Taughannock Falls Glacial Carved Basin In Winter Stock Photo

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. 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. 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