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Cascadilla Gorge AKA - Giant Staircase, Stewart Falls, Cascadilla Falls |
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Location -Cornell
University Campus,
Ithaca, Tompkins
County Maps - Google Map, Google Earth, Multi GPS - West Entrance: N 42.44302 / W 76.49411 East end at College Ave: N 42.44324 W 76.48519 Directions - Located just south of Cornell University in the city of Ithaca. Park alongside E. Court Street, which is off of N Cayuga St. Then head east toward Linn St. and start heading north (left). The entrance will be on your right (it appears to be a small community park). |
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Information Number of falls: 9 falls (if you count the smaller cascades), 6 major falls. Size/Types: frothy cascades. 11, 20, 20, 22, 35 and 50' high Best time to visit: Year-round. Be careful in winter Flow: low-medium Waterway: Cascadilla Creek Time: an hour at least |
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| Accessibility Seasons/Hours: Open daylight hours. April through November or first freeze. Parking: There's no parking provided for this park. You can park along some of the side streets. Admission: Free. Parking may be metered. Handicap accessibility: To the park, but not into the gorge. Pets: Not allowed. Accommodations: none Swimming in the gorge is prohibited and the area is often patrolled by campus police. |
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| Description Cascadilla Gorge is a popular trial connecting the Cornell University campus to Collegetown, a district of Ithaca south of the campus. It is often used by students as a shortcut between the two. It's so widely used, it is often referred to as "the staircase," which characterizes it's many steps, both for the tumbling water and for the grueling climb as you ascend the trail. Although packed with development on both the north and south rims, you would never guess at the surrounding constructions while walking the trail. The gorge is deep and narrow, hiding you from the busy city above, and giving this glen a natural appearance. Like with parks Watkins and Fillmore Glen the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed pathways and bridges wind through the gorge, crossing the creek when necessary and ascending the towering waterfalls to get to the next. The gorge drops over 400 feet from Cornell campus to downtown Ithaca, carving through layers of shale and sandstone. There are multiple fall here with 6 large frothy cascades. Each one roaring louder than the next. The many overhangs and soft shale cliff pose a slight danger as large stones fall often in spring, with small stones falling every few minutes. The small crackles and pops you'll hear when deep in the gorge is a constant reminder it is ever-changing. The trail begins in a small community park, open in the sun in downtown Ithaca and winds up in a damp, botanically-rich narrow section of the gorge below the Cornel Center for Theater Arts. Several small pools and dry banks along the way give students and area residents an opportunity read a book in the shade or dip in the refreshing water. Do to the high frequency of recreational use, as well as the near 100% development of the surrounding area, the fragility of the Cascadilla Creek ecosystem is a strong concern. The gorge has and array of unique micro-ecosystems spread throughout the diverse areas of the gorge. Constant disruption from visitors and polluted run-off threaten their stability. |
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| Trails
A stone pathway leads from the community park to a set of stairs that ascends to the Cornell campus. Difficulty: Gets progressively difficult Markings: none. From the community park, follow the path upstream. You first pass a 20' cascade on the right, then a gradual cascade that curves around a bend. Note the island in the center of this one. A11' cascade is up ahead and then a narrow 22-footer called Stewart Falls. A stone CCC bridge will take you across the creek. Continue up the path past the next 20' cascade, the wide 35' lower falls and finally you'll end up at the 50' Upper Falls (Cascadilla Fall or Giant's Staircase) just below College Ave. Continue to the steps that lead to Cornell campus. You can turn around to go back or cut through the campus and streets to get back. The creek and trail extends beyond College Ave, but there's little in the way of waterfalls. Climb the steps to Cornell Campus, cross College Ave and head back down into the gorge to continue. |
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History
Once used as stone quarry, the gorge has changed drastically from its natural state. Some of the surrounding buildings rest upon foundations from Cascadilla-quarried rock. In 1878, Cornell alumnus and trustee Robert H. Treman gave Cascadilla to the City of Ithaca as park. |
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Do not miss... Rock piles. Throughout the trek you may notice artistic stacks of stones called cairns. Although they look mysterious, they are built by visitors. |
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| Photography Tips ▪ The sheer number of waterfalls in this gorge coupled with the millions of composition possibilities, means you must plan on spending a lot of time in this park. ▪ Get to know the park before shooting. You're going to want to spend most your time at certain locations. You'll find it very easy to get distracted along the way. ▪ Get to the park early to avoid the crowds. ▪ Make sure you have a versatile tripod as you may have to lean it up against rocks platforms and bend it in unusual ways to get your shots. ▪ Some areas of the gorge are dark enough so you won't need a neutral density filter to get the silk effect. ▪ Sunlight bursting through the canopy can ruin a pretty shot of the shadowy falls below, it's best to tackle this gorge on overcast days. ▪ ▪ See the Articles section for more waterfall photography tips. |
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| Contact City of Ithaca DPW, Parks and Forestry 245 Pier Road Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 272-1718 web site |
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