Ithaca in the Finger Lakes region of New York has several state parks with tons of waterfalls and many dog-friendly adventure opportunities!
Between Robert H. Treman, Watkins Glen, Buttermilk Falls, and Taughannock Falls State Parks, you will find beautiful gorges carved into the hills with scenic hiking along the water and from high above.
History and Location
Ithaca, New York, is a little over 5 hours from Pittsburgh and just over 4 hours from Philadelphia. The city is home to both Cornell University and Ithaca College, and sits on Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes.
The region includes a series of 11 lakes shaped like…you guessed it! Fingers!
In addition to being known for its wineries and breweries, the area packed with hiking opportunities in its many state parks. They are marked on this map with little trees:
The parks have amazing geological features after being carved out by glaciers and water for a few million years.
The result is incredible and plentiful waterfalls and amazing views, whether you are strolling on the gorge trails along the water or peeping down from the rim trails above.
Accommodations
While most of the parks we visited had campgrounds (you can make reservations here), we recently sold our RV. This season, we’re opting for cabins, lodges, and in this case, a yurt!
We found the yurt listed on VRBO, and the owner was very accommodating with Franklin and Hazel.
I have found VRBO to be easy to use and book through, including for other trips to Asheville and the Smoky Mountains. All our hosts have been very helpful and responsive.
The hard-walled yurt was located on a small farm just outside of Ithaca. It had all the amenities you would expect, including a full bathroom, heating/air conditioning, and a queen bed.
We also had access to fresh eggs and on-site trails for early morning walks.
Even though we missed the campground feel we were used to in the RV, we appreciated the uniqueness of the yurt and farm.
Parks and Trails
We visited four parks on our five-day trip: Robert H. Treman, Watkins Glen, Buttermilk Falls, and Taughannock Falls State Parks.
Each park has a day use fee of between $9-10 per car. You can pay the fee at either a digital kiosk at the entrance or in the parking lot.
Robert H. Treman State Park
While the most famous gorge and rim trails in the area are found at Watkins Glen, we started our week at Robert H. Treman State Park on a recommendation from our yurt host.
Robert H. Treman State Park features one Gorge and one Rim trail, and both are pet-friendly. There is one other, Red Pine Trail, which loops half a mile over the Gorge Trail.
The Gorge Trail is a little over two miles long. At the end, you can return on the Rim Trail of the same length to create a 4 1/2 mile loop.
And you will definitely get your steps in. My health app indicated we had completed 77 flights of stairs by the time we left!
Before committing to the trek, make sure your pet is able to handle that many steps. Franklin is 12, so we were a little nervous- but he did great!
Spoiler alert: this park ended up being our favorite by the end of the trip! The views inside the gorge were amazing, and the geological features were incredible in scope and size. Plus, there were lots of opportunities for quick doggy dips!
Watkins Glen State Park
Watkins Glen State Park is known for it’s incredible 19 waterfalls along a very structured gorge trail that stretches for one and a half miles. There are also two rim trails of similar distance.
Be aware that pets are only allowed on the rim trails, and the entire park can get really busy. As a reactive dog, this was not Franklin’s favorite park.
We solved this problem by hiking Franklin and Hazel on the rim trails in the morning, then coming back around 6pm to hike the gorge trail without them.
Smart move! The gorge trail was much less crowded in the evening, so we got to take our time with the amazing views…
We would recommend visiting this park without the dogs and later in the day on a weekday, if possible.
They have a nice visitor center and gift shop where I picked up a Watkins Glen tee for $25.
Buttermilk Falls State Park
Buttermilk Falls State Park was the least busy of the parks we visited, and also where we put on the most mileage.
To make a loop similar to ours, you can head out of the parking lot near the park office to Gorge Trail.
From there, continue onto Bear Trail, following the road to the restrooms where you can then loop the Lake Treman Trail. Lake Treman was only about a third of the way filled when we visited, but the trail was well kept.
Find your way back to the parking lot on Bear Trail, this time taking it to the Rim Trail to finish.
Taughannock Falls State Park
Our last day trip was to Taughannock Falls State Park on a Saturday/ The park was extremely busy. We were nervous that Franklin wouldn’t be able to handle the crowds.
Luckily, the Gorge Trail is quite flat and wide, with many opportunities to wade in the creek. We were able to shuffle him off the trail and distract him with the creek when needed.
And, like the rest of the parks, the falls were ahhh-mazing!
Hazel always has shining moments when we’re hiking: being nice to other dogs, letting children pet her, etc., etc….
You might have guessed that doesn’t always happen with Franklin! He did have a rare moment I caught on camera when a group of little girls asked Russ if they could please pet him.
Russ distracted him as best he could (basically in a headlock) while they pet his back…
Wildlife
Because many of the parks were so well visited, we did not spot an abundance of wildlife.
We did see several eastern newts and a garter snake at Robert H. Treman State Park, as well as some deer along the roadways.
According to a pamphlet we picked up, the timber rattler and copperhead are the venomous snakes to look out for, but several other non-venomous snakes can be found in New York.
We saw another garter snake on our yurt steps, along with this giant fishing spider who was taking a nap on my yoga mat!
PIT STOPS!
Since Franklin is a bit hard to handle, it’s not every day we try to eat on a pet-friendly patio. We’ve had some significant fails attempting this in the Outer Banks and Asheville.
We thought we’d give it another try and tentatively stopped at the Sunset Grill with our fingers crossed.
Fortunately, our side of the deck was empty, and our waitress was so accommodating (even while Franklin woofed at her)! I had an omelet, while Russ had a sandwich – and Franklin and Hazel enjoyed a few table scraps. We loved the lake views, and Franklin got a rare treat to eat out in public.
While the dogs rested at home after a long day of hiking, we also enjoyed dinner sitting outside at the Ithaca Beer Company. Russ tried the beer flight and burger, while I went with the mule and chicken sandwich.
Finally, our recommendation for a lunchtime stop is the Shortstop Deli. We stocked up on made-to-order subs and chips and headed over to the marina to eat outside. The delish and toasty Italian and turkey subs were some of the best we’ve ever had!
In addition, the region is full of wineries and breweries to explore (and taste test!). Just in the Ithaca area alone heading up between the lakes, you can find a bunch:
The Last Word
Ithaca is a great home base for visiting state parks around the Finger Lakes. The waterfalls and hiking are spectacular, and most of them are dog-friendly.
You’ll likely need three or four days to cover everything there is to see, so start planning your long weekend now!
