The Genesee River drops 96 feet over the High Falls right in the middle of downtown Rochester — one of the more dramatic pieces of urban geology in the northeastern United States. A pedestrian bridge spans the gorge just below the crest, and on a good day you can feel the mist from the falls while looking back at the city skyline. The surrounding High Falls District has been Rochester's arts and restaurant quarter for decades; the former industrial mills have been converted into studios, galleries, and bars. The gorge trail below the falls descends into surprising wildness — herons fish in the pools, and the stone walls of the gorge are hung with ferns.
Free. Brown's Race area, off Platt Street.