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Aug. 2 - Cascadilla Gorge Trail

“Water is the most perfect traveller because when it travels it becomes the path itself!” ―Mehmet Murat ildan
We hiked the Casadilla Gorge today, or I should say we hiked half of the trail...it was a combination workout. A five mile bike ride to the falls and back and then a .59 mile hike. The prettiest portion of the trail was closed for repairs. We've hiked it several times, so I will include a few pictures from other hikes. 

Connective corridors are typically parks or natural areas that connect two distinct areas within a community, but in Ithaca it's the picturesque Cascadilla Gorge. It connects the downtown area with the Cornell Campus. The trail ascends over 400 feet, carving through bedrock exposing sedimentary rocks that were deposited 400 million years ago. You can see ripple marks on the rock surface, which once was the muddy floor of an ancient ocean.

The gorge hike is short in length, but long on amazing waterscapes. The stone trails and staircases were originally constructed in the 1920’s. The lower section of Cascadilla Gorge is truly a "gorges" display of rock, water and trees. There are eight waterfalls along this gorge ranging in height from 25’ to 80’. The steepness and depth of the gorge hides the fact that it’s surrounded by roads and buildings…it’s a little oasis in the midst of a hectic world. 

"Cascadilla" most likely comes from Spanish, meaning "little waterfall." 
At the moment the gorge is closed from Stewart Ave. to College Ave. We were only able to get to the top of the stairs in this photo.
These pictures are from our first visit to the gorge in 2017.

2 comments:

  1. How warm is the water? It looks like a great float...!

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    1. No swimming in this area, but the lake is feeling great now.

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