Watkins Glen State Park

This year we discovered Watkins Glen State Park.

I had read about it on several occasions before but we have not really made much of an effort to visit the US in the past five years. So while we were on our way to visit friends in Maine and hike Acadia National Park, we decided to spend a night in the Finger Lakes District and hike this spot. It is only about a three-hour drive from the Ontario border and we included a weekend visit with Tom and Beth in Welland before heading down, so the drive was fairly short.

Watkins Glen State Park Gorge Trail features a series of waterfalls and gorges that are sure to amaze anyone. With spectacular waterfalls, a flowing glen and steep cliffs, a visit here is both a hikers and a photographers dream. The Gorge Trail trail follows Glen Creek, meanders up and down stone staircases and over idyllic bridges and throughout the entire hike, you are rewarded with views of some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Finger Lakes, including the iconic Rainbow Falls.

About The Watkins Glen Gorge Trail

The Watkins Glen Gorge Trail is a 1.5-mile (one-way) trail. This trail has over 800 very well-maintained stone stairs and you certainly don’t need to be an expert hiker for this trail. While climbing those steps may seem daunting, there are so many beautiful views at Watkins Glen that you will be making plenty of stops on your hike and won’t become too tired.

Trail Length: It is a 3-mile hike (1.5 miles each way). We spent considerable time enjoying the beauty of the hike and it took us two hours in total.

Trail Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. The trail tends to be cool and wet. You may get hit by the mist of the waterfalls, and it was a little slippery in a few spots because of the water spray so make sure to wear a pair of shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy. We did not need a rain jacket.

Hiking The Gorge Trail.

There are only two options for hiking the Gorge Trail – up the stairs (the main trail) or along the Indian side trail and then down the stairs. I recommend hiking up from the main entrance and walking up the 800 stairs direction. By hiking in that direction, the waterfalls will be in front of you for the entire hike. This makes for a much more enjoyable experience because as you ascend the stairs, you will be continually rewarded with stunning WOW moment waterfall views, which also gives you a chance to take a break from the stairs.

We arrived just before sunrise, which I highly recommend, and for the first half hour, had the entire hike to ourselves, which allowed us the time to enjoy all the falls without groups of tourists in the photos.

The Gorge Trail begins at the main entrance to the park, and starts at the base of the gorge. It is quite literally in downtown Watkins Glen, and very easy to access. Plus, the gift shop is great, with a lot of cool mementos which help support the park. In keeping with our tradition, we buy fridge magnets of all of our travels.

Upon entering the trail, the views are immediately breathtaking. The Gorge cuts through the centre of the cliffs in a small stream, and the water flows smoothly, cascading over the cliffs.

The trail then follows the gorge and showcases the waterfalls along the way. The beauty and diversity of this hike is astounding and will ultimately lead you to Rainbow Falls, the park’s most iconic and photographed spot.

The entrance to the gorge is a tall, narrow crack and passing through this entry will make you feel like you are stepping into some mythical land. You will see flowing water and a stone bridge overhead, but first, you must climb up a spiral staircase before reaching the Sentry Bridge, which marks your entry into the Watkins Glen Gorge.

From the bridge, you will be able to look directly down to a narrow part of Glen Creek and see how the creek cut through the rocks, creating wave patterns in the stone which seems otherworldly.

We are experienced hikers and I was gobsmacked at the beauty of this place and I can’t imagine how anyone would not be. This is certainly in the Top 5 hikes I have ever experienced and quite possibly, the most beautiful because of how condensed the trail is. You are constantly surrounded by beauty.

Cavern Cascades and the Spiral Tunnel.

Cavern Cascade is a treat to see.  This is one of two waterfalls you can walk behind, made possible by the wearing away of a thin layer of shale rock underneath a tougher layer of sandstone. You can see Yim standing behind it above – so close, you can reach out and touch the water. It has eroded this narrow section of the Gorge and created the deep pools below – and the thin veil-like waterfall falls delicately into the gorge. After walking under it, you will hike up a spiral tunnel that was hand cut in the late 1920s, which in itself is also very cool.

Before you arrive at Rainbow Falls, you will pass by a Suspension Bridge. I’m standing on it in the sequence of photos above. It was built in 1870 and still connects the Rim Trails to this day.

The Narrows and Glen Cathedral

Continuing along the Gorge Trail, you will pass through The Narrows. The Gorge here has its own “micro-climate.” It is shady, cool and very moist most of the time, similar to a rainforest. Plants including ferns and mosses prefer these conditions and thrive here.

In juxtaposition, and just beyond the top of the next staircase is the broad, high Glen Cathedral area. Glen Cathedral is the sunniest part of the gorge. The towering cathedral wall puts you deep inside the gorge. This area is wide and open and may be the only time you feel the sun blazing down at you. This is where you are going to be able to clearly see the remarkable geology of this hike. Horizontal layers of sandstone and shale from millions of years ago, and the ripples in the rocks are really very cool to simply stand and observe.

Central Cascade

At 60 ft, Central Cascade is the tallest waterfall at Watkins Glen State Park. This waterfall is phenomenal, with a stone bridge at the top of it. You can view Central Cascade from every angle as you make your way up the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail stairs and over the bridge.

Once you reach the bridge above Central Cascade, you will see the small plunge pools that flow from Glen Creek to this waterfall. The site of these plunge pools indicates that you are about to reach the iconic spot in Watkins Glen State Park, Rainbow Falls.

Rainbow Falls

This view is one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen. It is the featured post on this story above. The waterfalls cascade effortlessly down the gorge into the emerald plunge pools. It is no surprise why Rainbow Falls is such an iconic spot. It is truly mesmerizing.

Spiral Gorge and Mile Point bridge

While Rainbow Falls is the showstopper on the trail, continue your hike through the Spiral Gorge. You will see more plunge pools and small waterfalls along this portion of the walk. And you will continue to get your workout in with plenty of steps. Each inch of the trail is eye candy, and the Spiral Gorge is no exception.

I really liked this part of the trail because the water was open and there were no barriers. It seemed the most natural section of the trail and the trees, which reached down to the water, were changing colours and added interest to the hike.

Once you reach Mile Point Bridge, you can either turn around to hike back down the Gorge Trail or continue along to Jacobs ladder, which has 180 stone steps and leads to the upper entrance of the trail. There are a few landings to rest at along the ascent (as Yim is demonstrating above) and restrooms in the park at the top. For no other reason that to say we completed the entire hike, we ascended the stairs. That and we needed to use the restrooms 🙂

Returning to the main entrance via the Indian Trail or do we go back through the Gorge Trail?

The Indian Trail follows the North Rim back to the Main Entrance of Watkins Glen State Park. While it is a nice hike, the scenic part of your hike is behind you after you’ve left the gorge. We walked along this path for a few hundred yards and then hiked back down to the Gorge Trail as the Indian Trail was too boring for us.

There is a suspension bridge on the Indian Trail, which offers a view of the Watkins Glen Gorge but we did not take it, preferring to see what we’d just experienced one more time. Hiking Indian Trail back will certainly be the quicker route, as there are not as many people crowding the trail, but as said above, hiking the Gorge Trail is incredibly scenic, so you will surely enjoy the experience of hiking it again.

I said this above but this was one of the most beautiful hikes we’ve ever done and I think the main reasons for that was because we got up early to get there before anyone else was on the trail. When we were returning, there were so many people on the trail that I was getting frustrated. People were simply dawdling along talking about changing engines in the old cars without any regard for the stunning setting right in front of them. Please don’t be like them. Get to this hike early and marvel at what time and geological change can do and feel a part of nature.

I’ve also included a gallery of photos below which are chronological to the trail.