Emilie Jonas Falls Nature Preserve

Location: Between Ludlowville and Cayuga Heights, Town of Lansing; Tompkins County; Finger Lakes Region; New York.

Maps: Google Map; Topographic; Interactive map.

GPS Coordinates:

• Waterfall: N 42.52299 / W 76.50070
• Parking area and trailhead : N 42.52126 / W 76.50258
• Where the trail enters the woods: N 42.52186 / W 76.50309
• Information kiosk: N 42.52198 / W 76.50310

Directions: From Ithaca: take NY-13 N to NY-34 N (East Shore Dr) and follow it for 4 miles.
Make a left onto East Shore Circle.
After the 4th house on the right, you will see a small gravel parking area.
It’s adjacent to a crop field and across from 89 E Shore Circle. Use Google Maps for driving directions.

Parking: The gravel lot has room for 3 cars and is easy to miss. There was a small wooden sign there in the past, but was knocked down when we visited in 2022. If the lot is full, come back at another time.

Number of falls: 1 waterfall (2 during rain)

Size/Types: A beautiful 65-ft cascade that fans out, levels off for a few yards then drops down another 6 ft cascade.
A seasonal waterfall (sometimes referred to as Rainbow Falls) can be found to the right of the falls, but only flows during or after heavy rain or snow melt, so I wouldn’t count on it. It’s about 55 ft tall.

Best time to visit: Spring and Fall. It can be dry in summer and the trail could be dangerous in winter.

Flow: Moderate. Often a trickle by mid-summer.

Waterway: Gulf Creek, which begins a few miles uphill to the east. After this first major drop, the creek continues west through the gorge, creating several other waterfalls along the way, with a similarly large one at the bottom where it empties into Cayuga Lake. (Downstream waterfalls are on private property).

Time: About 45 minutes there and back. It’s a short trail, but allow yourself some time to traverse it carefully.

Seasons/Hours: Open 9 am to sunset.

Admission: Free.

Handicap Accessibility: This is a primitive trail with no accommodations for the disabled.

Pets: Dogs are not permitted. For the safety of your pet and of others walking the narrow trail, do not bring your pet on this hike. Be responsible.

Accommodations: Just a trail. If you need a restroom, head north to the village of Lansing.

The town of Lansing is likely named after John Lansing, a lawyer, Supreme Court Judge and State Chancellor.

The creek was originally named Goodwin’s Creek or Goodwin’s Gulf, after William Goodwin, who settled in Asbury in 1793. The name changed at an unknown time in the early 1800s as Goodwin’s Point and Mill (now Taughannock Point) on the other side of the lake, became a more prominent landmark.

An 1866 map shows that a saw mill existed on the east side of NY-34 in addition to several more mills upstream in the middle of the hamlet. I could not find any record of there being a mill at the site of this waterfall. The same 1866 map shows “V.T.” at the approximate site of the Jonas homestead. I’m not sure what this means.

The preserve and falls are named after Emilie Jonas (1877-1940) who was born in Colfax County, Nebraska to Czech immigrants Jakob and Frantiska Dvorak. She met Tomas Jonas as a teenager in Nebraska, married and operated a farm in Clarkson, Nebraska. They and their 4 daughters eventually relocated to Lansing, New York, settling just outside of Asbury along the creek next to the waterfall and what is now NY-34. There they raised cattle, sheep, and kept bees. They also promoted the emigration of other Czechs to the Lansing area.

The falls and trail was opened to the public in the fall of 2013.

Difficulty: Moderate to high. Narrow and primitive trail along a steep dirt cliff. Slippery at times. Some scrambling over rocks near the falls. Getting back up can be tiresome.

Markings: Minimal markings with an information post buried in the woods. The trail is not marked or defined well where it starts at the field/parking area. The trail is somewhat short and it’s not difficult to find the falls.

Distance: 1/3 of a mile one way.

Description: From the parking area, you may be able to see a path of short grass leading towards the woods to the north. This is the trailhead. It follows a small seasonal runoff creek towards the gorge.

The grass trail will meet the treeline and turn to the west a little. Keep an eye on the right for an opening to get into the woods. It’s easy to miss and it happens right after you come up to the treeline.

Once in the woods the trail leads northwest down half the height of the gorge, then switches back, following the creek for the rest of the way. Be cautious here as a few runoff streams can make some slippery spots.

Once at the creek, you can get wet and walk up a few hundred feet to the base of the falls, or take the trail (which may be littered with stones and tree branches) up the right side, to get a closer look at the falls.

Go back the way you came.

Map: Interactive.