Big Pine Lakes, John Muir Wilderness, Inyo National Forest, August 2023 The simple names—First Lake, Second Lake, etc.—belie the picturesque setting of Big Pine Lakes, nestled in a majestic valley across the High Sierra Crest from Kings Canyon National Park. Once a relatively well-kept local secret, the Internet and social media have turned the lakes …
Lower Lamarck Lake, John Muir Wilderness, August 2023 Named for a famous early 19th-century French biologist and naturalist, Lamarck Lakes are set below dramatic granite facades in the eastern Sierra Nevada and accessed by way of a steep and challenging trail in the vicinity of Aspendell and Bishop, California. The relentless climb ends at two …
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Horsetail Falls, Desolation Wilderness, Eldorado National Forest, July 2023 Set in the southern reaches of the Desolation Wilderness, Horsetail Falls is a local landmark visible to those driving along U.S. Route 50 between Placerville, California and Lake Tahoe. More of a series of tumbles than a sheer drop, the waterfall on Pyramid Creek drains many …
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Taughannock Falls Overlook, North Rim Trail, Taughannock Falls State Park, June 2023 At 215 feet tall, Taughannock Falls in central New York is the tallest single-drop waterfall in the northeast United States, boasting a height that exceeds even the nearby—but much more-famous—Niagara Falls. Taughannock Falls is the centerpiece of a state park bearing its name …
Continue reading North Rim – South Rim Trail Loop (Taughannock Falls State Park, NY)
Gorge Trail, Buttermilk Falls State Park, June 2023 A quick glance at this and my previous blog from Ithaca’s Robert H. Treman State Park suggests this post may be merely a duplicate. But a closer look reveals that there is indeed also a Gorge Trail and Rim Trail combination in nearby Buttermilk Falls State Park, …
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Lucifer Falls, Rim Trail, Robert H. Treman State Park, June 2023 Uplift, receding glaciers, and subsequent erosion have blessed central New York with terrific stone gorges, many containing rushing waters and dramatic waterfalls that drain into the 11 Finger Lakes. Enfield Glen, one such canyon, is the centerpiece of Ithaca’s Robert H. Treman State Park—an …
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Ithaca Falls, Ithaca Falls Natural Area, June 2023 If it were merely a single strand of the massive, 150-foot-tall falls that was flowing, this would still be an impressive sight. And yet we get much more with Ithaca Falls, easily the tallest, widest, and arguably most stunning of the many waterfalls inside the city of …
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Emilie Jonas Falls, Emilie Jonas Falls Nature Preserve, June 2023 Waterfalls abound in the narrow gorges in and around Ithaca, New York, with some drawing regular crowds while others attracting only hearty falls-seeking sleuths keen on novelty and solitude. Emilie Jonas Falls is a gem for the latter group: it is not the tallest, widest, …
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Ludlowville Falls, Ludlowville Park, June 2023 Ludlowville Falls (a.k.a. Salmon Creek Falls) is less impressive for its height (35-40 feet) than its width, falling in multiple chutes (or one mega-drop after snowmelt or heavy rains). The waterfall—less than a 20-minute drive from Ithaca, New York—is also notable for its residential setting: it must be a …
Carpenter Falls, Carpenter Falls Unique Area, June 2023 Situated in a gorge just west of Skaneateles Lake, Carpenter Falls tumbles 90 feet in one drop, making this one of the more impressive waterfalls within an hour’s drive from both Syracuse and Ithaca, New York. A wooden boardwalk, which is wheelchair accessible, extends for 1/10 mile …
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Live and Let Hike 