One of Cornell’s biggest attractions is the gorges. I love hiking the gorges, but I never got a chance to hike the Cascadilla gorge because of the period it was closed last year. Walking the trail with the Director of Natural Areas for Cornell Plantations, Todd Bittner, was a great learning experience. He told us about the gorge itself and the history of the lands relationship with Cornell.

The Cascadilla gorge itself looks a lot different now than it did in 1915, when the gorge trail plan was originally being developed. Todd showed us the actual planning book from 1915, which features pictures of the gorge at the time and records of the construction and funds needed to develop the gorge into a safe attraction. He also told us about the recent renovations that occurred, costing around 2.5 million dollars. Improvements and changes included improving storm water management, improving the stairs and making them look more natural, and elevating the trail. The improvements payed off, and now the trail is safe for hikers as well as safe for the community in terms of water overflow during storms.

Ithaca is really gorges, and this gorge is one of the more iconic features, and I’m lucky that it is open and hike-able during my time here at Cornell!