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Buttermilk Falls State Park, Ithaca, NY

Photo: NP824, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor AdventureFamily Favorite

Buttermilk Falls State Park

Climb the stone steps of the Gorge Trail past a string of waterfalls, then loop back down the Rim Trail just outside Ithaca.

106 E. Buttermilk Falls Rd. (off Rt. 13 S), Ithaca, NY 14850 · Ithaca, NY

About Buttermilk Falls State Park

Buttermilk Creek drops about 600 feet through this 811-acre park on the south edge of Ithaca, and the park counts 10 waterfalls in all. The Gorge Trail climbs beside the cascades and passes the 42-foot Pinnacle Rock, and the Rim Trail on the other side makes a loop of about 1.5 miles. The trail has many stone steps, so wear good shoes. In summer there is a swimming area below the main falls, plus a campground and cabins.

  • #state park
  • #waterfalls
  • #gorge hike
  • #swimming
  • #camping

What's around here?

The closest stops to Buttermilk Falls State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

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    The History Center in Tompkins County

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    2.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Outdoor Adventure

    Robert H. Treman State Park

    Under $25

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    2.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Allan H. Treman State Marine Park

    Check prices

    Marina-focused state park at the south end of Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, offering boat slips, a launch ramp, and wetland bird-watching.

    2.9 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums

    Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art

    No admission fee

    Cornell University's art museum in Ithaca, open to visitors at no charge and known for its I. M. Pei building.

    3.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Stewart Park

    Check prices

    A lakeside municipal park in Ithaca with pavilions, athletic fields, a playground carousel, a duck pond, and a bird sanctuary.

    3.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums

    Museum of the Earth

    Under $25

    A natural history museum in Ithaca focused on Earth science, fossils, and science-inspired art.

    3.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums