Introduction

Watkins Glen State Park is a one of the beautiful state parks located in the Watkins Glen village of Finger Lakes region in New York State. It is around 778-acre Park. The park is famous for its scenic rock formations and the 400 feet deep narrow gorge. Glen creek or stream flows through the gorge cutting the rock cliffs. In addition there are several trails and waterfalls that one can enjoy on their visit.

There are 3 entrances to the park namely Main, Upper and South. The Main entrance is located on the NY-14 or S Franklin Street, the Upper entrance is located on the NY-409 and the South entrance is located on Old Corning road.  Parking is limited and is available at all 3 entrances.

There are 3 main trails namely Gorge trail, Indian trail and Southern Rim trail, and 2 others namely Fingers Lakes trail and North Country Trail. Gorge and Indian trail forms one of the loop and can be used for hiking forth and back. The entire loop can be covered in around 2-3 hours’ time including the time to take stops and click pictures.

Gorge trail is the most scenic trail out of the three. It is closest to the stream and to the gorge. Several waterfalls, stone bridges, tunnels and overlooks are located along this trail making it very attractive and photogenic.

Indian trail is an easy trail that runs several feet above the Gorge trail. There are no steep ups or downs on this trail. The trail has few overlooks but the view is not so great when compared to the Gorge trail. The lily pond is accessible from the Indian trail via a suspension bridge crossing over the gorge.

South Rim trail starts from South entrance and is located on the opposite side of the Indian trail along the gorge and ends into the lush forest. Lily Pond is located around the South Pavilion near from South entrance and is accessible from Indian trail and Finger Lake trail too. The North Country trail is a continuation of South Rim Trail and takes one further deep into the woods.

We have visited the park twice so far and thought of sharing our experience in this post.

Visit #1: Enter from Upper Entrance & Exit at Main Entrance

Our first visit was in 2014. We were on a vacation to New York City and had planned to cover the Niagara Falls along with Watkins Glen State Park. We traveled with a tourist group, entered the park from Upper entrance and exited at main entrance.

When entering from Upper entrance which is at an elevation of around 1000 feet, we first get to take the Indian trail which splits after a few feet into Indian and Gorge trail. There is Information center, restroom, playground, snack bar, picnic site, etc at the upper entrance. Whichever entrance you take, if you plan on hiking the loop, we would suggest taking the Gorge trail first as that is where all the beauty of the park lies and all your hiking is worth it. The rainbow falls is around 0.7 miles or 15-20 mins hike and the main entrance is around 1.3 miles 30-40 mins hike from the upper entrance. As we went along the trail and the gorge, we were amazed with the rock formations or cuts formed by the creek.

After around 10 mins hike, we reached the Mile Point and Bridge. It is actually a mile from the main entrance and hence the name. One can also cross the bridge and take the South Rim trail if interested.

Few feet away from the Mile Point is Spiral Gorge. The view of rock formation and the water cascade at this point is unique and one of its kind.

We then continued along the Gorge trail towards the Rainbow Falls. Rainbow Bridge and Fall is a very scenic point located along this trail which one may not want to miss. One has to cross the bridge to continue on the gorge trail. There are 2 drops of water at this point. One formed by Glen creek cascading along the rocks, flowing under the bridge and then falling into a small pool. The other dropping from the cliffs by the side of the trail and joining the same pool. The view is magnificent and worth capturing.  

From Rainbow falls, we kept hiking further up the trail towards the Central Cascade. Central Cascade is another point of interest which has a cascade of water drop located at the center of the gorge and flowing under a bridge. The bridge is part of the gorge trail and one has to cross it to continue the hike. The hike is amazing and one will surely enjoy through the complete trail.

Cascade Caverns and Spiral Tunnel was the next point of interest along the trail. To reach to the Cascade Cavern, we had to go through the Spiral Tunnel which has a series of steps built like spiral shape and ends where the water cascades. The water level is relatively high at this point when compared to the others as the stream flows from a good height down into a pool. People take photos standing close to the falls extending hand towards the water drop.

After taking several pictures, we continued from here towards the main entrance. The view throughout the Gorge trail was amazing and attracts one to take pictures at every turn.

Visit#2: Enter from Main Entrance & Exit at Main Entrance (Loop)

Our second visit was in 2019. We were on a road trip to enjoy fall foliage in Upper Peninsula of Michigan and had planned Niagara Falls, Watkins Glen State Park & other attractions in New York City in our itinerary. We entered the park from the main entrance and hiked the loop back to main entrance.

There was no entry or admission fee to the park but as we parked the vehicle in the designated parking lot, we had to purchase the parking receipt and leave it on the dashboard.

When entering from Main entrance which is at an elevation of around 490 feet, we decided to take the Gorge trail to experience the beauty of the park up until the Mile Point and then take back the Indian trail to return to the main entrance parking. There is a gift store & Information center at the main entrance, snack bar, a model of the park, restroom, etc. The rainbow falls is around 0.6 miles or around 15-20 mins hike from this entrance. You can also take the Indian trail from here and then come back through the Gorge trail.

We started from the trailhead of the Gorge trail, went through a tunnel and then crossed a bridge. While crossing the bridge, do not miss to check out the view of the open gallery of the park’s main entrance along with the Glen Creek from this bridge. Most of the trail was wet and slippery so we had to be careful all the time.

We then continued moving along the trail enjoying the some beautiful views along and made it to the Cascade Caverns. The view was beautiful but the place was crowded. We had to wait sometime so has to have less crowd while taking picture. After taking several pictures, we climbed through the steps of Spiral Tunnel that took us up to some more elevation. We could see the suspension bridge from here that connects the Indian trail to the South Rim / Finger Lakes trail over the gorge.

We kept hiking on the trail towards the Central Cascade where the water cascade is located in the center of the gorge flowing under the bridge. We climbed up the steps and crossed the bridge to continue along the trail. There were also other views of the rock formations and the gorge along our way.

Rainbow falls and bridge was our next stop. As already mentioned earlier, this point offers a magnificent view featuring a water fall dropping from the cliff to the side of the trail and a cascade flowing under the Rainbow Bridge into a small pool.

We then covered the other 2 important points namely the Spiral Gorge and the Mile Point before heading back to the main entrance. While returning we took the Indian trail. One has to climb a few steps from Gorge trail to join the Indian trail. The Indian trail was an easy hike with flat surface and not tiring. On our way, we came across the Suspension Bridge from where you can also access the South Pavilion and the Lily Pond located near it. We went to check out the Lily Pond but there were no lilies though.

We headed back to Indian trail, crossed the Suspension Bridge and moved towards the main entrance. There is a series of steps on has to go through at the end of the Indian trail to get to the main entrance parking.

Suggestions/Tips:

• Be careful while hiking the Gorge trail as some parts of it are wet and slippery
• Use appropriate footwear for hiking
• Keep children away from or being too close to the gorge side of the trail. Keep them towards the wall of the cliffs all the time
•  Take the Gorge trail first than any other trails to avoid losing interest and to help keep excitement growing as you move
• Carry water in case especially if you are planning your visit during summer

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