Taughannock Falls beauty and inspiration

One of the visual and auditory gems of the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York (USA) is Taughannock Falls. Huddled in one of the well-known gorges north of Ithaca, it is the namesake of Taughannock Falls State Park. To give you an idea of this spectacle: the waterfall drops 215 feet — the highest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains.

Photos of Taughannock Falls

Since the park is only a few miles from my home, I frequent both the rim and gorge trails nearly every week when they are open. The result is that I take a lot of pictures of this spectacular waterfall and the surrounding areas. For the purposes of this pictorial blog, I’m presenting just a few of the photos I’ve captured of the Falls itself. (To see a larger image, click on the photos below.)

As you can imagine, Taughannock varies throughout the seasons.

Autumn

Winter

Taughannock Falls cascades down the gorge between snow-covered rocky walls. There is snowy ice floating in the foreground along with some dark water that is breaking the ice apart.

Spring

…and lovely Summer

Taughannock Falls - we see the waterfall beyond the stone stairway that leads down to the overlook. The rocky walls on either side of The Falls are very dry until about halfway down the waterfall where the mist causes a skirt-like shape of dampness on the stones. Because this is a summer image, the trees on either side of the stairway are very green with hints of yellow.

The falls are also dramatic in how much water is falling:

Tumultuous

A roaring waterfall pours between rock faces of Taughannock Gorge. As it hits the water below, it creates a cloud of mist.

or Trickling

We see the tall rock wall of a gorge with low vegetation in the foreground. In the sky above a V-shape at the center of this rock face is a cloud that seems to have edges that run parallel the top of the rocks. This is the site of Taughannock Falls, but the waterfall is such a tiny trickle that it is barely visible.

One of the incredible and inspiring parts of this waterfall is the rocky gorge itself. As you view these photos, notice the changes in the rock face on either side of the falls. Here are two more samples for your viewing enjoyment.