Ithaca Falls

Beautiful scenery and gorges! Especially great during warm sunny weather. Also a great place to skip rocks. I would not consider myself as an outdoorsy person but I still really enjoyed the scenery here!
The only thing holding me back from giving it 5 stars are the signs about possible traces of lead in the waters…

As others have said, these falls are a 5 min walk away and close to the main road. How close you ask? We kept our eyes peeled, worried we were going to miss it. Then there it was. The entire damn waterfalls. Right off the main road!
Seriously, this is a 30 minute stop. 5 minutes to get to the falls, 25 minutes to ogle at how beautiful they are.
Hiking to look at waterfalls is sooo 2014. Go to these instead if you are lazy and/​or want a quick payout!

I knew Ithaca Falls would be beautiful, but I certainty wasn’t expecting it to be as beautiful as this! I came in the late October and the leaves were all different colors… literally could not take my eyes away.
A really great stop to make a quick stop to get a view of nature. You can pull over into a parking area and just walk down the small hill (~3 minutes) to get to the waterfall. It’s really mesmerizing, and unlike many parks, you don’t have to walk very far to see the main site.

Not a business but it’s so gorgeous. This and other falls are part of why I love Ithaca so much. Definitely go, it’s a easy walk there so you can bring grandma and she’ll love it too.

Ithaca Falls is absolutely beautiful. The only reason for four instead of five stars is because I was looking for falls a little bit more away from «civilization». That said, if you are looking for something with quick and easy access, this is your place. Parking is right off the street up a little bit of an incline. The «hike» to the falls isn’t what I consider a hike, rather it was a walk in nature. It was so beautiful and peaceful here, and our dog enjoyed that the «hike» wasn’t anything long or vigorous because it was so, so hot outside. All of the signs about lead didn’t cause me concern, because really, anything bad can happen in any situation. So, I try to enjoy every moment.
I would have loved to sit here on a towel with a book, because the sound of the falls were just so peaceful and calming. But, the heat (and our dog who gets antsy quickly) caused us to spend only about ten minutes here. I will definitely be back in nicer weather, likely in the fall to see the change of leaves. Maybe then I will up it to five stars.

Another great waterfall hike. I love going to school in Ithaca. So much to do out doors.

I wish I could rate these falls higher, but the EPA signs posted about lead levels really made me paranoid. I’m not sure if this was caused by some incident, or by random chance they started doing lead testing here; either way it really kills your enjoyment of something when you wonder if you have to throw out all the clothes you’re wearing due to contamination.
Anyway, after some rainfall these falls are spectacular. I figured this would be my last stop in Ithaca and didn’t expect much, but they really are a beautiful sight. If you’re brave enough it’s possible to walk directly up to the falls, and if I’m not mistaken, get behind them. I would definitely tell any adult to go check it out, but leave the small children and dogs home so they don’t get a toxic reaction to the lead.

Lovely visit to Ithica Falls with the pups! Only low point was when a neighbor came to warm everyone toxic lead was found and we should be careful???

Ithaca Falls is absolutely beautiful. Easy hike with easy access to the falls. The Falls is at the base of Cornell University. Plenty of public parking and you can hear and see the falls from the road. The day that we toured the Falls there was plenty of water so the viewing was gorgeous. It was early June so the site was perfect. Ithaca has over 100 waterfalls, but this one is a must see.

This was a fun find! We were looking at colleges. I heard that this waterfall was really close to the road. We parked across the street. Nice short safe walk.
What a great surprise!!! Highly recommend! Worth the 5 – 10 minutes!
We went in September. Beautiful! Do go!

I give Ithaca a lot of crap, but one thing I can’t hate on is Ithaca Falls. Free, incredibly accessible, and beats a lot of the other falls in the region. What makes it so much more stunning is that the water falls down along a slope of rocks, so it’s a lot more interesting than some other falls where the water just falls straight down.
You can find this waterfall at a small recreational area at the intersection of Lake and Falls Streets. There’s a parking lot but there will also be plenty of street parking. Along the short trail (maybe like a one minute walk from the sidewalk) you’ll see people reading, relaxing, playing in the water, and fishing. If you just want to find some peace in nature, here’s a place you can get to effortlessly.

I define a waterfall’s value to be its Beauty times its accessibility divided by its price, and this waterfall has the highest value of all the ones in the finger lakes.
Beauty: Who says size matters? While this waterfall isn’t large, it is absolutely stunning. If Taughannock falls is all about size, then Ithaca falls is all about making the most of what you got. And what its got is a gorgeous set of rocks that create a breathtaking pattern (especially when the water is really rushing) that is really quite magical.
Accessibility: Basically a 5 – 20 min walk from Downtown or Collegetown. The only famous waterfall that you can access with almost no effort when you live or stay at a hotel in the heart of Ithaca. It’s truly nature at your doorstep. Also, its completely flat at the base of the falls (the prettiest part). This is the waterfall to take your 95 year old grandma too, no hiking required!
Price: Free parking in the lot across the street, or a free walk from your residence. I guess this means I’m dividing by zero, oh well … this ain’t math class.
When it comes to Ithaca falls you can visit poor, out of shape and lazy and still manage to enjoy some of the most spectacular nature the world has to offer.