May 5, 2025
Ithaca is Gorges
It’s a pun that’s been around for at least several decades: Ithaca is Gorges. The t-shirts may not be as ubiquitous these days (does gen alpha consider them ‘cringe’?) but the slogan is well-deserved.
There are several gorgeous gorges in the greater Ithaca area: Cascadilla, Fall Creek, Six Mile Creek, and Buttermilk all come to mind. And just north of town is the stunning Taughannock Falls gorge.
Yet there’s a case to be made that Robert H Tremaine State Park has Ithaca’s stand-out gorge. It has ample hiking and picnicking opportunities. It has the walk-through experiences with handsome stone stairways and bridges. And it’s open year-round (unlike Cascadilla Gorge, which Cornell typically closes seasonally).
The Gorge Trail
And so I headed over to Robert H Treman to wind down from a stressful work day on its wonderful Gorge Trail/Rim Trail Loop. At four miles with just under 800 feet vertical gain, it’s also a decent workout that can take the better part of two hours at a relaxed pace.
After parking at the base of the gorge, I started along the Gorge Trail. This trail gets you up close and personal with the numerous waterfalls and rock faces along Enfield Creek.
Early on I was delighted to see a creative, minimalist diagram of the vertical gain / effort along the trail. I think more hiking trails should have similar signage!
The lower approach was largely wooded, even after dropping into the gorge proper. The thick canopy of hardwoods helped shelter me from the light rain that had been falling for most of the day.
Lucifer Falls
The latter half of the Gorge Trail hike ascended quickly, along beautiful stone stairways built along the side of the cliffs. The highlight is Lucifer Falls, a 115-foot cascading waterfall. With all the recent rain, it was running at a proper roar.
The stairwells gained the top of the waterfall. Then the trail entered an narrow, almost architectural final section of the gorge. A stately arched bridge crossed over it, before continuing to the upper trailhead. This dramatic segment feels very enclosed and rectilinear. It’s almost like being in some scene out of a Tolkien locale.
Returning along Robert H Treman’s Rim Trail
Then seemingly all at once, the trail delivered me to the upper parking area. Now it was back to grassy fields and barbecues. Luckily you can re-live the entire gorge experience on the way back down. This time I chose to take the “rim trail” which runs above the gorge, but also offers great views of the chasms and Lucifer Falls.
A short while later I was back at the lower trailhead. Overall Robert H Treman State Park was a great way to take in some of Ithaca’s finest chasms and waterfalls.
