Taughannock Falls & Ithaca Falls - Ithaca, NY

Taughannock Falls, is a 215-foot plunge waterfall that is the highest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains! Taughannock is of Native American origins. One translation suggests that the name is derived from a combination of Iroquois and Algonquin phrases meaning "great fall in the woods". Another idea suggests that the name may be a Lenni Lenape (Delaware) chief named Taughannock who died near the falls during a battle. In 1874, Professor Jenkins was to cross a 1,200-foot-long tightrope suspended 350 feet above the creek. He was reported to have crossed twice over a couple of days, once while blindfolded and another wearing "Chinese wooden shoes".

Just down the road in the city of Ithaca is Ithaca Falls. The falls are in an amphitheater formed by freezing and thawing of the shale. The pool and creek just below the falls, are a popular spot for fly fishing. From 1880 until its closure in 1987, the Ithaca Gun Company's factory was south of the falls. In the late 90s, environmental testing revealed that much of the soil nearby was contaminated by lead from shotgun testing. A major lead clean-up effort by the US Superfund and the EPA took place from 2002 to 2004. The building was demolished in 2006, and currently luxury apartments are planned for the site.