A Nice Tourist Spot

Watkins Glen - Must See for Nature Lovers

Watkins Glen State Park is one of the most picturesque places in United States. It is about 250 miles north west of New York city and is located outside the village of Watkins Glen, south of Seneca Lake which is the westernmost of the Finger Lakes in Schuyler County  The park's lower part is close to the village of Watkins Glen, while the upper part is open woodland. Jacob's Ladder, near the upper entrance to the park, has 180 stone steps, part of the over 800 total on the trails.

The centerpiece of the park is a 120 metres deep narrow gorge cut through rock by a stream – Glen Creek – that was left hanging when glaciers of the Ice age deepened the valley, increasing the tributary stream gradient to create rapids and waterfalls wherever there were layers of hard rock. The rocks of the area are sedimentary of Devonian age that are part of a dissected plateau that was uplifted with little faulting or distortion. They consist mostly of soft shales, with some layers of harder sandstone and limestone.

The park has three trails – open mid-May to early November – by which one can climb or descend the gorge. The Southern Rim and Indian Trails run along the wooded rim of the gorge, while the Gorge Trail is closest to the stream and runs over, under and along the park's 19 waterfalls by way of stone bridges. The trails connect to the Finger Lakes Trail, an 1280 kilometre system of trails throughout New York state.

The park has comfortable camping sites, as well as picnic tables and pavilions, food, playground, a gift shop, pool, dump stations, showers, recreation programs, tent and trailer sites, fishing, hiking, hunting and cross-county skiing. The park is open year-round, but not all facilities are available at all times.

Here are some pictures: