We enjoy checking out new places to explore, and after a trip to Western New York, we decided to check out a place that was supposed to be a source of natural travertine, at Ilion Gorge.
We parked where the road is marked is closed, just off the main road. Many years ago, the county closed Jerusalem Road (Co. Rd 16) because of repeated flooding and other issues. You can find this spot right where Jerusalem Hill Road meets Route 51.
There was a small spot for maybe 1-2 cars.
To the right of the “ROAD CLOSED” signs, there are some shorter guard rails that we climbed over.
While the road is very overgrown, there is definitely a path along the road.
And while there is a path, it is not maintained. We went after some rain and almost gave up after encountering some serious mud, but persevered.
Some spots were much better than others, like this stretch of clear road.
The path meanders along a stream, and as you get to an area with more substantial water, the road was washed out.
We did find some pieces of travertine after looking around the waterfall area.
We haven’t had a chance to polish our pieces yet, but it was interesting to find some naturally occurring travertine.
The place itself looks amazing, I would love doing hiking there.
Looks like such a cool adventure. That river is so beautiful!!
So cool! My kids would totally love to go on a treasure hunt like that! They just like a reason to get dirty.
Looks like so fun, and Travertine is pretty! I’d love to see how it looks once it’s cleaned and polished.
Oh my gosh, how fun! What beautiful finds and what a gorgeous hiking spot! I can’t wait to do stuff like this with my daughter!
Looks like so much fun!
I have collected here for 10+ years. This is a incredibly dangerous location with a high chance for someone being killed here eventually due to the overhang (where the ore vein is located) collapsing. It would be a instant death. I almost broke my leg here simply climbing the hill side and having the shale slide out from under me. Be very careful if you take your kids here. This is also a NO CELL SIGNAL ZONE. so if you get hurt, you need to be able to get yourself or the hurt person out to your car (half mile hike at least) on your own and then drive a few miles before you can even call 911. If your by your self, ask yourself how far can you drag your self just using your arms… Then keep in mind that ilion doesn’t exactly have a world class hospital, so if its really serious your looking at a helicopter ride to Utica.
Dangers aside this is a great hike and amazing for mushrooms and wildflowers.