Waterfall hikes worth the trek in any season
From local to far-flung, state has variety
Each season delivers its own set of perks when you go for a waterfall hike. Whether you see them in spring or summer when the trees are bright green and flowers are blooming. In fall with the exquisite foliage surrounding each waterfall. Even in winter, my personal favorite, the scenery will leave you with breathtaking views. Here are waterfalls worth chasing year-round.
Niagara Falls (Bridal Veil Falls)
24 Buffalo Ave., Niagara Falls
Growing up in Buffalo and living 20 minutes from Niagara Falls, I’m guilty of taking it for granted. Being a tourist in your own town is a blast and the falls are truly beautiful with so many surrounding hiking trails, including Devils Hole where you can make your way down to watch the whirlpool and Niagara Falls State Park! You can visit Bridal Veil Falls in any season, getting up close and personal by taking the elevator down and passing through the cave to get to the bottom of the falls. It’s truly a stunning view!
Letchworth State Park
1 Letchworth State Park, Castile
Letchworth is known for three different waterfalls – Upper Falls, Middle Falls and Lower Falls -that are all equally stunning. I personally love the railway that goes across the Upper Falls. It is picturesque and you can access a variety of different walking trails, which is perfect for many ranges of skill and fitness levels. That way, if you’re just not physically able to do an intense hike you can always drive to see these falls from various viewing platforms.
Taughannock Falls
1740 Taughannock Blvd., Trumansburg This is one of my alltime favorite hikes with the biggest payoff. This waterfall is probably the most well known in the Ithaca area, filled with waterfalls and parks like Buttermilk Falls, Ithaca Falls, and more. One of my favorite times to see this waterfall is in the winter. The walk is peaceful and calm; you just need really good boots. You can get pretty close to the actual falls which makes for excellent photos and a really cool experience.
Chittenango Falls
2300 Rathbun Road, Cazenovia
The Syracuse has quite
a few waterfalls and beautiful parks like Pratts Falls Park in Onondaga County and Green Lake, known for the color of the water which can become bright teal in a way that almost looks fake. This particular hike to Chittenango Falls
isn’t too challenging -somewhere on a medium skill level -- and gets you right up close to the falls. This bodes well for pictures, especially when surrounded by stunning fall colors and the trickling creek.
Kaaterskill Falls
NY-23A, Haines Falls
I’m ending with the most challenging, yet the
most rewarding, hike I’ve ever done. The first part of the hike is beautiful, you have the opportunity to see an overlook of the gorge and see the falls along a path from its crest, but we decided to venture all the way to the bottom of the falls. Now, before you do this, coming back up is extremely intense. It is a lot of uphill steps and inclines, so enjoy it when
you get to the bottom before venturing back up! Viewing the two-tiered waterfall up close is worth it. (A side note worth mentioning is the parking. In order to park in the parking lot closest to the trail entrance, you have to get there early. I didn’t take this warning too seriously, so learn from my mistake. If you go in the afternoon you’ll most
likely be waiting in a line of cars for about an hour if not more. If you don’t mind paying, there are surrounding lots a little further down the road for $20. Eventually we just paid for parking, so we could get on with our day.)