Taughannock Falls
Trumansburg, NY · Finger Lakes, New York$
A stone amphitheater at the end of the Gorge Trail puts you below the 215-foot plunge at Taughannock Falls State Park in New York. The trail is about three quarters of a mile…
Photo: Mwanner / CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Lakes & rivers
Kaaterskill Falls
About
Kaaterskill Falls drops in two tiers down a rock amphitheater in the eastern Catskills, about 260 feet in all, an upper plunge of roughly 180 feet into a shallow pool, then a second fall near 80 feet. It ranks among New York's tallest waterfalls, and it carries a painter's pedigree: Thomas Cole sketched here in 1825, helping launch the Hudson River School, and Asher Durand used the falls as the setting for his 1849 Kindred Spirits. Spruce Creek feeds it, so the flow runs hardest in spring snowmelt and after heavy rain, then thins to a ribbon by late summer. Autumn brings color to the clove and lighter crowds. To reach it, park at Laurel House Road or Scutt Road, both fill early, and take the short gravel path to the accessible overlook platform finished in 2016, or hike up from Route 23A to the base. Roadside parking on 23A gets ticketed and towed, so use the lots.
Highlights
Two tiers, about 260 ft total dropUpper plunge roughly 180 ftAmong the tallest waterfalls in New YorkFed by Spruce Creek, strongest in spring snowmeltAccessible overlook platform (built 2016)Park at Laurel House Rd or Scutt Rd, not on Route 23A
Getting there
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