Taughannock Falls State Park

When you enter or leave Cayuga Lake:

• Clean and remove all visible plants, animals, fish and mud from boat, trailer and other equipment and dispose of it in a suitable trash container or on dry land.

• Drain water from bilge, live wells, ballast tanks, and any other locations with water before leaving the launch. Disinfect when possible.

• Dry your boat, trailer and all equipment completely. At least 5 days of drying time is recommended. Drying times may vary depending on weather and material.

Ask a Naturalist!

Q: Where have all the rocks gone that were once in the gorge?

A: They have become Taughannock Point, the eastern part of the park where the park office, swimming area, concession stand and playground is. As the gorge erodes the park gets bigger!

Q: Why does the streambed look remind me of the surface of the moon?

A: The streambed at Taughannock is made up of limestone. The limestone is susceptible to chemical erosion so if the water becomes acidic (like when rain water puddles dry) the acid reacts with the stone and creates solution pits and ripples in the rock.

Q: After the water from Taughannock creek enters Cayuga Lake where does it go?

A: The water in the lake flows north into the Seneca River, then the Oswego River, then the eastern end of Lake Ontario, into the St. Lawrence River and into the Atlantic Ocean.

Q: Are there any invasive species in Taughannock Falls?

A: Unfortunately, yes. Some of the hemlock forest in the park has been infested with Hemlock Wooley Adelgid, an invasive insect which is deadly to hemlock trees. Parks' specialists are keeping a close eye on our forests to limit the spread of this exotic species.

DID YOU KNOW?

Geography: 

• At 38.2 miles long, Cayuga Lake is the longest of the Finger Lakes.

• Cayuga Lake goes down to about 435 feet at its deepest point. It's one of the deepest lakes in North America and its bottom is 35 feet below sea level.

• The arresting landscape of lakes, hills, gorges and waterfalls in Taughannock Falls State Park and throughout the Finger Lakes region was formed by Devonian Era rocks, which accumulated in a warm shallow sea over 360 million years ago, as well as by the action of massive ice sheets that shaped the rocks over the last 2 million years. The Finger Lakes themselves, long, narrow parallel bodies of water, were gouged out by the movement of glaciers in the Ice Age, between 2 million and ten thousand years ago. The flowing water continues to shape and cut the gorges that dominate this region.

History:

• In 1879, a 10-foot tall, petrified "man" was unearthed at the former Taughannock House Hotel site. To learn more about "Taughannock Man" listen to stop 11 on the Taughannock cell phone tour, 607-216-6062.

• In the 19th century scholar William H. Bogart determined Taughannock, or Taghanic, to mean "the great fall in the woods" in a combination of Algonquin and Iroquois languages. However, D.H. Hamilton, another scholar of the same era, contended that word was of Delaware origin. In Hamilton's version, Taughannock was the title of a young Delaware chief who defied the more-powerful Iroquois and was defeated at the falls.