Lighthouse Point Natural Area

Difficulty // Easy

Activities // Hiking, Bicycling, Snowshoeing, Cross-country Skiing

Distance // 0.2 miles

Features // Lakes visible, Scenic vistas, Unique wildlife viewing

Route Type // Out and Back

Estimated hiking time // 4 mins

Open year-round.

Hunting not allowed.

Surface types // Gravel / Stone Dust

Trail markers // none

Cornell Botanic Gardens Lighthouse Point Natural Area is located where the Cayuga Inlet and Fall Creek meet Cayuga Lake. A short trail, accessible through the City of Ithaca’s Newman Golf Course, passes through floodplain forest and marsh on a delta built of sediments deposited by the two creeks at the mouth of Cayuga Lake. This area provides important bird habitat, especially for migrating species, and affords scenic views of the south end of Cayuga Lake. A causeway leads to the Cayuga Inlet Lighthouse, which was constructed in 1917.