Watkins Glen State Park

Watkins Glen State Park is an 800-acre New York State Park in Schuyler County near Lake Seneca.  Glen Creek winds through the narrow gorge of Watkins Glen, dropping 400 feet over about 2 miles with walls nearly 200 feet high on its way to the lake.  The Gorge Trail leads through the glen on a beautiful stone path with staircases, bridges and tunnels.  In addition to the glen, the park has a large campground, several other hiking trails and an Olympic-size pool.

Contact Information:

1009 N Franklin St

Watkins Glen, NY 14891

Phone: (607) 535-4511

Directions:

From Elmira, head north on NY-14 north for about 5 miles and turn left to stay on NY-14.  Drive another 15.0 miles and turn left into the parking at the park.

Map:

Points of Interest:

There are numerous waterfalls on Glen Creek as it drops through the gorge.  The park claims 19, but I think that's a stretch.  I found 12 named waterfalls and three unnamed (as far as I know) waterfalls.  Click here for a hiking guide to the 15 waterfalls.

Cavern Cascade:

Cavern Cascade is a free-falling waterfall.  The Gorge Trail leads behind the falls.

Central Cascade:

Central Cascade is located about half way through the gorge.

Diamond Falls:

Diamond Falls is a small waterfall past the suspension bridge.

Entrance Cascade:

Entrance Cascade is the first waterfall as you enter the glen with Sentry Bridge running over it.

There is another unnamed waterfall just upstream.

Glen of Pools:

Glen of Pools is a small waterfall into sculpted pools below Rainbow Falls.

Glen Omega Falls:

Glen Omega Falls is a small waterfall above Pluto Falls.

Mile Point Falls:

Mile Point Falls is just below the Mile Point Bridge, but there is no easy way to get a good view.

Minnehaha Falls:

Minnehaha Falls is a small waterfall that drops into a heart-shaped pool.

There is an unnamed waterfall just below it, though it's hard to get a picture of.

Pluto Falls:

Pluto Falls is upstream of Rainbow Falls.

There is a seasonal unnamed waterfall tumbling down just downstream of Pluto Falls with the trail going behind it.

Rainbow Falls:

Rainbow Falls is a beautiful tributary waterfall that tumbles into the gorge at Triple Cascade.

Triple Cascade:

Triple Cascade is a waterfall in three sections at Rainbow Falls.

Whispering Falls:

Whispering Falls is a waterfall below the Suspension Bridge.  It is hard to see from the trail and easiest to see from the bridge looking down.

Blog Entries:

03-Sep-2021: Watkins Glen

External Links:

NY State Parks website: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/142/details.aspx