Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Hours of Operation

• Park is open year round from dawn to dusk.
• Trails Update, as of April 6, 2024: All trails are open for the season.
  
  *If planning a visit, please call the park to confirm conditions and status of the trails.
• 2024 Swimming Season: 6/28 - 9/2, 11:00am - 7:00pm, daily
  
• 2024 Camping Season: 5/17 - 10/14 with existing reservations only at this time.
  Cabins available 5/17 - 10/14 (prime season, week requirement: 6/20 - 8/24).
  
  *Please note within the camping season time frame, some loops/sites may open later or close earlier. For more details, please call the park or visit http://www.newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com
• Shelters/Pavilions: Available for reservations from 5/11 through 10/27.
  They are reservable through Reserve America. You can make a reservation 11 months in advance by going to www.reserveamerica.com or by calling 1-800-456-2267.
  
• Boat Launch:
  
  Transient Slips: 5/17 - 10/14
  Seasonal Slips: 4/15 - 10/28
  
  Canoe/Kayak Rack Rental: 3/1 - 11/30, these dates may be subject to change. Please call the park office for details.
  
  Boating rentals & lessons available through Myers Park. For more information: www.paddle-n-more.com, 607-349-4767.
• Bow/crossbow hunting for deer is permitted in season.

Fees & Rates

Most New York State Parks charge a vehicle use fee to enter the facility. Fees vary by location and season. A list of entry fees and other park use fees is available below. For fees not listed or to verify information, please contact the park directly.

The easy-to-use Empire Pass card is $80- and your key to all-season enjoyment with unlimited day-use entry at most facilities operated by State Parks and the State Dept. of Environmental Conservation including forests, beaches, trails and more. Purchase online or contact your favorite park for more information. Learn more about our Admission Programs including the Empire Pass.

• Vehicle Entrance Fee
• $9 per vehicle
  Non-commercial bus: $35
  Non-profit: $35
  Profit: $75
  Seasonal bus pass: $75
  
  Collected:
  

  $9.00 Fee collection daily from sun up to sun down. Use pay stations when no gate attendant.

  
  On special event nights (concerts/movie/fireworks) an event fee of $5 vehicle, $20 bus fee is charged from 5:30-10:00pm.
• Camping
• Starts 5/17/2024
  Campsites:
  $18-$29/night
  
  Non-NYS resident: $5 additional per night
  
  Cabins:
  Per night: $59.50-66.50
  Per week: $238-266
  Non-NYS resident: $28/week, $7/night additional fee
  
  Cabin rentals are 2 night minimum from 5/17 to 6/21 and again from 8/25 to 10/14/24.
  Cabins are Saturday to Saturday (7 Night) during the prime season: 6/22 to 8/24/24.
• Marina
• April 15th thru last Monday on October
  Transient Slips:
  Per night, non-electric: $15
  Per night with camping rental: $12
  Fee increase for weekends and holidays: $4
  
  Seasonal Slips:
  Boats 19ft and above: $50 per ft
  Boats 18' and under: $782
  
• Seasonal Canoe Rack Rental
• March 1st thru Nov.30
  $100 per slot
  1 unit per slot
• Lessons
• Introduction to Paddleboarding: $55
  Introduction to Kayaking: $55
  Quick-Start Your Kayak/Paddleboard: $35-1 hour lesson
  
  Contact
  
  Offered by Myers Park: www.paddle-n-more.com, 607-288-3470 for pricing information
• Misc.
• Reservation fee for camping/cabins/transient slip, first night only: $7.25
  Out of state resident fee for camping/transient slip, per night: $5
  Out of state resident fee for cabins, per night: $7
  Out of state resident fee for cabins, per week: $28
  Extra vehicle fee, per night: $9
• Peddling Fee
• $400

Maps

New! Download this park's digital map to your iOS Apple and Android device.

• Taughannock Falls State Park Trail Map

Firewood source maps show a 50-mile radius from which untreated firewood may be moved to this campground. For more information see firewood restrictions.

• Firewood Source Map (pdf)

• Park Map (pdf)
• Campground Map (pdf)
• Bow Hunting Map (pdf)
• Taughannock Giant Map to Replica (pdf)
• Taughannock Giant Map to Site (pdf)
• Trail Map (pdf)

Highlights of Taughannock Falls State Park:

• Taughannock Falls is the tallest free-falling waterfall east of the Mississippi. With a drop of 215 feet (66 meters), it's 33 feet higher than Niagara Falls, but with a much smaller volume of water.
• Don't miss the view of Taughannock Falls from the Falls Overlook - the gorge creates a natural amphitheater that holds in the dense spray that rises from the bottom of the falls and shrouds the lower part of the cataract in mist—it will inspire a hike down the Gorge Trail and provide the setting for the perfect photo of the falls.
• If you want to experience the shore of Cayuga Lake without being surrounded by bathing suits, head to the quieter shore line at our North Point area. There is a lovely view of the lake from there.
• In the spring, check out the wildflowers that bloom along the Gorge Trail. Flowers thrive there because deer rarely wander into the gorge.
• The hemlock forests surrounding the Taughannock ravine are mixed with other hardwood trees, including sugar maple, white oak, and striped maple. It's also home to many species of woodland birds.
• The shoreline at Taughannock Falls State Park drops off sharply, making this area a great congregating space for many different species of Lake Cayuga fish. Lake trout, yellow perch, and landlocked Atlantic salmon are all common species.

   What will you see? Plan your visit today!

Look and listen for these birds at our Park:

• Common Loon
• Great Horned Owl
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow
• Raven
• Turkey Vulture

Everyone is a Steward: Be a Taughannock Falls State Park Hero!

• Know the rules and concerns for the area you'll be visiting.
• Leave all natural objects as you find them.
• Respect other visitors and their experience. Avoid excessive noise.
• Share the trail. Keep to the right except to pass. When in doubt, give the other user the right of way. Warn people when you are planning to pass.
• Respect wildlife and observe from a distance.
• Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely.
• Avoid using trails when they are excessively muddy.
• Do not litter.
  

For more information, please read our Trail Tips!

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.

The Finger Lakes Environmental Education Department offers scheduled gorge tours and educational programs at Buttermilk Falls, Robert H. Treman, Taughannock Falls and Watkins Glen State Parks. All park programs are free and open to the public, no registration required, although a parking fee may be charged.

If you have a group (10 or more) that is interested in scheduling its own gorge tour or educational program at a Finger Lakes State Park, please fill out this quick form to help us best assist you. The regional Environmental Educator Josh Teeter (Josh.Teeter@parks.ny.gov) will respond and coordinate a free program with you.

The Finger Lakes Story

Sparkling lakes, breathtaking waterfalls and rolling pastoral land dominate the landscape of the Finger Lakes Region. Over thousands of years, gigantic glaciers and coursing streams have carved this landscape. The most recent glacier moved through shallow river valleys leaving in its place deep, steep-sided troughs. When the glaciers receded north 10,000 years ago, water filled these new troughs, creating the 11 Finger Lakes. Since that time water has flowed down glacially steepened hillsides carrying debris that cut away at soft sedimentary rock to form our beautiful and unique gorges.

Gorge Tours provide information and insights about individual park history, ecology, gorge formation and geology. Tours last approximately one and one half hours.

The Taughannock Falls Gorge Tour - Experience a spectacular stone amphitheater and 215-foot vertical waterfall at the end of the wide and wooded ¾-mile gorge trail. The trail is relatively flat making it a very accessible and beautiful hike for all ages.

Educational Programs are offered about a variety of topics.

Birds ● Fossils ● Reptiles and Amphibians ● Insects ● Invasive Species ● Mammals ● Trees● Park Histories ● Animal Tracks ● Wilderness Survival

If don't see a specific topic please call or email us with your questions.

Deer hunting (bow only) is permitted in season. Please reference the NYS DEC Hunting and Trapping Guide for current dates and rules.

• 2022-23 Hunting Schedule for Finger Lakes State Parks & Historic Sites

A valid New York State hunting license with the proper hunting stamps will serve as the regional hunting permit. Except where otherwise stated, this is the only permit necessary.

Safety zones and restricted areas are posted to ensure the safety of other park patrons and regional personnel. Signs will be posted at all parks during hunting season to notify patrons of this activity. Handguns will not be permitted in any of the parks. No trapping is permitted.

For additional information, please contact Taughannock Falls State Park at: (607) 387-6739