About this spot
Potter's Falls is a 25-foot cascade on Six Mile Creek in Ithaca, within the city's water-supply watershed, and is a well-known local swimming and sunbathing spot despite swimming and jumping being officially prohibited there. Documented culture centers more on swimming/sunbathing than on named cliff jumps; the more established jumping spot locals reference is downstream at the Upper Falls Reservoir, a separate location. Enforcement is inconsistent -- rangers pass through occasionally but the ban is real and citable.
Safety first. Cliff jumping is inherently dangerous and can cause serious injury or death. Conditions — water depth, submerged hazards, and access — change constantly. CliffScout is community-sourced reference information, not a guarantee a spot is safe. Always assess the conditions yourself before jumping, and never jump where you're unsure. You assume all risk.
