Lick Brook Falls (Sweedler Preserve)

Location:  On the south end of the city of Ithaca and north end of the town of Danby; Tompkins County; Finger Lakes Region; New York.

Maps: Google Map; Topographic; Interactive map.

GPS Coordinates:

• First waterfall on Lick Brook: N 42.39985 / W 76.53852
• Parking area and trailhead off of NY-34/96: N 42.39834 / W 76.54572
• Roadside parking on Townline Rd: N 42.39617 / W 76.53292

Directions: From the city of Ithaca, head south on NY-13A for 2 miles to NY-13. Make a right onto NY-13 which heads west. About 3.5 miles later things get a little complicated and dangerous. The parking area will be on the left as this road splits, but you cannot make a left here! Traffic is also going at high speeds, so learn ahead of time how to get into the parking area safely. At the split, you want to veer right onto NY-34. Shortly after, you will pass under a bridge. Right after this bridge, you want to make a U-turn. This will get you onto NY-34 heading back north. Within a few hundred feet, look for the parking area to your right. Put that turn signal on early to warn speedy drivers of your sudden turn.

Parking: The lot off of NY-34 has room for a dozen cars and is right on the trailhead that leads to the base of Lick Brook’s glen.

Alternatively you can start the hike from above by parking on the side of Townline Rd.

Several publications from the late 1800s mention Lick Brook as a forgotten gorge. Tales of early settlers enjoying the waters, and not passing the location on to their children, led to the further tales of its discovery. “Where is Lick Brook?” or so the saying goes, was often followed by varying directions and locations as people sought out the “Lost Glen.” Part of what led to it becoming “lost” was its inaccessibility. As nearby Buttermilk Falls and Enfield Glen offered developed trails and bridges, people flocked to them, leaving Lick Brook and its impassibly steep middle gorge as a memory. It doesn’t appear that any mills were constructed on Lick Brook, probably due to its low water flow and tendency to dry up in early summer. Most of the land making up the preserves today were used as farmland in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The land around the gorge was farmland. “Farmer Williams” and his white gothic cottage off of Newfield Rd are mentioned in some c.1880 writings as the trail heads toward the gorge. Farmer Williams was known to rent out horses from his stable to those venturing east to Lick Brook.

People aware of the gorge continued to visit for hikes and picnics throughout the years. In 1993, the Finger Lakes Land Trust purchased 128 acres from Moss and Kristin Sweedler, creating the preserve and opening it up, officially, to the public. Howard Edward Babcock, Chairman of Cornell Board of Trustees from 1940 to 1947, donated 27 acres of adjacent land to Cornell Botanical Gardens in 1997. In 2008 the FLLT purchased an additional 7 acres from William and Marjory Thayer. In 2011 the Thayers made a generous donation of an additional 20 acres of adjacent land (upstream from Sweedler Preserve) to the FLLT. While this slice of preserve is officially known as “Howard Edward Babcock Preserve,” it is commonly known as “Lick Brook Preserve. Today, the three preserves encompass 277 acres, all of which are open to the public.

Difficulty: Difficult. The hike up the side of Lick Brook involves a steep incline of over 400 ft. If you want an easier hike, you can walk from the parking area off of NY-34 to just the first waterfall on Lick Brook and it will be easier.

Markings: White and Blue blazes.

Distance: The recommended loop is about 1.5 miles.

Description: My recommended route is to start from below the gorge and work your way up Lick Brook. From the parking area off of NY-34, follow the white-blazed trail into the wooded area. It will loop back out to the the open brush with the tree line on your left. In summer, this area can get overgrown, so be sure to wear tick repellant.

After about 700 feet, the trail heads back into the woods and past an iron train trestle over Cayuga Outlet. Cross here.

The path will reach an area of open brush. Again, it can be quite full in summer. I can’t stress enough how important it is to tick-proof yourself for this hike. You will pass under some powerlines about 200 ft. later.  At this point the trail will swing north along the tree line (on your right).

900 ft. later, you will enter the woods near Lick Brook at the base of the gorge. A few hundred ft. later, the gorge, and the first waterfall will be on your right. This is a massive 70 ft cascade where the top third is a steep drop, while the bottom glides over rounded rock. It runs pretty light most of the year.

Continue north past this falls on the white blaze trail. About 150 ft. later you will reach a junction with the blue blazed trail. This heads uphill. If you want the challenge, go for it. It can be difficult, but exhilarating when you make it to the top. Take the blue trail.

If you want to take it easier, continue north on the white blaze trail, which is the reverse of what I’m explaining here. It will lead to an easier incline, but you will still work your way down the blue trail to loop back, which I find to be much easier than going up.

The blue blazed trail hugs the north rim with varying switchbacks. Most of the time you can walk right up the gorge edge and look over. Listen for the 2 large waterfalls as you ascend. Use extreme caution. There are no railings, and the waterfalls below are straight down. Continue on the blue trail and it eventually straightens out and levels off as you reach 2/3rds of the way.

At about a third of a mile, you will reach a junction with the white blaze trail. Heading south (right) will lead to the parking area at Townline Rd. Head north (left) which will take you to Spring Brook.

About 1,000 ft. from the junction, you will reach Spring Brook, which may be totally dry. If you happen to visit in early spring, the trail will run along the seasonal brook and you will be able to spot at least one decent-sized cascade. Keep following the white blazes to work your way across this brook and to the base of the hill.

At 1,800 ft. from the junction, the trail has reached the bottom and will turn back south.

At 2,700 ft. is the junction with the start of the blue trail, and the first waterfall will be just south of there.

Keep on the white trail to go back to the parking area.

Map: Use the Interactive map.