The Robert H. Treman State Park is such an awesome location in Ithaca that you will definitely want to check out for the whole family. The address for this location is 105 Enfield Falls Road, Ithaca, NY 14850. There is a parking lot right by the entrance as well.
There are a variety of trails here, and if you are a hiking enthusiast who enjoys magnificent waterfalls, this is the spot for you! The main trail follows the gorge Enfield Glen which will take you past 12 waterfalls, including the massive 115 foot Lucifer Falls. There is nine miles of trails, camping, and even swimming (under supervision of lifeguards of course!)
The first day that we arrived in Ithaca we tried to see as many waterfalls as possible. We were in luck when we found the Robert H. Treman State Park. To give you a little history on this area, Mr. Treman initially purchased this land area in 1915, which surrounded the Enfield Falls. This later became known as the Enfield Glen State Park, and then renamed the Robert H. Treman State Park in honor of him in 1937. He had a love of nature, and during his lifetime, he and his wife planted over 1,000 trees to improve the property. Today, there are so many beautiful trees in this park, and it is truly amazing to see this legacy continue on.
As we get further into this series, I think that it is important to discuss the region as a whole that it is located in for a larger perspective. The Finger Lakes themselves are collectively a group of eleven long and narrow lakes. The area of Ithaca New York is connected to the Cayuga Lake. The Cayuga Lake is the longest of the eleven lakes, and is second largest in volume and second largest in surface area as well. It is almost 39 miles (63 km) long, and its deepest point actually reaches 435 feet (133 meters.) It was named from the original Indigenous Cayuga tribes that inhabited the region. The Cayuga are actually one of the five original constituents of the Iroquois, a confederacy of Native Americans in New York. Currently, the Cayuga are a part of the Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation in Ontario, and are federally recognized as the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma and Cayuga Nation of New York.
Now that you know a little history of this area, lets talk about the park itself! When we arrived, we parked right at the Lower Park Entrance. The walking path is connected right to the parking lot, and from there, we hiked to the Lower Falls (also known as the Enfield Falls.) I thought that it was such a good idea that there were a lot of picnic tables set up along this path. This would be the perfect area to relax on a nice day! There was also public restrooms and different spots for camping that we noticed as well. (I will leave a direct link for the park at the end of the post if you are interested in camping there or making reservations.)
The further down the path we roamed, the more the earth seemed to lift up around us. We noticed interesting rock formations that were made of sandstone and Devonian shale. The rocks were formed and are stacked in horizontal layers that created these flat slabs and unique angles.
The walk was well worth it, as we were greeted by the magical and elegant Lower Falls which are about 70 feet (21 meters) tall. In the summer months, this area is sometimes utilized for swimming, and we noticed tall lifeguard stands around the pool of water at the bottom of the falls. We visited in autumn, but I could see this being a very refreshing spot to enjoy the summer too! Also, depending on the time of year, you can hike the six trails within the park, and see all the 12 waterfalls within the area.
If you are traveling to the Ithaca region in New York, the Robert H. Treman State Park is a must visit, especially if you are an outdoor enthusiast! Let me know in the comments if you have ever traveled here as well, and what your visit was like. I hope that you are having a wonderful day, and remember to click that subscribe button!
If you are traveling to the New York area, and are interested in hiking or viewing spectacular waterfalls, a book that I would highly recommend and also own myself is “Hiking Waterfalls New York.” This literature reviews a variety of hikes, from the famous Niagara Falls, to even more less known hikes, but spots that you will not want to miss! At the beginning of the book, I really like that the author categorized the trails from her favorites, best waterfalls for fall foliage, best gorge hikes, roadside waterfalls, best historical falls, and even waterfalls that may draw in more crowds versus less crowded waterfalls. There is also a very nice map that lays out where the locations of them are, and that can be an amazing tool when you are planning your trip. This is great so that you know how far of a distance you can expect to travel from where you are lodging, and you can really make the most out of your time and itinerary. With each hike and waterfall listed there is a full color photo, trail distance, difficulty, and even information about the actual surface that the trail is made out of in addition to so much more!
For more information regarding this book, just click on the affiliate link below!
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https://parks.ny.gov/parks/roberttreman/
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