The Watkins Glen Gorge Trail: 19 Different Waterfalls on One Epic Hike in Watkins Glen State Park

The Watkins Glen Gorge Trail in Watkins Glen, NY is one of the best ways to set eyes on the diversity of Watkins Glen State Park, which is widely considered to be one of the most picturesque in the US. Wind through, over, and under waterfalls on this unforgettable hike.

Watkins Glen State Park offers truly unique views to visitors.

When I first visited the Finger Lakes back in 2017, I knew about the multitude of wineries and breweries, but I didn’t know that the area was so much more than just wineries. I’ve been actively exploring the region for many years now, and I often think about what places have this magical tendency to just leave you standing there, mouth agape.

Throughout the region, there are no shortage of waterfalls and gorges that can do just that, but I’m hard-pressed to think of a place that’s more remarkable and otherworldly in its beauty than Watkins Glen State Park, and more specifically the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail.

If you’re an active traveller who loves and appreciates the outdoors, then visiting Watkins Glen State Park is a must for your Finger Lakes itinerary. Not to mention, after you’re done hiking, you can spend some time in the ever quaint town of Watkins Glen.

Personally, I’d recommend grabbing a bite and a beverage at Graft Wine + Cider Bar, then walking down to the harbour which sits at the bottom of Seneca Lake. You can walk right out to the famed red Seneca Lake structure at the end of the dock. Pro tip - this is especially worthwhile right at sunset.

About Watkins Glen State Park

Watkins Glen State Park is the most famous state park in the Finger Lakes, and for good reason. In fact, it wasn’t all that long ago that a USA TODAY reader’s poll had Watkins Glen State Park as one of the top state parks in all of the United States.

Interestingly enough, it’s located not far from the edge of town, which makes it mighty easy to visit Watkins Glen and Watkins Glen State Park in one fell swoop.

The highlight of the park is the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail which follows the glen’s stream through the cavernous interior, and offers picturesque views at almost every turn.

Recently, I was doing some reading on the park from a Geological level (through Parks NY), and I found this particularly fascinating: “the water flowed south prior to glaciers coming through this area, but now it flows north. Glen Creek flows north into Seneca Lake, reaches the Seneca River and flows into Cayuga Lake, continues on the Seneca River and meets up with the Oswego River. The Oswego River runs into Lake Ontario and eventually the St. Lawrence River takes it the rest of the way to the Atlantic Ocean. A single drop of water spends about 18 years in Seneca Lake, and it takes about 25 years for a drop of water to travel from Glen Creek into the Atlantic Ocean.

We have a north-south running lake, so therefore we have an east-west running gorge. So, we have a south facing side that is warm and sunny, and a north facing side, which is cool and shady. This creates different ecosystems on each side, with visible differences in plants and amount of vegetation.”

The Cavern Cascade & Sentry Bridge.

Key Details About Watkins Glen State Park (FAQ):

The park is open year-round from dawn to dusk.
The North and South Rim Nature Trails are open all year, but the Gorge Trail typically closes in early to mid-November. It then reopens each spring, usually in late May. Take note of that if the primary reason for your visit is to hike the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail. Camping season tends to open again in May as well, by the way.
There’s an accessible olympic sized swimming pool on-site that’s open in summer months, and also pavilions that are for rent if you’re hosting an event. I’m told there are two pavilions on offer, with a maximum accommodation of 122 people. If you want to spend even more time here, there are rustic cabins available for rent. If you have further questions about any of that, you can give them a shout at +1 607-535-4511
Parking is available on-site and, at the time of writing, it costs $10 per vehicle.
There’s a shuttle that runs between the Main, South, and Upper entrance and costs $6. It runs on weekends from late May until early July, daily from July 4th to Labor Day, and then weekends only one again until mid to late October.
The official address is 1009 N Franklin St, Watkins Glen, NY 14891

Hiking the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail

It’s hard not to be happy when you’re hiking here.

This trail, as I alluded to above, is absolutely spectacular. As Parks NY says so aptly, this trail has a way of:

“…leaving visitors spellbound. Within two miles, the glen's stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. The gorge path winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade. Rim trails overlook the gorge.”

The trail itself is about 2.5 kilometres in length (1.5 miles). I love hiking, so I decided to walk the entirety of the trail there and back and, according to Strava, that was a total of 5.46 kilometres (3.4 miles) that I did in about an hour and ten minutes. For clarity, I hiked from the Main Entrance all the way to the Upper Entrance, and then back.

I can see that there was a 400 metre elevation gain, and that’s due to the several hundred stone steps that I encountered. There’s about 800 steps that you’ll encounter on the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail.

You’ll want to arrive at the Main Entrance, where the Watkins Glen State Park sign, bathrooms, information about the park’s geological history, and gift shop are. From there, it’s a matter of heading up the stairs and getting rolling.

Highlights of the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail:

I’ll list the highlights in the order that you’ll come across them, assuming you’re leaving from the Main Entrance.

Sentry Bridge: If you look carefully, you can see a flume hole in the rock, and that’s where water was once diverted to a mill in the 1800s (which used to stand where the Visitor Centre does today).
Couch’s Staircase: A little over 100 stairs to tackle, and no shortage of greenery, especially ferns.
Point Lookout: This is the first point where you’re going to recognize just how sculpted these rocks area, and you’ll probably begin to recognize what a treat hiking the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail is going to be.
Cavern Cascade: This is one of the highlights of the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail, without question. You’ll walk behind a rushing waterfall, then up a spiral tunnel that was hand cut in the late 1920s.
Suspension Bridge: It was built in 1870 and still connects the Rim Trails to this day. It stands a cool 85 feet up in the air, so you’re not going to miss it.
Lover’s Lane Lookout: A little poured concrete lookout that has a reputation for being a spot to share a romantic moment with a partner.
Glen Cathedral: This is a place where you’re going to be confronted with the remarkable geology of this hike. Horizontal layers of sandstone and shale from millions of years ago, and the ripples in the rocks that are a photographer’s dream.
Central Cascade: Welcome to the highest waterfall in the gorge!
Rainbow Falls: No, this isn’t a level from Mario Kart, it’s where, on a sunny afternoon, the light tends to hit the waterfall in such a way that it bursts alive with a variety of colour.
Frowning Cliff: Rainbow Falls gets sun, and Frowning Cliff usually does not. You’ll also likely notice that it lacks plant life that you can find elsewhere on the trail. A fitting name then for this section!
Mile Point Bridge: This was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps after some brutal flooding in the mid-1930s.
Jacob’s Ladder: The name given to the nearly 200 stairs that bring you to the Upper Entrance.

You can find the full map that I screenshotted right here, and download it before your hike. You’ll notice that the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail isn’t the only trail. There’s signage at the state park, so it’s not too hard to navigate, but if you can use that map to also see where the North Rim Trail, South Rim Trail, and Lover’s Lane go exactly.

As you might imagine, the Rim Trails are atop either side of the gorge. That being said, if you haven’t been here before, I’d start with the famed Watkins Glen Gorge Trail.

Some Epic Watkins Glen Hiking Awaits!

I quite literally travel the world looking for places like this - places that humble you, that take your breath away.

It’s a place that I could hike every single morning, and still find inspiration on day 1000. That, in the end, is what makes me so keen to write about it, to ultimately help you on your journey, and to help you create new, worthwhile memories in places that you might not yet have on your radar, but absolutely should be.

I want to humbly thank Madden for hosting me as media. All opinions are completely my own.

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