Buttermilk Falls State Park — Attraction in Town of Ithaca

Camped here for first week of June in one of the newer cabins. They are rustic but there’s a large shelter for all campers to use that has outlets where you can charge things.

It was quiet all week, guestwise, but you can hear traffic from 13 all day. Not bad enough to detract from 5 stars. On the weekend the campground filled and it got pretty loud, and after dark I started being concerned the loud ones would be at it all night, but everyone settled down by 11pm. So that was nice.

Staff at the gate were so nice. I felt very welcomed and comfortable. (I’ve camped at a lot of state park all over the country and some of them have a creepy vibe. Not this one)

It rained hard for a couple days and I was loving how the windows in these cabins hinge at the top so the glass makes an awning when open. Pouring rain, windows open, and cabin stayed dry and cozy.

I saw campers walking down the road to get to the falls and I wanted to note here in case any future campers read this - you can take owl creek trail and go right at the T (you can find it on the camp map they give you) and follow that down to the falls. Much nicer than walking on the road.

Also, if you go left on that trail you’ll find a dear little bench with a guestbook and pen inside a little wooden house. It’s charming. Sure the falls are great, but don’t miss this little gem.

We also super enjoyed Larch Meadow Trail. It had a couple inches of water on it so it was great fun for me and the dogs to splash along in the shade on a hot day. If you don’t mind wet feet try this trail after a rain and you get to see many...

Fantastic Trail to hike. And for those of you who are just looking to view the Falls without having to do the hike you can do so from a short walk from the parking lot. The main waterfall is visible when you first enter the park and a short walk over and you're at the bottom of the falls. They're in the summertime it does look like there is a pool at the bottom that would be able to swim in. I would advise that if you are going in the colder months that you do give the park office a call to see if the gorge Trail is closed as it does get icy there and for the safety of everybody that usually close the gorge Trail in the winter time. On this day I did the rim trail to start and then came down the gorge Trail. You can do it two ways to do the main Loop you can either go left and start up the rim trail which you gain altitude pretty quick but once you get to the top it is a easy walk and it takes you to another Lake a couple miles back which you can also walk around and have a nice view from the trail. As you come back towards the main Falls Trail there is a lot of steps. Now depending on how you want to do this you can go either way as the trail circles back around to the main parking lot. It all depends on if you want to go upstairs or go downstairs. Can break it off at the road crossing and loop around back from there. Definitely one of the great hikes in Ithaca and...

If you want to get away from the crowded and constantly rushing NYC for a while - for example, spend a weekend in the wild - spend 4 hours and go to the city of Ithaca (Finger Lake Region) and hide there in Buttermilk Falls State Park ... and you will sweat on the ascents, but believe me - what you see at the top will compensate you for this effort ... You can even rent a small Cabbin (attention! without electricity !!!) and spend the night in State Park in amazing SILENCE ... !!! And if you want to go there, be sure to take road No. 17 ... You will feel as if you are going to the south of Europe and approaching the foothills of the Alps ... WONDERFUL ...! * Small tip: 1. At Buttermilk Falls St.P. drive to the parking lot in the vicinity of the park management and start hijking from there. 2. If you don't like to spend a lot of money on tool's, go back to NYC on Route 17 and continue on Route 6 - Bear Mountains Bridge direction - E-Zpass $ 1.35 only ( instead $18 at GWB + huge trafic ... ) and on the other side of Hudson River wonderful views , serpentines like in the mountains and completely free access to the city by...