Glaciers Set the Stage for Cascadilla Creek to Form this Gorge

Cascadilla Creek has been eroding this gorge since the retreat of the most recent glacier over 15,000 years ago. As the glacier advanced, it transformed shallow river valleys into deep and narrow lakes, today known as the Finger Lakes. The streams, including Cascadilla Creek, that once flowed into these river valleys were left “hanging” over the glacially-steepened hillsides. Since then, Cascadilla Creek has been carving a slice into the bedrock of the steepened hillside above Cayuga Lake, forming this gorge.