A trip to Watkins Glen State Park, NY

Watkins Glen State Park is one of the popular places in Upstate New York  and mainly famous for its stunning Gorge Trail, which is about 2 miles and takes you to the series of beautiful waterfalls and gorges. There are 19 waterfalls and more than 800 stone steps along the trail . The Park is located in South of Seneca Lake in New York State’s Finger Lake region. It is about 5 hours (245 miles) drive from New York city.

This place was in our mind for a long time and we finally made it in this Fall (Oct 2019). Yay!! The State Park is absolutely Gorgeous. The fall colors became even more beautiful with drizzling throughout the day.

What to expect

There are two entrance – Main entrance (aka lower) & Upper entrance. We parked at Main entrance and started the trail at 7.30 am which took us around 3 hours in a slow pace (clicking photos :P) and we finished it by 11.30 am. The park entry is free, however if you visit by car you need to pay parking fee which cost $8 or you can take shuttle service from designated area for $5 person each way. There is a small cafeteria inside the Information centre which serves variety of snacks and beverages.

The Entire trail is filled with beautiful views, with the scenic points marked within the trail. You can grab a map from the Information centre or you can download from here. Below is the glimpse of Gorge trail.

Best time to visit.

We went in Falls and I couldn’t recommend more during color changing season. However, Summers are also good time to visit. The park is open all year around, however trail status is depend on weather conditions and details related to current trail status you can refer to park website.

Know Before You Go

• If you are visiting in autumn keep in mind the temperature can drop anytime so bring layers.
• Since there are many small and large waterfalls so would recommend to bring rain jackets or umbrella.
• The trail is easy, however would recommend to wear steady hiking shoes.
• Bring a water bottle as there is no water Fountain along the way but at the both upper and lower entrance
• There are no restroom along the hike but at the both upper and lower entrance.

Hope this blog inspired you to take a trip to Watkins Glen State park, NY.  Pin it or Bookmark it for your future reference.