The water from a number of small streams tumbles over the limestone of the Onondaga escarpment at Three Falls Woods, carving out a notch in the rock and forming the three namesake waterfalls. This action is probably very similar to the early formation of Chittenango Falls, also on the Onondaga escarpment, to the east. The soluble limestone along the scarp is filled with numerous sinkholes, caves, and a complex underground drainage network, forming what is known as karst topology - a unique canvas upon which the beautiful Three Falls Woods ecosystem is built. The NY State DEC has categorized portions of Three Falls Woods as a State Critical Environmental Areas in  2005 and 2009, paving the way for it becoming protected land.

Although Three Falls Woods is privately owned, a compact between the owner and the town allows for multiple uses of the land for the public, at least for the time being. A few years ago, the owner submitted plans to the town and village of Manlius to subdivide the entire lot and add 180 houses, with a commerce center and senior living areas directly above the waterfalls.

A group of concerned citizens has formed the Manlius Greenspace Coalition, a 501(c)3 tax-deductible nonprofit organization in an attempt to stop the development of this unique area that will be forever destroyed if these plans are allowed to go forward. We urge you to get involved in any way you can in making your voice heard about protecting this beautiful area. You can help with a quick, tax-deductable donation or by helping to create awareness.

Beyond the coalition, there is a push towards making wooded expanse from Three Falls Woods to Clark Reservation State Park a new "Onondaga Escarpment Nature Corridor" which would connect the areas and allow hiking from one place straight through to the other. More information about it can be obtained here.

More moderate and longer trails, that wind through the woods and climb to the top of the escarpment, are available by walking directly into the woods from where you parked your car. There are beautiful trails that crisscross the entire area and can be used for mountain biking as well. You could easily spend a day in here going through grasslands, secondary forests, and numerous ravines.

Over the years erosion has opened up fissures in the limestone bedrock, creating what geologists call clints and grikes (large blocks and sizable cracks in layman's terms). The large blocks of limestone tumble from the escarpment cliffs and litter the gully below the escarpment. Pieces of the limestone have been quickly colonized by many beautiful mineral-loving mosses and ferns, of which there have been over 65 species identified.

The area was used in the 1800s as a rock quarry to build the Erie Canal. Many firing kilns that were used to make the necessary materials for the canal are still there today. Not too far from the area in Chittenango, Andrew Bartow came across a natural limestone cement rock that became instrumental in waterproofing and mortaring the canal walls and locks to prevent degrading. Today, massive limestone quarries can be found to the west of Three Falls Woods towards Jamesville.

Many of the trails in the area are all bridle paths for horses that were used to train the newly created State Police force in the early 1900s. There are also numerous moss covered stone walls that are remnants from a time when the place was used as a pastured and mixed farming area.