I truly believe you could spend an entire summer in the Finger Lakes Region of New York and never run out of new things to do and wonderful places to visit!
Since our stay is only 8 nights, we decided to concentrate mainly on the wonderful hiking opportunities within a short drive.
Our campground, Sampson Lake SP (A), is located on the upper east side of Seneca Lake. Yesterday, we went to Watkins Glen which in at the southern point of Seneca Lake. Today we will be visiting Taughannock Falls SP (B), which is located on the lower west side of Cayuga Lake.
If you plan on visiting more than one state park in the region, it is a real benefit to camp at a state park. If you are staying at ANY New York State Park, you get free admission to any other NY state parks during the length of your stay!!
Taughannock Falls SP is a beautiful State Park!! Campsites and cabins overlook Cayuga Lake, with a marina, a boat launch, and a beach nearby. There is also a multi-use trail, for hiking or cross-country skiing.
Unfortunately, it is NOT big rig friendly;o((
Taughannock Falls State Park's namesake waterfall is one of the outstanding natural attractions of the Northeast. Taughannock Falls plunges 215 feet past rocky cliffs that tower nearly 400 feet above the gorge and is one of the highest east of the Rocky Mountains. The Gorge and Rim trails offer spectacular views from above and below the falls.
We decided to hike the Gorge Trail (marked in red) first, a 1 1/2 mile round trip. That would give us a view of the gorge and Taughannock Falls from below.
After that we would hike out the South Rim Trail (marked in white) to the Upper Falls and return via the North Rim Trail (marked in beige) to the parking area. The Upper and Lower Rim hike gave us a wonderful view from above the gorge and totaled about 2 3/4 miles.
Our total hike for the day was about 4 1/4 miles:o)
The photos of our hike are below, divided by trail.
click on any photo to enlarge
