Lower Falls (Enfield Falls)

Ithaca, New York, USA

About Lower Falls (Enfield Falls)


Hiking Distance: 1/4 mile round trip
Suggested Time: 15 minutes

Date first visited: 2007-06-17
Date last visited: 2007-06-17

Waterfall Latitude: 42.39743
Waterfall Longitude: -76.56125

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Lower Falls (or Enfield Falls) is the other major waterfall attraction of Robert H. Treman State Park near Ithaca, New York.

As the name suggests, it’s at the foot of the Enfield Glen and there’s a separate car park to easily reach this waterfall.

Enfield_Falls_020_06172007 - Enfield Falls
Enfield Falls

So this path leaves the shady confines of the gorge and tumbles into an open amphitheater baked by the sun.

Considering that it was pretty hot and humid during our visit (and that the plunge pool area at the base of the falls was very large), we could totally envision people coming here for sunbathing and swimming.

We happened to show up fairly early in the morning so that might explain the relative peace and quiet during our visit.

Although there was an option to hike the longer 5.3-mile loop which went through the Enfield Glen passing by Lucifer Falls, we opted not to do that and do it as separate excursions instead.

I’ve seen it said that this waterfall is 70ft tall, but after seeing it in person, that seemed like a pretty generous estimate.

Lucifer_Falls_004_06172007 - Further upstream above Enfield Falls was the Enfield Glen, which also featured Lucifer Falls as well as a pleasant walk within the glen itself
Further upstream above Enfield Falls was the Enfield Glen, which also featured Lucifer Falls as well as a pleasant walk within the glen itself

Nonetheless, the Lower Falls had an unusual convex shape though apparently this might be more common in this area thanks to the weak nature of the underlying rock that comprise the glens and gorges of the Finger Lakes.

Authorities

Lower Falls or Enfield Falls resides in the Robert H. Treman State Park near Ithaca in Tompkins County, New York. It is administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Enfield_Falls_001_06172007 - Approaching the falls
Enfield_Falls_009_06172007 - Julie in front of the falls for scale
Enfield_Falls_012_06172007 - Context of the falls


Heading south out of Ithaca along Hwy 13 (Elmira Rd), look for a turnoff for Robert H. Treman on the right (same turnoff as for Hwy 327). Just as you get onto Hwy 327, there’s another turnoff to the left leading to the Lower Falls.

For geographical context, Ithaca was about 156 miles (under 3 hours drive) east of Buffalo, 167 miles (3 hours drive) west of Albany, or 233 miles (4.5 hours drive) northwest of New York City.

Find A Place To Stay

Direct look at the Lower Falls or Enfield Falls

Tagged with: lower falls, lucifer, enfield, treman, robert, state park, ithaca, western new york, new york, finger lakes, waterfall, swimming, upstate



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Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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