NILES, N.Y. — Visitors to the Carpenter Falls Unique Area in the town of Niles in Cayuga County are benefiting from a $1.27 million construction project to improve public access at the site. The access-improvement project includes enhancements to “ensure safe and convenient access” to the site’s waterfalls, Basil Seggos, commissioner of the New York […]
NILES, N.Y. — Visitors to the Carpenter Falls Unique Area in the town of Niles in Cayuga County are benefiting from a $1.27 million construction project to improve public access at the site.
The access-improvement project includes enhancements to “ensure safe and convenient access” to the site’s waterfalls, Basil Seggos, commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced.
Funding from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund supported the project, the DEC noted.
Carpenter Falls Unique Area includes “dramatic” steep terrain and waterfalls. The 37-acre property was conveyed to the DEC in 2008 by the Finger Lakes Land Trust.
“Carpenter Falls is one of the recreational, tourism, and environmental gems here in Central New York and DEC is committed to continuing to help improve and enhance the experience for all visitors while also continuing to protect the natural resources of this critical watershed,” Seggos said. “DEC designed the new features and upgrades unveiled today to help increase safety, reduce long-term environmental impacts to the area, and protect water quality in Skaneateles Lake, a popular recreation destination and drinking water source, and we look forward to continuing to work with our partners to build upon this progress throughout the region.”
The new elevated boardwalk and viewing platform are constructed to be accessible to people with disabilities, allowing all visitors the opportunity to traverse through the forest to view the waterfall.
Carpenter Falls Unique Area now offers a new on-site paved parking lot for 20 single vehicles, including accessible spaces, designed with green infrastructure to manage stormwater.
It also offers a new elevated boardwalk, leading 630 feet from the parking lot to an observation platform, accessible to people with mobility impairments.
The project also included an accessible observation platform, where visitors can enjoy a view of the 90-foot-tall Upper Carpenter Falls. The property also has a new trail with stone steps to safely guide hikers down a steep ravine to view Upper Carpenter Falls from a “unique, stream-level vantage,” the DEC said.
