterfall.
Instead, where you enter the creek at the park, the water swirling at our ankles was only a few inches deep in most spots, nonexistent in others. This does not mean, however, that walking through it was not a challenge. The rocks were covered in moss, rendering them dangerously slippery. Of course, where the water was rushing down the river, moss could not grow. This, however, presented its own challenges.
As we walked towards the waterfall, my brother’s, my dad’s and my own distinctive personalities came out in the way we negotiated the dangerous terrain. My brother tromped up the waterfall cautiously but confidently, having many "near misses" but always maintaining his balance. I took up the rear, demonstrating excessive caution and never coming close to smacking my butt on the rocks. My dad was terrified, screeching and screaming at everything about the experience: the water was too fast, the moss to slippery. His method in making his way up the waterfall, however, was to jump as far as he could, not bothering to look at the rocks beneath his feet, hoping he landed all right. Surprisingly, we all came back with no broken bones.
We muddled our way along and even made friends with the other folks risking their dignity and limbs in the surrounding water. There were babies getting their feet wet for the first time, children rough-housing as nervous mothers looked on.
Eventually we found something that actually did resemble a waterfall: it was about a foot high. However, we made the best of that too. We stuck our head underneath the rushing water, trying to open our eyes or scream at one another to see if we could hear. My brother and my dad slid down the three-inch deep stream on their stomachs, carried by the “rushing current.” Scared for the safety of my pierced belly-button, I unfortunately decided that I would have to miss out on this thrill ride.
Seeing that it was nearly time to go and meet my mom, I dragged my brother away and we headed back to the bottom of the stream. We got back in only five or ten minutes, after the 45 minutes it took us to walk that far.
When there are two ways to something, the easy way and the fun way, my family always takes the fun way. I’m glad they convinced me to risk my butt!
(Note: If one wants to reach the base of the full-sized Taughannock Falls (shown above), it is possible to do so from the park. Give yourself two to three hours -- more time than we had on this trip.)
Just The Facts
Taughannock Falls is considered one of the outstanding natural attractions of the Northeast. The 215-foot waterfall plunges through a rock amphitheater whose walls reach nearly 400 feet.
The Park includes a picnic area, swimming, playground, fishing, camping, cabins; ice skating, cross-country skiing and sledding offered in winter. Marina offers three-lane concrete ramp with two loading piers.
Taughannock Falls State Park
Rte 89, Taughannock Park Rd
Trumansburg, NY 14886
Telephone: 607/387-6739
Toll Free: 800/456-CAMP
Website: http://www.nysparks.state.ny.us
