Colleagues highly suggested Buttermilk Falls State Park as my next destination after last week's hike at Watkins Glen. So with some sunshine in the forecast and my camera in-hand, I set out to the south side of Ithaca to see what all the fuss was about!

Much like the week before- I was not disappointed after my arrival and subsequent adventuring on the gorge trail. The initial falls are visible from the main entrance and it's a towering mess of rock and falling water, but as you traverse up the hill along the trail and wind farther and farther back, it just gets better and better.

The smaller swimming "pools" between several sets of waterfalls were popular spots for many people to cool off and take a breather from the countless sets of stairs along the trail. I will definitely be headed back soon with no camera and a pair of swim trunks!

Here's a few photos from my afternoon hike at Buttermilk Falls State Park today. Cheers!

The view of Buttermilk Falls from the footbridge that leads to the gorge trail.

The scattered cloud formations looked like reflections of the rippling water crashing down the rocks of the waterfalls.

I don't like giving photos titles, but "tranquility" fits this photo well.

For as much moving water as there is in the park, the small ponds are very peaceful and still.

I love imagery with moving water and a slow shutter speed. Luckily for me, this waterfall was tucked away in some shade which allowed me to use this silky-smooth technique.

This is the same waterfall as the photo above, but with a higher shutter speed and a much wider crop to show the path and the countless stairs!

Buttermilk Falls State Park is gorge-ous! (Sorry, had to. Again.)

I love the way the light kisses the water on the left and lets the color shine through the dark gorge.

Every few hundred feet there was a new waterfall with different characteristics from the last one.

I love how the water has carved its way through the rock and created these perfect water ways.

A set of smaller falls feeding into a deeper pool.

Nice to see green trees and blue skies again after a long winter!

There were several popular areas for people to get into the water and cool themselves off.

If I didn't have a backpack full of camera gear, I would have followed her in! Be sure to check out the last image in the blog for a special surprise!

This was a popular swimming spot with a fairly deep pool and some nice shade.