Buttermilk Falls to Treman Park #53

Saturday 06/13/2026 8:00 am

Hike starts at 8:00am. The hike will have a car shuttle before and after.

Hike rating:

Distance – 9 miles; Terrain – Difficult; Pace – Moderate; Overall rating – Strenuous

Event/Trailhead location:

Treman State Park upper parking lot off of NY Route 327 (click for map).

Hike Leader:
Mary Scott

Contact:

Hike leader contact information will be sent in the email acknowledging that you have registered for this hike. 

Hike Details:

The hike begins at the lower parking lot for Buttermilk Park, off Route 13 just south of Ithaca. We end at the upper parking area for Treman Park.

This is a strenuous 9 mile point-to-point hike with significant steep uphill pitches rated strenuous. Not for newbies.

There is a car shuttle before and after the hike.

This adventure takes us past three of the most significant waterfalls in Tompkins County: Buttermilk, Lick Brook, and Lucifer Falls.

Lick Brook cascades down a steep-sided shale gorge and becomes one of the most beautiful and dramatic waterfalls in the area, 140 feet high. The shale gorge that the creek traverses is the major natural feature of the Sweedler and Thayer Preserves. There are also a fair number of very tall, very old sycamores, hemlocks and oaks at Lick Brook and along the Cayuga Inlet.

The Sweedler, Thayer and Tapan Mitra Preserves are three of 35 preserves and over 27,500 acres of natural area and landscape protected by the Finger Lakes Land Trust in the 11 counties of the finger lakes region.

 

Registration is open!

Register

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Registration Confirmation: You will receive an email if your registration was successful. (Check your spam folder if you don’t find it.)

EMAIL THE LEADER IF YOU WILL NOT BE ATTENDING!  Please be courteous to your volunteer hike leader and fellow hikers by notifying the leader if you will not be able to join this hike.

PLEASE NOTE:

  • Wear weather-appropriate layered clothing, waterproof footwear, and bring rainwear “just in case.” For winter hikes expect temperatures to be colder than in downtown. Always carry water, a snack/lunch, and personal first-aid supplies. Hiking poles are recommended.
  • Wearing permethrin-treated clothes and/or using insect repellents, as well as checking for ticks afterward is advised. Consider using insect-repellent mid-spring through mid-fall.
  • When conditions might be icy or snowy, bring traction footwear devices (Microspikes, Nanospikes, etc.) to the trailhead. If conditions require snowshoes, the hike leader will let participants know beforehand.
  • Always check the website for last minute announcements and possible cancellations. Contact the hike leader if you have any questions.

ALL HIKERS/TRAIL-WORKERS PARTICIPATE AT THEIR OWN RISK
Those persons enjoying the Finger Lakes Trail and/or activities sponsored by the Cayuga Trails Club, or the Finger Lakes Trail Conference, accept full personal responsibility for their own well-being, and for the well-being of a minor when acting in the capacity of parent or guardian. Further, participants understand that hiking, snowshoeing, and trail work are rigorous activities, often conducted in rugged outdoor conditions subject to variations in weather and terrain, and which may involve the risk of injury or death.  Each participant is fully responsible for their own safety and for selecting activities that are consistent with their physical capabilities.

BY CHECKING THE “ACCEPT RISK” BOX BELOW, I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I HAVE READ THE ABOVE INFORMATION AND UNDERSTAND THAT I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MY OWN SAFETY AND AM PARTICIPATING IN THIS ACTIVITY AT MY OWN RISK

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