1 Ithaca
An idyllic home for
college students and
older hippies who
cherish elements of the
traditional collegiate
lifestyle – laid-back vibe,
cafe poetry readings, art-
house cinemas, good eats
- Ithaca is perched above
Cayuga Lake.
Founded in 1865,
Cornell University
boasts a lovely campus,
mixing traditional
and contemporary
architecture. The modern
Johnson Museum of
Art (%607-255-6464; http://www.
museum.cornell.edu; University
Ave; h10am-5pm Tue- Sun)
F, designed by IM
Pei, has a major Asian
collection, plus pre-
Columbian, American
and European exhibits.
Just east of the center
of the campus is Cornell
Plantations (%607-255-
2400; http://www.cornellplantations.
org; Plantations Rd; h10am-
5pm, closed Mon) F, an
expertly curated herb
and flower garden and
arboretum. Kids can
go interactive-wild at
Sciencenter (%607-272-
0600; http://www.sciencenter.org;
601 First St; adult/child $8/6;
h10am-5pm Tue-Sat, from
noon Sun; c).
The area around
Ithaca is known for its
waterfalls, gorges and
gorgeous parks. However,
downtown has its very
own, Cascadilla Gorge,
starting several blocks
from Ithaca Commons
and ending, after a steep
and stunning vertical
climb, at the Performing
Arts Center of Cornell.54 p72
The Drive » It’s only 2 miles
south on Rte 13 to Buttermilk
Falls State Park.2 Buttermilk Falls
& Robert H Treman
State Parks
A sprawling swath of
wilderness, Buttermilk
Falls State Park (%607-273-
5761; Rte 13) has something
for everyone – a beach,
cabins, fishing, hiking,
recreational fields
and camping. The big
draw, however, is the
waterfalls. There’s morethan 10, with some
sending water tumbling
as far as 500ft below
into clear pools. Hikers
like the raggedy Gorge
Trail that brings them
up to all the best cliffs.
It parallels Buttermilk
Creek, winding up about
500ft. On the other side
of the falls is the equally
popular Rim Trail, a loop
of about 1.5 miles around
the waterfalls from a
different vantage point.
Both feed into Bear Trail,
which will take you to
neighboring Treman Falls.
It’s a trek of about 3
miles to Treman, or you
can pop back in the car
and drive the
3 miles south to Robert
H Treman State Park
(%607-273-3440; 105 Enfield
Falls Rd), still on bucolic
Rte 13. Also renowned for
cascading falls, Treman’s
gorge trail passes a
stunning 12 waterfalls in
under 3 miles. The two
biggies you don’t want to
miss are Devil’s Kitchen
and Lucifer Falls, a
multi-tiered wonder that
spills Enfield Creek over
rocks for about 100ft. At
the bottom of yet another
watery gorge – Lower
Falls – there’s a natural
swimming hole; it’s a
deep, dark, refreshing
pool of river water that’s
impossible to resist on
hot summer days.The Drive » Take Rte 13 back
into Ithaca to connect with Rte
89, which hugs Cayuga Lake
shore for 10 miles. The entrance
to Taughannock Falls State Park is
just after crossing the river gorge.TRIP HIGHLIGHT7
St Lawrence
SeawayDrive north from any of
the eastern lakes to hook
up with this trip along a
Great Lake – Lake Ontario
- and river islands.
e
Through the
Wilds Along
Route 6
From Corning, it’s less
than an hour on Rte 15
south to Wellsboro and a
trip filled with gorges and
wild forests.
LINK
YOUR
TRIPTRIP HIGHLIGHT
NEW.YORK.TRIPS.4
.FINGER LAKES LOOP