Watkins Glen State Park

About this place

Watkins Glen State Park is a state park in the village of Watkins Glen, south of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York, about 34 km in a straight line west of Ithaca. It first opened to the public in 1863 and has been a public park since 1906. The centrepiece of the roughly 3-square-kilometre park is a 120 m-deep narrow gorge cut through rock by Glen Creek. The creek was left hanging when Ice Age glaciers deepened the Seneca valley, steepening its course and creating rapids and waterfalls wherever there were layers of hard rock. The park is also known for the man-made stone walls and arched bridges along the length of the glen. The Gorge Trail climbs stone steps and paths cut into the rock, passing behind and beneath waterfalls and through small tunnels between walls banded with thin layers of sedimentary rock. The falls pour into clear green pools, arched stone bridges cross the water, and the whole scene feels like a passage between stone and water. Entry is free, and the trail usually opens from spring to autumn and closes in winter because of ice. There are many steps and the ground is wet and slippery, so wear good shoes, and early mornings are quieter.