Gorgeous gorges & waterfalls | Best free hiking in Ithaca NY (Van life couple chasing waterfalls)

Ep. 54: Ithaca is famous for its many waterfalls, with over 100 different waterfalls and numerous amazing gorges within 10 miles of downtown. That's why "Ithaca is GORGES!" We're taking you to some of the best free hiking spots in this vanlife travel episode in Ithaca, NY! We explore this area in our self-converted Ford Transit campervan as we wrap up our time in the Northeast with a focus on cheap travel. If you are an outdoor enthusiast, like to hike, enjoy gorges and waterfalls, be sure to visit Ithaca! It's a great East Coast travel destination! Low budget van life travel in Ithaca, NY.

Ithaca, NY is located in the Finger Lakes Region of central New York State, four hours from New York City, three hours from Niagara Falls, and four hours from Philadelphia.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
00:00 Intro (Steve & Audra Vanlife)
02:35 Cascadilla Gorge Trail
06:40 Finding parking in Cornell University
08:20 Triphammer Falls
8:50 Fall Creek Gorge & Suspension Bridge
10:06 Ithaca Falls
12:00 What's next?

PLACES FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

The Cascadilla Gorge Trail - This trail connects Cornell University to downtown Ithaca. This is a great urban trail! From the top of the trail to the bottom, the Cascadilla Creek drops 400 feet. The trail is just under a mile and a half long. As you hike the trail, you’ll pass several different waterfalls. The trail system here was initially constructed in the late 1920’s.

Fall Creek Gorge - This area has an interesting history and a series of trails with informational signs along the way. This is another creek that runs through the higher areas of Ithaca through Cornell University down to the downtown area and then out to Cayuga Lake, the longest Finger Lake.

Triphammer Falls - Approximately 55 feet high and the end of BeeBee Lake on the Cornell campus. Cornell University’s founder, self-taught engineer Ezra Cornell, built the dam here to harness water power for a plaster and flour mill in 1838. The dam still provides water power today. Some of the water is diverted to the hydroelectric plant downstream.

Cornell Suspension Bridge - This suspension bridge is 240 feet long and 140 feet above ground level. The gorge itself is approximately 200 feet deep. The original suspension bridge was erected in 1900 and served as a prop in Ithaca's cinematic ventures. Back in the day, Wharton movie studios filmed silent movies in this gorge, including “The Prince of India” featuring a real trolley car plummeting into the gorge from one of the bridges. Another silent film, The Hermit of Lonely Gulch, was shot entirely in this gorge and the bridge (minus its safety railing, a more recent addition) provided the backdrop for a fight to the death. You can see the hydroelectric plant here, which generates 2% of the University’s electricity.

Ithaca Falls - At the bottom of Fall Creek Gorge, a 150-foot high and 175-foot wide cascading waterfall. You can see the Ithaca Falls from the road or opt to take a short walk up to the base for an up-close look in the mist. The plunge pool is famous among anglers for lake-run trout and salmon. By 1817, a half-dozen mills were operating here. Their ruins are still visible on the south bank.

If you’re interested in visiting this beautiful area and checking out some of the gorges and waterfalls, we’ve included a couple helpful links below:

https://ithacatrails.org/
https://www.visitithaca.com/attractio...

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ABOUT US:
We're Steve and Audra, DIYers from South Florida that share a passion for travel and adventure! We've been working on converting a 2019 Ford Transit cargo van into a campervan and are sharing our build and adventures with you! We've started traveling the country with our two cats. We invite you to follow along on our journey! If you have any questions, we’re happy to answer! Comment below or send us a message on Facebook and we’ll respond as soon as possible. And please don’t forget to subscribe to our channel!

MUSIC CREDITS:
Ice Flow by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song...
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

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