Our first hiking adventure in the Finger Lakes Region was at a park that was close to where we were staying right in Ithaca. For me, a native Long Islander who’s hiking experiences outside of the island have been few and far between, this would be a learning experience that would carry me through the rest of the hikes on our trip and helped me gain some knowledge going forward. I learned a lot about what it is like to hike in the this area of gorges and hopefully some of what I’ll be sharing will help you too should you ever find yourself in this wonderful area filled with awesome hikes.
A Different Way to Cool Off on a Hot Day
Temperatures were hovering in the 90’s the entire week we were in Ithaca, and one of the reasons for choosing Treman State Park was that they had a swimming hole right at the base of Lucifer Falls. I’ve never done anything like that in my life, and so the pictures I found online of the swimming area were enough enticement for me to want to go there first. Besides, I sweat a lot, and I knew that this would be an awesome way to cool off after a nice hike.
Vinny and I packed a picnic lunch and headed out to Treman early. The park was only a ten minute drive from downtown Ithaca and so we arrived at our destination in no time. Almost immediately we became dismayed because there was a sign that stated “Swimming Area Closed.” We were disappointed and hoped that this was only because we were there so early (around 9-9:30 AM), but we decided to check it out anyway because it was right near the parking lot. Indeed, the spot is beautiful, with invitingly cool, fresh water pouring in a steady stream down Lucifer Falls and into the swimming hole. There was a diving board right under the falls, lifeguard stations and a nice little area for laying out on blankets. (Note: Due to the COVID pandemic, circles were drawn six feet apart from one another and bathers were only allowed to lay out within such circles.) We secretly hoped it would open later on in the day and headed off to find the trails.
Now here was the first important lesson I learned whilst hiking the gorges in the Finger Lakes Region. Many of these parks up there have at least two marked trails. One is referred to as a rim trail and the other a gorge trail. At the time, I hadn’t thought about the difference (I’mm still very much a novice!) Rim trails take you up towards the upper sides of the gorges and tend to be a little more difficult to hike, as much of the trail is uphill. Gorge trails, on the other hand, take you through the lower parts of the gorge and are far more level and thereby easier to traverse. At Treman, the two trails combine to make one long loop through the park, and during the COVID pandemic, all of the trails are one way to minimize traffic. So we had to start at the rim trail, which was by far the toughest this hiker has done to date.
As I said, the rim trail was mostly uphill, which of course was to be expected since it ascends towards the rim of the gorge. That being said, it wasn’t too difficult, just a few steepish uphill climbs and occasionally steps were in place to make things a little easier. There were plenty of leveled portions of the pathway and the views along the way were awesome!
Once we’d reached that highest high and one of the most spectacular sites I’ve ever seen, we headed down towards the gorge hike and another little spot of Heaven. Vin and I came upon a small waterfall leading to a smaller section of the river and our desire to get wet and cool finally came to pass on this 90 degree day. The spot was gorgeous and the water invigorating. This would be the first of many chances we’d have throughout our week in the Finger Lakes Region to cool off in such a beautiful setting, and it was simply sublime!
By this time we’d entered the gorge trail, the views from down below were a different sort of spectacular altogether. We followed along the stream through the gorge and were offered a whole new perspective on this beautiful place, and besides, the trail became so much easier at this point. Take a look…
What a great finish to our first great hike in the Finger Lakes region! And to top it off, Vinny and I were rewarded at the end because the swimming hole was now open. We quickly ran to the car to grab our towels and stuff and headed right down to cool off in one of the coolest places I’ve ever swam. I chickened out on the diving board, but Vinny was a trooper, and because he did, he was rewarded with going straight under the cascading water. Jealous! It was still an awesome way to end the hike and should I ever find myself in the area again, this would be a must stop for a hike.
Robert H. Treman State Park
Robert H. Treman State Park is an area of wild beauty, with the rugged gorge called Enfield Glen as its scenic highlight. Winding trails follow the gorge past 12 waterfalls, including the 115-foot Lucifer Falls, to where visitors can see a mile-and-a-half down the wooded gorge as it winds its way to the lower park...
All of the trails located here at Treman State park. From VisitIthaca.com
- Gorge Trail: 2.25mi. Strenuous difficulty.
- Rim Trail: 2.25mi. Strenuous difficulty.
- Red Pine Trail: 0.5mi. Strenuous difficulty.
- CCC Memorial Trail: 0.33mi. Moderate difficulty.
- Finger Lakes Trail/North Country Trail: 3mi. Moderate
Here are some more photos of this wonderful place:
Please stay tuned for more reviews of some of the hikes we took in the Finger Lakes Region of western New York State. This one was just the beginning of plenty of new great hiking adventures!
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