Taughannock Falls State Park: Difference between revisions
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| location = 1740 Taughannock Blvd. <br/>Trumansburg, New York<ref name=NYSP_main>{{cite web |url=http://parks.ny.gov/parks/62/details.aspx |title=Taughannock Falls State Park |publisher=NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation |accessdate=April 2, 2016}}</ref> |
| location = 1740 Taughannock Blvd. <br/>Trumansburg, New York<ref name=NYSP_main>{{cite web |url=http://parks.ny.gov/parks/62/details.aspx |title=Taughannock Falls State Park |publisher=NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation |accessdate=April 2, 2016}}</ref> |
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| nearest_city = [[Trumansburg, New York]] |
| nearest_city = [[Trumansburg, New York]] |
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| area = {{convert|750|acre|km2}}<ref name=RIoG_PS>{{cite book |title=2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook |url=http://www.rockinst.org/nys_statistics/2014/2014_Yearbook_Section_O.pdf |publisher=The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government |year=2014 |chapter=Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9 |page=674 |accessdate=April 2, 2016}}</ref> |
| area = {{convert|750|acre|km2}}<ref name=RIoG_PS>{{cite book |title=2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook |url=http://www.rockinst.org/nys_statistics/2014/2014_Yearbook_Section_O.pdf |publisher=The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government |year=2014 |chapter=Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9 |page=674 |accessdate=April 2, 2016 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916082616/http://www.rockinst.org/nys_statistics/2014/2014_Yearbook_Section_O.pdf |archivedate=September 16, 2015 |df= }}</ref> |
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| created = {{Start date|1925}}<ref name=MNN>{{cite web |url=http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/taughannock-falls-state-park-a-users-guide |title=Taughannock Falls State Park: A user's guide |website=Mother Nature Network |accessdate=October 2, 2015}}</ref> |
| created = {{Start date|1925}}<ref name=MNN>{{cite web |url=http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/taughannock-falls-state-park-a-users-guide |title=Taughannock Falls State Park: A user's guide |website=Mother Nature Network |accessdate=October 2, 2015}}</ref> |
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| operator = [[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]] |
| operator = [[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]] |
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Revision as of 03:58, 14 June 2018
| Taughannock Falls State Park | |
|---|---|
 Taughannock Falls in Autumn 2003 | |
  Location of Taughannock Falls State Park within New York State | |
| Type | State park |
| Location | 1740 Taughannock Blvd. Trumansburg, New York[1] |
| Nearest city | Trumansburg, New York |
| Coordinates | 42°32′42″N 76°36′22″W / 42.545°N 76.606°W |
| Area | 750 acres (3.0 km2)[2] |
| Created | 1925[3] |
| Operated by | New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |
| Visitors | 434,090 (in 2014)[4] |
| Open | All year |
| Website | Taughannock Falls State Park |
Taughannock Falls State Park (/təˈɡænək/) is a 750-acre (3.0 km2) state park[2] located in the Town of Ulysses in Tompkins County, New York in the United States. The park is northwest of Ithaca near Trumansburg.
The park's namesake, Taughannock Falls, is a 215-foot (66 m) plunge waterfall that is the highest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains.[5]
History
The region surrounding Taughannock Falls State Park was home to the Cayuga people prior to their displacement from the area during the Clinton-Sullivan Campaign following the American Revolutionary War. Taughannock Creek was used as a source of power for mills and a gun factory in the early 19th century. In the 1870s, steamboats, railroads and Victorian hotels were built in the region to serve tourists who traveled to view the falls, which were owned by the Jones family that built the nearby Inn at Taughannock.[5][6]
Taughannock Falls State Park was created in 1925 on a 64-acre (0.26 km2) parcel of land acquired by New York State.[6] Roads and trails at the park were improved by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s.[7] The park has since grown to its current size of 750 acres (3.0 km2).[2]
Origin of name
Several possible sources have been proposed for the name Taughannock, all of which describe [Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] origins. One translation suggests that the name is derived from a combination of Iroquois and Algonquin terms[8] meaning "great fall in the woods".[9] An alternate theory suggests that the name may refer to a Lenni Lenape (Delaware) chief named Taughannock who died near the falls during a battle.[9]
Park description
Taughannock Falls State Park offers hiking and nature trails, camping and picnicking. The park includes a stretch of Cayuga Lake's shoreline, where swimming, fishing, and a boat launch are available. In the winter, the park offers facilities and trails for ice-skating, sledding, and cross-country skiing.[1]
In addition to the 215-foot (66 m) Taughannock Falls, two additional waterfalls are located along Taughannock Creek within the park. A 20-foot (6.1 m) cascade, known as Little or Lower Falls, is located downstream of Taughannock Falls, while the 100-foot (30 m) Upper Falls are found upstream of Taughannock Falls.[10]
Views of Taughannock Falls are available from two trails. The 0.75-mile-long (1.21 km) Gorge Trail leads to a viewing area at the base of the falls[11] and also passes by Lower Falls. The 1.5-mile (2.4 km) North Rim Trail and 1.2-mile (1.9 km) South Rim Trail can be connected to form a loop hike which offers views of Upper Falls.[11]
The Gorge Trail is open all year long, unlike the Rim Trails which are closed to the public in winter. Swimming under the waterfall is hazardous and strictly forbidden.
Taughannock Falls
| Taughannock Falls | |
|---|---|
 Taughannock Falls in spring 2012 | |
 | |
| Location | Tompkins County, New York[12] |
| Coordinates | 42°32′08″N 76°36′39″W / 42.5356°N 76.6108°W |
| Type | Plunge |
| Total height | 215 ft (66 m) |
| Number of drops | 1 |
| Watercourse | Taughannock Creek |
Taughannock Falls' main cataract is a 215-foot drop (66 m),[13] making it 33 feet (10 m) taller than Niagara Falls. It is the tallest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains.[5][14] The waterfall is located along Taughannock Creek, which flows through a long gorge with cliffs up to 400 feet (120 m) high.
Geology and natural history
The waterfall and gorge comprise an example of a hanging valley, formed where Taughannock Creek's stream-carved valley meets the deeper glacially carved valley that contains Cayuga Lake. The gorge has continued to retreat westward from Cayuga Lake as easily eroded shale near the fall's base is worn away by the stream, which supports erosion-resistant siltstone and sandstone found in the upper portions of the gorge. Annual freeze and thaw cycles also act upon small faults in the rock, causing large sections to occasionally break away, further expanding the gorge.[15]
The gorge supports a "Shale Cliff and Talus" community of plants, including three regionally rare species classified as threatened in New York State: Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris), birds-eye primrose (Primula mistassinica) and yellow mountain saxifrage (Saxifraga aizoides).[16]
In popular culture
In The Midnight Sun, episode 75 of the American television series The Twilight Zone, Taughannock Falls is implied to be the subject of Norma's oil painting.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Taughannock Falls State Park". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9". 2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook (PDF). The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government. 2014. p. 674. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 16, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Taughannock Falls State Park: A user's guide". Mother Nature Network. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ "State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003". Data.ny.gov. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Taughannock Falls". National Geographic Guide to State Parks of the United States (4th ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. 2012. pp. 54–55. ISBN 1426208898. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ a b Off the Beaten Path: A Travel Guide to More Than 1,000 Scenic and Interesting Places Still Uncrowded and Inviting. Pleasantville, N.Y.: Reader's Digest Association. 2003. p. 242. ISBN 0762104244. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ Stradling, David (2010). The Nature of New York: An Environmental History of the Empire State. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press. p. 167. ISBN 0801445108. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ Beauchamp, William Martin (1907). Aboriginal Place Names of New York (New York State Museum Bulletin, Volume 108). New York State Education Department. p. 232. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ^ a b "What's in a Name? – Taughannock Falls". Nature Times. NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ^ Minetor, Randi; Minetor, Nic (2014). Hiking Waterfalls in New York: A Guide to the State's Best Waterfall Hikes. Guildford, Conn.: FalconGuides. pp. 87–89. ISBN 0762787503. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
- ^ a b "Hiking Trails at Taughannock Falls". CNY Hiking. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ "Taughannock Falls". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
- ^ "Taughannock Falls". World Waterfall Database. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ^ O'Brian, Mike (May 24, 2015). "The Natural Wonder of Taughannock Falls State Park". Time Warner Cable News - Southern Tier. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ "Taughannock Falls". New York State Geological Survey. New York State Museum. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ Evans, D.J.; VanLuven, David E. (January 2007). "Biodiversity in New York's State Park System - Summary of Findings" (PDF). NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. p. 23. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
Further reading
- Halsey, Lewis (1872). The Falls of Taughannock: Containing a Complete Description of this the Highest Fall in the State of New York. New York: Cutler, Tower & Co.
External links
