We visited Ithaca as part of Big Trip #5 in August 2026. 

I’ve been intrigued by Ithaca since I was a kid and saw “Ithaca is Gorges” on a bumper sticker at home in Virginia. I don’t know if it was the thought of dramatic nature or the wordplay that appealed to me more, but it has always stuck with me.

So obviously Ithaca would play a big role in our trip through New York to Ontario. We scheduled four nights… and ended leaving after one! What? I’ll explain below; basically we loved the parks but didn’t love the city, so we relocated to a nearby town we liked better.

From Rickett’s Glen, it was an easy two-hour drive to Ithaca. We were nervous about crossing into New York with the Airstream because we’ve gotten into trouble driving on the wrong roads in that state before, but traveling farther west of the I-95 corridor was much less traumatic.

Campground

We stayed in Treman State Park, 1000 acres of beauty and peace where you can hike or bike from your campsite to your heart’s content. After at first being dismayed at the mud in our site and the lack of Starlink connectivity, we fell in love.

Treman is a fifteen-minute drive into town, or a little bit more to Cornell. Most campsites have no hookups, but there’s a section in the middle with power and less tree cover for probable Starlink availability.

Hardier souls (meaning J, not me) can go for a dip in Treman’s swimming area below Lucifer Falls, regarded as one of the most scenic swimming holes in the US. The 64 degree water didn’t stop the crowd lining up for the diving board, J included. I put my feet in and it was COLD! Dogs aren’t allowed here, but otherwise Treman is very dog-friendly.

Hiking

The gorge hike in Treman is very popular, and for good reason. We were up early to miss the crowds, and hitting the trail at 7:30 meant we only saw a few other people. The narrow sandstone and shale gorge with waterfalls around every turn is glorious, and the engineering of the trail and steps is mesmerizing; we felt like we were in Game of Thrones or something.

We recommend you walk uphill on the Gorge Trail and then loop back around on the Rim Trail, for just under five miles. That way you’re staring at the many waterfalls the whole trip up rather than looking back over your shoulder, and then you get to finish with a quiet walk through the wood away from the crowds.

After lunch, we headed to nearby Buttermilk Falls State Park for another gorge – rim loop hike. This hike is much shorter than Treman, under two miles, and also wonderful.

When you pay for parking or camping at a New York state park, you are granted free admission to any other state parks for the same days. Thanks, New York!

Exploring, drinking, eating

Town and campus

Ithaca sits on the southern end of Cayuga Lake, the longest and second largest of the glacially-carved Finger Lakes. Its maximum depth is 435 feet! The lake is surrounded by history, parks, agriculture–including wineries, especially to the west between Cayuga and Seneca Lake–and small towns (Seneca Falls at the north end of the lake was the model for Bedford Falls in It’s a Wonderful Life), and is a popular boating and watersports destination.

Downtown Ithaca has a four-block pedestrian shopping area called The Commons, which we were excited check out but then underwhelmed by as we walked around. It’s probably more fun during a festival or on a pretty Saturday evening, or maybe we just missed something.

Just around the corner from the end of The Commons, Aurora Street is home to Restaurant Row, with a variety of ethnic restaurants and some outdoor seating. The restaurant we tried was a dud and we headed home without much enthusiasm for the city.

The next morning, while J had a zoom meeting at a coffee shop (Qahwah House, a Yemeni coffee house near the university, which J though was great), Tilly and I explored the Cornell campus. It’s pretty, perched high on a bluff over the Cayuga, and crossed by a couple gorges, of course. But architecture-wise, it’s not a stunner.

Beer

J listed twelve Ithaca-area breweries from his research, and we prioritized two for our evening in the city. Others we’d get to later from out next stop.

Liquid State Brewing Co was first, on the edge of downtown. It’s dog friendly indoors and out, and we sat on a little side patio with Tilly. My sour was tasty.

Personal Best Brewing has a big yard for dogs (or kids) to spread out, and we liked the outdoor scene here better than the patio at Liquid State. J preferred his IPA here to Liquid State, but my sour wasn’t as good.

Food

Revelry Yards was our pick for dinner based on healthy-seeming menu items, outdoor seating options, and an attached microbrewery. Everyone was very nice there… but unfortunately our experience wasn’t the best.

After dinner we went home to consider our options and decided to move on from Ithaca to a smaller town where we could still experience the Finger Lakes, but with more charm and quirk. Watkins Glen fit the bill perfectly and we loved it!