Watkins Glen State Park NY – Absolutely Breathtaking!

August 2015 — During our stay in the beautiful Finger Lakes of New York we enjoyed several weeks of thrills in August.

We enjoyed watching the Amish families in their horses and buggies and we discovered lots of waterfalls at the south end of Seneca and Cayuga Lakes.

One day we decided to set off and see the mother lode of them all at Watkins Glen State Park. On our way there, we both noticed a waterfall out of the corner of our eye as we zipped by. It was Hector Falls, and Mark brought the truck to a screeching halt so we could see it up close.

What a beautiful waterfall. It is right by the side of the road, and it even slips underneath the highway below a bridge where it stair steps down a series of wide, flat shelves.

Mark spotted a beautiful flower growing in the underbrush too.

When we got to Watkins Glen State Park, the skies began to threaten. But we forged ahead anyway, walking along the Gorge Trail that follows the carvings made by Glen Creek in the soft sedimentary rock. Almost immediately, we found ourselves in a fabulous canyon filled with a pretty waterfall with a stone bridge crossing the creek.

The heavens decided not to spare anyone on the trail that day, and a deluge soon fell. Savvy New Yorkers had come with their umbrellas. They know how unpredictable the weather can be. We had our ponchos, but they were hardly enough, so we hunted for rock overhangs here and there, crowding in with other hikers to find whatever protection we could as the rain fell in buckets.

Now and then the rain subsided and we could make our way further down the trail. The canyon walls fell away for a while and the creek flattened out into a beautiful mirror that reflected the thick green foliage around it.

There were waterfalls everywhere, big and small.

The waterfall at Cavern Cascade was tall and straight. This one was lots of fun because the trail went behind it!

The lush foliage and flat creek lured us forward until the rains came again.

This time it was quite a downpour, but somehow we found a spot to hide and stay relatively dry. Mark looked up and saw some berries hanging on a branch and got the most creative image of them with the rain streaming down behind them.

Once the rains released us — and all the other hikers that had been tucked against the sheer rock walls with us — we followed the trail as it snaked along the most spectacular curves of a narrow canyon.

The rocks had been expertly cut by the creek over millions of years, and small waterfalls fell into crystal pools right next to our path.

If we had been frustrated by the rain two minutes before, we were imminently grateful for it now, because there was no sunshine to make hotspots of light on the rocks.

The dull, flat light created by the black skies was absolutely perfect for our photos.

The heavy downpours made the water run faster too. At Rainbow Falls the thin strand of diamonds falling from the highest rocks was absolutely stunning. We were in awe that Watkins Glen was such a jewel in the Finger Lakes, and my jaw dropped as I saw the photos taking shape on the back of my camera.

Afterwards, flushed with excitement, we stopped for an ice cream cone at the Snack Shack. The rain was still falling, but a little cupola near the state park entrance was a perfect hideaway. We ate our cones in utter contentment. What a special place — and what a special day!

The New York Finger Lakes are a wonderful area for an RV road trip, and Watkins Glen State Park is truly a “must see” destination while you’re there. For RVers headed that way, our links below might help you plan your travels.

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More info about Watkins Glen:

• Watkins Glen State Park – Official Website
• Hector Falls – Directions and info
• Good Sam Club and AllStays lists of RV parks and campgrounds nearby
• Where are Hector Falls and Watkins Glen? – Google Maps

Other posts from our RV travels to New York’s Finger lakes:

• An Amish Farmer’s Auction in the NY Finger Lakes 09/13/15
• A Peek Inside the Amish Farms of the NY Finger Lakes 09/05/15
• Waterfalls, Wildlife & Wineries in New York’s Finger Lakes 08/30/15
• Finger Lakes, New York – Seneca Falls & The Amish! 08/24/15

Places we’ve been that have beautiful waterfalls!

• Fossil Creek Waterfall – A Pretty Hike to a Scenic Cascade 04/14/23
• Waterfalls in Michigan’s U.P. – Tahquamenon, Bond Falls & Black River Jewels 10/05/18
• Huay Mae Khamin – Thailand’s Most Beautiful Waterfall – Mellow Adventures 02/15/17
• Erawan Falls – Jewel of Erawan National Park – with Mellow Adventures 02/07/17
• Grand Staircase Escalante Nat’l Monument – Lower Calf Creek Falls Hike 11/11/16
• Bryce Canyon National Park – “Mossy Cave” – Mystery Waterfall! 10/18/16
• Jasper National Park – Columbia Icefields & Athabasca Falls 07/12/16
• Waterfalls, Wildlife & Wineries in New York’s Finger Lakes 08/30/15
• Shenandoah National Park, Virginia – Climbs & Falls! 06/20/15
• Blue Ridge Parkway (Virginia) – Waterfalls & Rhododendrons 06/18/15
• Waterfalls of the Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina) 06/10/15
• A Jewel of a Waterfall – Great Smoky Mountains National Park 05/12/15
• Agua Azul & Misol-Ha – Waterfall Adventures in Mexico 03/30/12

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