New York

Schuyler County

Aunt Sarah’s Falls

307 N Catherine Street, Montour Falls, NY 14865

Our rating:

*5 out of 5 stars* This waterfall is absolutely stunning and probably the easiest waterfall to access in the area. Our favorite part about this stop, besides the incredibly beautiful waterfall, was the wall to the right of the falls. This wall was filled with rocks signed by every person that has visited Aunt Sarah’s Falls along with the date visited. If you get a chance to see this waterfall be sure to add your own stone!

About the place:

Aunt Sarah’s falls is very easy to access and takes little to no effort to view. This 113 foot waterfall can be viewed from the parking lot on the east side of the street or you can park & walk across the road to the viewing area.

How to get there:

This waterfall is located along the side of Route 14 in Montour Falls, NY. The address to the parking lot is 307 N Catherine Street which is across the street from the falls. You can get a good view from there or you can walk across to the small grass/sandy area next to Aunt Sarah’s Falls to get an even closer look.

 

Places near by:

  • Shequaga Falls 0.9 miles (2 mins)

  • Eagle Cliff Falls 1.8 miles (3 mins)

  • Watkins Glen State Park 2 miles (4 mins)

  • Taughannock Falls 24.3 miles (30 mins)

  • Letchworth State Park 75.4 miles (1 hour 18 mins)

Schuyler County

Eagle Cliff Falls at Havana Glen

135 Havana Glen Rd, Montour Falls, NY 14865

Our rating:

*5 out of 5 stars* You can’t get much better than this stop, it’s absolutely breathtaking when you come around the corner to this stunning view. Not to mention, it’s just minutes from the parking lot.

About the place:

Eagle Cliff Falls is definitely a hidden gem in this town right outside of Watkins Glen. I’m not sure why it’s not more popular as it’s very easy to access, taking a total of 7 minutes to complete the walk. You can take a short 0.3 mile round trip hike that will lead you to an incredible 40 foot waterfall and a swimming hole for cooling down on hot days. This stunning view is located in the Havana Glen Park & Camp Ground. It will cost you $2 to get into the park, which is definitely worth it and dogs are welcome as long as they are leashed.

How to get there:

To get to Eagle Cliff Falls you need to enter Havana Glen Park. This park is the first turn off of Havana Glen Road. You then will need to follow the road to the left through the camp ground until you see a small parking lot. Follow the staircase up to the falls and swimming hole and enjoy!

 

Things near by:

  • Shequaga Falls 1.8 miles (5 mins)

  • Aunt Sarah Falls 1.8 miles (4 mins)

  • Watkins Glen State Park 3.8 miles (8 mins)

  • Watkins Glen International 5.4 miles (9 mins)

  • Taughannock Falls 22.7 miles (30 mins)

  • Letchworth State Park 77.2 miles (1 hr 24 mins)

Albany County

Indian Ladder Trail

John Boyd Thacher State Park, Voorheesville, NY 12186

Our rating:

*5 out of 5 stars* This is such a cool place to adventure, the pictures definitely do not do it justice at all! The views along this trail are truly breathtaking, it’s filled with waterfalls, limestone cliffs, beautiful scenery & wildlife! Keep your eyes out for frogs & Salamanders as you hike!

About the place:

The Indian Ladder Trail found in John Boyd Thacher State Park is a breathtaking trail. This is a 1 mile round trip hike with an entrance at each end of the trail. As you hike along this trail, you will be walking beside massive limestone cliffs. If it’s not the dry season you typically will see little waterfalls falling from the tops of these cliffs and the trail will lead you right under them! These cliffs and waterfalls are stunning but also the view as you look out from the base of these cliffs is beautiful. There’s a lot of history at this trail, it was believed to be originally used by the Native Americans to navigate through the cliffs. Once the horse & wagon was invented this path was no longer usable as a daily route and just remained as a trail for people to enjoy. In the 1950’s the staircases that you now see were put in to replace the ladders. The park is open from 8am - 8pm and is filled with tons of other things to do, in addition to this trail there are 25 miles of hiking trails. You may take your pets on the trails but they are restricted on other parts of the park, see last paragraph on https://parks.ny.gov/parks/thacher/details.aspx for more details.

How to get there:

Thacher Park itself is very easy to find but the trail can be a little hard to located. The entrance to the park is located on Hales Cave Road which is right off of Thacher Park Road. Right after entering the park to get to one of the entrances of the Indian Ladder Trail take your 1st right and then your immediate left on John Boyd Thacher State Park Road. You can park in front of the playground and then follow the trail behind it, walk down the hill and take a left down the stairs at the end to enter the start of the trail. Or you can park at the Visitors Center and walk to the back of the building where the start of the trail is.

 

Things near by:

  • Berkshires, MA 59.7 miles away (1hr 12mins)

  • Cascade Falls, MA 62.4 miles away (1hr 25 mins)

  • Bash Bish Falls, MA 64 miles away (1hr 20mins)

  • Mount Greylock, MA 64 miles away (1 hour 30 mins)

  • Natural Bridge State Park, MA 65.1 miles away (1hr 32 mins)

Letchworth State Park

“The Grand Canyon of the East”

Livingston & Wyoming County

Upper Falls

Middle Falls

Our rating:

*5 out of 5 stars* This place left us blown away! The incredibly massive waterfalls and views are absolutely breathtaking. Not to mention we got to see the most stunning rainbows over both of the falls that we were able to visit!

Archery Field Overlook

About the place:

Letchworth State Park is truly an incredible place that will take your breath away. This park is definitely a bucket list spot and is known as the “Grand Canyon of the East”. Letchworth charges a $10 entrance fee to access the beautiful 14,427-acre park. There are 66 miles of hiking trails for visitors to explore, and even trails available for biking, horseback riding, snowmobiling & cross-country skiing. In the summer there are guided tours, hot air balloon rides (https://balloonsoverletchworth.com/ ), whitewater rafting, kayaking and swimming. Dogs are allowed on all trails as long as they are leashed. At this park there are 30 waterfalls but the 3 most popular are the Lower Falls, Middle Falls & Upper Falls. There are also plenty of pull offs to get a beautiful view of the park, one of the most popular is the Archery Field Overlook. The Upper & Middle Falls are easy to access with very little walking. Lower Falls takes a little more work to access, it’s a 1 mile roundtrip hike, but be prepared for a lot of stairs! Middle Falls and Archery Field overlook are both wheelchair accessible.

How to get there:

There are 6 entrances into this park, the majority of everything is on the West side of the river which has 4 of the 6 entrances. The East side of the park has 2 entrances that give you access to a few hiking trails, but not much else. It’s important to note that there’s no way across the river once you’re in the park, so choose your entrance wisely! The Portageville & Castile entrances are typically the preferred routes by visitors, as they offer the best views of the gorge and waterfalls. The Upper & Middle Falls are both located off of Park Road, and the Lower Falls Trail is located off of Octagon Road all in Portage, NY.

 

Things Near By:

  • Shequaga Falls 73.3 miles away (1 hour 17 mins)

  • Watkins Glen State Park 73.6 miles away (1hour 17 mins)

  • Aunt Sarah’s Falls 75.4 miles away (1 hour 20 mins)

  • Niagara Falls 77 miles away (1hour 30mins)

  • Eagle Cliff Falls 77.3 miles away (1 hour 22 mins)

  • Niagara Falls 78.2 miles away (1 hour 30 mins)

Warren County ~ Adirondacks

Natural Stone Bridge and Caves Park

535 Stone Bridge Rd, Pottersville, NY 12860

Our rating:

*4 out of 5 stars* This park is filled with things to do! There are tons of beautiful gems, a gift shop, gem hunts, and a trail that takes you to a massive cave, along with a few other fascinating caves and natural potholes. Some of these caves even have rapids flowing through them and are lit up with colorful lights. This is a super cool stop for all ages.

About the place

Natural Stone Bridge and Caves Park is home of Eastern United States largest marble cave entrance. This attraction is open from 9am - 5pm daily. You can take the 3/4 mile trail that contains over 500 stairs to see the Natural Stone Bridge, many incredible caves and natural potholes. Unfortunately, no pets or strollers are allowed on the trails. Besides the trail, there’s a really cool gift shop and a beautiful display of lots of gems. There’s also a gem hunt you can do and a free “Under the Adirondacks” video plays near the gift shop.

Admission Fee:

Adults - $18.00 per person
Children - $8.95 per person

How to get there:

This park is very easy to find. The parking lot is located at the end of Stone Bridge Road in Pottersville, New York. You can also grab a map when you first enter to help guide you through the park and give you history & info on each location.

 

Things near by:

Erie County

Niagara Falls State Park (USA)

Buffalo Ave. Buffalo, NY 14303

Our rating:

*5 out of 5 stars* If you haven’t been here you definitely need to! This waterfall is like no other in the United States. Due to it’s beauty it attracts a lot of people but no matter what it is worth the visit!

About the place:

Niagara Falls is America’s very 1st State Park established in 1885. The falls are known by volume to be the largest waterfall in all of North America, with a whopping 1,360 tons flowing over it every second. You can either take in the views from the top of the falls or you can take the Maid of the Mist boat tour that will bring you right to the base of the falls. You can buy tickets for this tour at https://www.maidofthemist.com/schedule-pricing/ . Another incredible experience is the Cave of the Winds, this is not actually a cave but more a boardwalk that will take you to the famous Hurricane Deck. This will get you right up to the base of Bridal Veil Falls (The smallest of the 3 Niagara Falls). From the name of the deck you can probably guess it’s extremely windy! You will be provided a poncho but prepare to still get pretty wet. For more info on Cave of the Winds visit their website - https://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/attractions-and-tours/cave-of-the-winds. Due to the high popularity of this place, tickets cannot be bought online. Tickets must be purchased at the Cave of the Winds Plaza on Goat Island. It’s best to go here 1st thing in the morning to make sure you get a reservation. If you’re looking for hiking opportunities to explore the stunning gorge, about 3 miles down the road is the Devil’s Hole State Park which has miles of trails to explore. If you have the chance, I wouldn’t miss the incredible Niagara Falls Light Show. This occurs nightly beginning at different times depending on the season, ranging from 4:30 - 8:30pm and always turn off at 2am. See their website (https://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/attractions-and-tours/illuminations ) to find the ranging start times.

How to get there:

Parking will be the hardest part about this place but thankfully there’s tons of it! If you want the least amount of walking to the falls you should try to park close to Prospect St. in Buffalo, NY if not on it. The observatory deck, which is only accessed by purchasing tickets to the Maid of the Mist Boat Tour has the best views from the USA side, the next best is the Prospect Point Observatory Point which is free of charge.

 

Things near by:

  • Devil’s Hole State Park 4 miles away (10 mins)

  • Letchworth State Park 78 miles away (1 hour 27 mins)

Shequaga Falls

South Genesee St. Montour Falls, NY

Schuyler County

Our rating:

*5 out of 5* This waterfall will truly take your breath away. It’s incredibly beautiful and extremely easy to get to.

About the place:

This 165 foot waterfall is the tallest in Montour and is definitely worth the stop. Shequaga Falls is very easy to access, you can park on the street and walk a short distance to the edge of the small park to get the best view. Dogs are welcome as long as they are leashed. This waterfall is also wheelchair accessible.

How to get there:

Shequaga Falls is located on South Genesee Street, there’s a small park next to house number 101. There isn’t a specific parking lot for this but there are free parking spots all along the street. You can’t see the falls driving over the bridge but if you’d like to get up there it is located on Mill Street also know as Montour Street.

 

Things near by:

  • Aunt Sarah’s Falls 0.9 miles (2 mins)

  • Eagle Cliff Falls 1.8 miles (4 mins)

  • Watkins Glen State Park 2.9 miles away (5 mins)

  • Taughannock Falls 24.4 miles away (32 mins)

  • Letchworth State Park 73.3 miles (1 hour 17 mins)

Tompkins County ~ Taughannock Falls State Park

Taughannock Falls

Ulysses, NY 14886

Our rating:

*5 out of 5 stars* Taughannock Falls is a must see whether you make it a quick stop to the viewing area or a hike down to the base of the falls. The pure beauty of this spot will blow you away.

About the place:

This waterfall standing at 215 feet is known as the tallest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains. This is a bucket list stop which is why it’s such a popular place to visit. There are two ways to view this waterfalls, either by the viewing platform or by the base of the falls. The viewing platform is perfect for people that don’t have much time or can’t do the hike, the platform is off of the parking lot with no hiking needed. If you’d like to get to the base of the falls, you can take the 1.5 mile round trip hike via the Taughannock Falls Gorge Trail.

How to get there:

The Overlook for Taughannock Falls is located at 2381 Taughannock Park Rd, Trumansburg, NY 14886. Once you find parking, you can walk over to the view point where there’s a set of stairs you can go down to get the best view. The trail entrance to the base of the falls is located about a mile down the road at 1740 Taughannock Blvd, Ithaca, NY 14850.

 

Things near by:

  • Watkins Glen State Park 21.5 miles away (33 mins)

  • Eagle Cliff Falls 22.8 miles away (30 mins)

  • Aunt Sarah’s Falls 24.3 miles away (32 mins)

  • Shequaga Falls 24.5 miles away (34 mins)

Schuyler County

Watkins Glen State Park

Watkins Glen, NY

Our rating:

*5 out of 5 stars* Watkins Glen is absolutely breathtaking and a must see! This is one of my favorite State Parks that I’ve ever visited, the only downfall is the amount of tourists. Due to the incredible beauty of this park, it really draws in the crowds. It’s best to get here either early in the morning or on a week day if you can.

About the place:

This beautiful park is filled with trails to adventure and 832 stairs to climb. The best trail filled with stunning waterfalls is the Gorge Trail, which is 1.5 mile long one-way trail. Be sure to wear good waterproof shoes on this hike, you’ll be walking under a few water falls so it’s typically very muddy and there can be big puddles. Dogs are allowed in this park but unfortunately, they are prohibited from the Gorge Trail. There are 3 ways into this park, the Main, South & Upper Entrance. There’s a $10 vehicle entrance fee, most people prefer to go in the Main Entrance so that you’re facing the gorge as you hike the Gorge Trail but it can be difficult having to climb the stairs up the entire 1.5 miles. If you’d rather do the hike down the stairs, you can enter the park at the Upper Entrance. No matter which way you decide to go, you can hop on a $5 shuttle that comes every 20-30mins on busy weekends and goes between the two entrances. Unfortunately, this park isn’t very wheelchair accessible but you can get a pretty view by going to the start of the Main Entrance.

Main Entrance

How to get there:

The Upper Entrance is located off of Route 409 and the Main entrance is located off of N Franklin Street. You can also enter the park at the South Entrance which will put you in the middle of the Gorge Trail, this is located off of Route 419 (Walnut Road).

 

Things near by:

  • Aunt Sarah’s Falls 1.9 miles (4 mins)

  • Shequaga Falls 2.7 miles (5 mins)

  • Eagle Cliff Falls 3.7 miles (7 mins)

  • Watkins Glen International Race Track 4.5 miles (7 mins)

  • Taughannock Falls 21.4 miles away (30 mins)

  • Letchworth State Park 73.5 miles away (1hr 15 mins)