Emilie Jonas Falls

Take Route 34 north from its junction with Route 13 in Ithaca for 4-1/2 miles, then turn right onto East Shore Circle, just before the Gulf Creek bridge. Continue just 700 feet down the road and watch for a small grassy pullout on the right which marks the trailhead. The trail crosses through tall grass between two agricultural fields, and shortly enters the woods where a sign marks the Emilie Jonas Falls Nature Trail. The trail traverses steeply down the side of the gulf and winds down to the base of the falls in about one-quarter of a mile. Do not continue downstream along the creek from the trail, as the landowner has not granted a public right-of-way beyond the Emilie Jonas Falls trail system.Emilie Jonas Falls is the uppermost and largest of at least four major waterfalls found in the gulf of Gulf Creek as it descends to Cayuga Lake, as well as the only waterfall which is currently readily accessible to the public. The falls drop a total of 107 feet in two steps, the first drop veiling over a very scenic 96-foot fall which tapers to a series of stairstep ledges at its base, and the second drop cascading another 11 feet down a ramp into a small pool just downstream. During periods of lower flow the upper falls split into two segments, with the water intermingling with the block-shaped bedrock joints in increasingly fascinating ways as it falls. During the spring freshet, expect the falls to appear fuller across its entire breadth, and probably less accessible up close as well. During the dry periods of the year, if the falls aren't entirely dry, expect to see one side of the falls reduced to just a stain on the cliff. As of 2013 this waterfall has been made accessible to the public thanks to a community-constructed trail built by volunteers in conjunction with the town of Lansing. The falls and trail are located entirely on private property, but a public easement exists to ensure access for all. Please be on your best behavior when visiting the falls, so access is allowed to continue in the future. Gulf Creek drains from a basin which covers approximately 5.2 square miles, and features mostly farm land, with some swamps intermixed. The small drainage ensures the stream will be greatly reduced in volume during the summer months without prolonged or heavy precipitation, and it should be expected that the falls will dry out entirely without rain to keep the ground water level high enough. When we surveyed the falls in May of 2018 its flow was still good, but it was definitely slowly working its way to a summer trickle.We've seen the name Shin Falls attached to a waterfall on Gulf Creek in the past, but it isn't clear if that name was meant for another waterfall further downstream, or this waterfall. When the trail to the falls was constructed and opened in 2013, the falls were formally named after Emilie Jonas, who moved to the area and ran a prosperous farm next to the falls with her husband until passing in 1940. Her family still owns the property around the falls.