Seneca Falls & Cascade Falls

Seneca Falls & Cascade Falls in Penn Yan, New York is an easy 2.8-mile out-and-back hike that leads to two waterfalls within Keuka Outlet Creek.

Trails

This hike follows one named trail: Keuka Outlet Trail.

Hiking to Seneca Mills Falls

This hike begins at a main parking lot, located between both waterfalls, along Outlet Road. Hikers will find a trailhead sign for both Seneca Falls and Cascade Falls, also known as Seneca Mills Falls and Cascade Mills Falls, as both waterfalls used to be utilized for long-abandoned mills. To start, this route leads up to Seneca Falls first following the smooth crushed gravel of the universally-accessible pathway. The trail is peaceful and quiet, aside from the sound of the Keuka Outlet Creek flowing nearby. Not long after hopping on the trail, you'll reach the downstream view of Seneca Falls from the trail, around mile 0.3. Here, the route leads off-trail and down to the base of the waterfall where you can get a better look at the multi-tiered waterfall. Seneca Falls drops over two main tiers that forms this 20-foot waterfall. After exploring the downstream view, you can choose to hike to the top of the waterfall where you'll find old machinery (made in Orange, Massachusetts) that was once used to operate the Seneca Mills. From the top of the waterfall, you'll find a different perspective of the cascade and a downstream view of Keuka Outlet Creek.

Hiking to Cascade Mills Falls

After exploring Seneca Mills Falls, the hike to Cascade Mills Falls is straight forward, simply hike back to parking and continue following the trail as it makes its way east toward the next waterfall. The trail, heading east from parking, is less open and not really a universally-accessible pathway as a lot of grass has grown around the gravel. Hikers will eventually reach the 2nd parking lot, located around mile 1.2 at the junction of Ridge Road and Outlet Road. Here, the trail becomes universally-accessible once more and runs alongside the creek to reach the waterfall down trail. Around mile 1.75, you'll reach the top of Cascade Mills Falls where it swoops over a rocky ledge within the creek to form the waterfall at about 7-feet tall. The best view of Cascade Mills Falls is located downstream, where this route turns around, at mile 1.78. The view of Cascade Mills Falls is best seen from here as there are no obstructions looking back upstream.

Hiking Out

After exploring Cascade Mills Falls, the hike back to parking is simple, just head back along the old railroad grade trail (Keuka Outlet Trail) to reach parking for an easy 2.8-mile out-and-back hike.

Universal Accessibility

As of December 2024, this trail is partially universally-accessible. The section of trail from either parking location to reach each waterfall should be considered universally-accessible as it follows crushed gravel along an old railroad grade with no roots, rocks, or steep sections. The only part of the trail that's not universally-accessible is between the main parking listed here and the 2nd parking area as that trail has grass growing on top and feels less maintained than either path out to the waterfalls. Note that the trail leading to Cascade Mills Falls can be a bit muddy in certain areas which may hinder a wheelchair during certain times of the year.

Parking

Hikers will find a medium-sized parking lot at the coordinates provided, located closest to Seneca Mills Falls. The lot is large enough to fit a dozen vehicles as of December 2024. The parking lot at the junction of Outlet Road and Ridge Road, however, is much larger and can fit a couple dozen vehicles.