Pinnacle Falls is a 30-foot waterfall on Buttermilk Creek in Tompkins County, New York, in the Northern Allegheny Plateau region. It lies about 1.7 miles southwest of South Hill and roughly 47.8 miles southwest of Syracuse as the crow flies.
At 30 feet it is on the modest side for New York, where the typical waterfall with a recorded height stands around 50.5 feet; it ranks 123rd of 184. It falls in 2 drops.
The Northern Allegheny Plateau is a dissected upland of rolling hills and deep valleys in New York and Pennsylvania, with northern hardwood forest and dairy farms. Creeks cut through layered shale and sandstone in gorges lined with waterfalls, as in the Finger Lakes glens. Buttermilk Creek carries 5 recorded waterfalls; the biggest of them reaches 180 feet.
Tompkins County holds 46 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Shower Bath Falls, is under a mile away. Pulpit Falls, is under a mile away. Buttermilk Falls, a 180-foot slide cascade waterfall, is under a mile away.
Pinnacle Falls is located at 42.4111° N, 76.5161° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. The position was verified on aerial imagery. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.