Chittenango Falls

Chittenango Falls is located about halfway between the towns of Chittenango and Cazenovia in Madison County, New York. From US Highway 20 in Cazenovia, turn north onto Route 13 and continue for just under 4 miles to the entrance to Chittenango Falls State Park. The viewpoint at the top of the falls is less than 100 yards from the parking area, but the best views of the falls require following the loop trail down several flights of stairs into the gorge to the bridge crossing the creek downstream of the falls, a total distance of about two-tenths of a mile.Chittenango Falls is one of the largest waterfalls to be found in western New York State, in terms of combined height and volume. The falls occur where Chittenango Creek plunges over the Onondaga Limestone escarpment, spilling 130 feet in two steps into a large amphitheater. The upper tier of the falls drops almost vertically for 74 feet, and averages between 50 and 75 feet in breadth. The creek pauses on a short ledge and then drops an additional 56 feet over the lower tier in a stairstep formation, spreading out across the wider lower shelf to as much as 135 feet in width at peak flow. Commonly the falls are cited as falling 167 feet, however upon our survey of the falls in May 2018 we found that figure to be about 35 feet too liberal, and could not establish a reasoning as to why such a discrepancy may have cropped up in the first place. Chittenango Creek drains from a large basin, covering 58 square miles, and is partially and primarily sourced in Cazenovia and Tuscarora Lakes. The large basin size and the two large lakes which feed into the creek ensure a strong flow of water is present at the falls throughout the year, but the season-to-season variance in the volume of the creek can still be considerable, with peak flow of around 250 cubic feet per second usually occurring in March and April, and baseline flow of around 30 cubic feet per second typically occurring in August and September. Thanks to its large drainage basin, Chittenango Creek has occasionally swollen to impressive sizes as well. In 1972 thanks to the heavy rain produced by the remnant of Hurricane Agnes, the creek ballooned to a staggering 5,200 cubic feet per second in volume.