Watkins Glen State Park in Finger Lakes of New York

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When I hear Watkins Glen the first thing that pops into my mind is NASCAR and racing!  But it turns out the town of Watkins Glen, NY also has an amazing State Park that is well worth a visit.  Actually I think it is way more interesting than auto racing, although my son might disagree.  We visited Watkins Glen State Park recently and spent the day exploring the trails and waterfalls.

Watkins Glen State Park

The Finger Lakes region of New York is well known for all the many waterfalls that can be found. When glaciers covered this area during the last ice age they carved out deep lakes, but many tributary streams were not eroded, so they were left hanging over the lakes, creating waterfalls.

Waterfall at Watkins Glen State Park

Now Watkins Glen State Park doesn’t have one huge waterfall, what it has are many small waterfalls all strung together in a row.  On a two mile trail the glen’s stream descends 400 feet, which generates 19 waterfalls along the way.

And a trail goes right along the glen, so you can walk the entire two miles and enjoy all the waterfalls.  Some of them are big, and some are small, but all together they give you a great appreciation of the power of water to reshape the earth.  The cliffs tower up to 200 feet above the water, and are very impressive!

Creek at Watkins Glen State Park

Towards the bottom of the trail you go through the Cascade Cavern, where you descend through a stone tunnel and come out to a fast flowing waterfall that you have to go under.

Cascade Waterfall at Watkins Glen

The trail is relatively easy to hike, with lots of stairs.  At least during the summer there is a shuttle bus that goes between the top and bottom, so you don’t even have to go both ways unless you want to.

Waterfall under bridge at Watkins Glen

This park is well worth a visit, since it is fun to walk alongside the waterfalls and see how the land changes in only 2 miles.  It is nice to actually walk right next to the stream, since at many places you can’t get this close to the water.  All in all it is a great place to spend the day exploring!

anne

Hi, I’m Anne!

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8 thoughts on “Watkins Glen State Park in Finger Lakes of New York”

  1. Beautiful! I’ve never been to New York, but maybe someday, I’ll get to visit this park – it sounds like a place I’d love to visit. Thanks for sharing.

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