Americas Destinations

Through fairy tale lands in Watkins Glen, NY

August 3, 2017
Watkins Glen gorge trail

Guys, I hope you’re not tired of waterfalls yet! There’s more to come but it’ll be the last one for now – promised 😉 Our last stop of our upstate road trip took us back to the Finger Lakes region, not far from our first spot Ithaca. This time, however, we stayed closer to the lake and further from any big towns. It was the perfect place to relax after visiting comparably busy Niagara Falls. Although this area is famous for its vineyards and wine tasting, all we needed was the view of Seneca Lake, a fire place and some comfort food in the village of Watkins Glen. Except for a glass of local white wine, we pretty much left anything behind that had to do with wine (maybe because I’m so used to wine culture in Vienna/Austria?) – something I have to catch up on a later trip! Just for the records, New York is the second largest producer of wine after California!

Anyways, the main reason why we even stopped in there was the Gorge Trail of Watkins Glen State Park. It’s one of NY’s prettiest state parks, boasting with waterfalls and fascinating gorges. It was another hot and sunny day, so we headed there early to beat the heat and the crowds and soon we entered a magic forest you’ll imagine from the story books. Seriously, if unicorns and fairies exist – this is how the place must look like where they live.

The path leads through the narrow gorge and over several bridges below and above dozens of bigger and smaller waterfalls, creating a unique, mystic atmosphere. Water also has shaped these interesting rock formations, exposing different layers of it. If nature didn’t form this fantastic landscape, someone would have to make it up! I won’t be saying much else and let the photos speak for themselves 😉

Where to stay:

For a small town, there’s certainly no lack in accommodation. As we were looking for something more budget friendly, we found the perfect place to stay at the Lakeside Resort. The property has a huge lawn with a fireplace and lake view, cozy rooms and complimentary breakfast for a very good price. Click here to book.

Useful information:

Watkins Glen makes a perfect weekend destination from New York and the drive of about 5 hours might be just manageable for a short trip. The state park is open year-round, however the conditions of the trails should be checked in advance here. There is plenty of parking, restrooms, snack bars and even a swimming pool! The gorge trail is an easy hike that will take you 2 to 3 hours to complete at a comfortable pace (round-trip). You can take the pretty but less spectacular Indian trail back that goes above the gorge.


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Explore more of New York State:

Niagara Falls – More than just a waterfall

Ithaca – New York’s gorges college town

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17 Comments

  • Reply Paleica August 4, 2017 at 2:22 am

    <3 *.* deine bilder sehen irgendwie anders aus als sonst, aber ich mag sie sehr! das sieht alles super toll aus – was mich dran erinnert, dass ich seit ewigkeiten mal eine klammwanderung machen will! wer kann denn jemals genug von wasserfällen haben 😉 ?

    • Reply sileas August 7, 2017 at 3:51 pm

      Juhu, dir ist es aufgefallen! (Und von niemand Anderem hätte ich es mir mehr erwarten können ;)) Du hast Recht, ich habe mich lange mit unterschiedlichen Filtern gespielt. Da die Sonne ziemlich stark war, sind die meisten Fotos sehr hart und kontrastreich aufgrund der vielen Schatten – irgendwie habe ich versucht, den Kontrast raus zu nehmen und ich fand dass der Retro Touch ganz gut passte. Ich hoffe das kommt auch ein bisschen rüber 😉

      • Reply Paleica August 8, 2017 at 2:23 am

        tut es – und es ist sehr schön 🙂

  • Reply SueT唐 梦 琇 August 5, 2017 at 8:32 pm

    Never tire of waterfalls and these photos don’t disappoint Julia. Stunning!!!

    • Reply sileas August 7, 2017 at 3:52 pm

      Thank you Sue! It just happened that I got to visit so many waterfalls recently…

  • Reply Sanne August 7, 2017 at 3:15 pm

    It really looks stunning. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Indiana Jones or Gandalf in these surroundings. PS: I love your Swedish backpack:)

    • Reply sileas August 7, 2017 at 3:54 pm

      Absolutely! Hehe, yeah it turned out to be my favourite backpack at the moment 😉

  • Reply PinaySkattebasse August 7, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    Not tired with waterfalls! Looks like fairytales, yes. 🙂 But I am also up for some wine-ing! 🙂 Love your photos! 🙂

    • Reply sileas August 9, 2017 at 5:41 pm

      Thank you! I hope you get to enjoy some good wine again soon 😉

  • Reply Tay August 8, 2017 at 11:16 pm

    I was waiting for you to post about this after seeing it on your ig story. I’m putting it on my list of “places to go soon”!

    • Reply sileas August 9, 2017 at 5:42 pm

      Haha I’m glad you did 🙂

  • Reply Christina August 9, 2017 at 9:08 am

    tired of waterfall pictures? keep them coming! 😀 and I wasn’t expecting New York to be the 2nd largest producer of wine after California, good to know 🙂 Were there many people on the trail while you were there? Looks like a truly relaxing place to be!

    • Reply sileas August 9, 2017 at 5:48 pm

      Yes I didn’t know that either before I went there. It became quite busy on the trail actually, but still very relaxing indeed!

  • Reply Phototravellers.de August 10, 2017 at 12:40 pm

    Oh, das ist ja ne tolle Schlucht! Da könnte man als Fotograf Stunden verbringen 🙂 Gut gelöst mit der Bildbearbeitung übrigens 🙂

    Liebe Grüße
    Flo

    • Reply sileas August 11, 2017 at 9:30 am

      Oh vielen Dank! Es war eine ziemliche Herausforderung 😉

  • Reply Charles Ravndal August 14, 2017 at 2:02 am

    So beautiful! I’m always fascinated with waterfalls. I find them quite majestic. When I hear about NY, I always envisioned a big city since I tend to forget that NY is also a state 🙂 Next time we’re in the area we will definitely take the time to explore the nearby areas not just the city.

    • Reply sileas August 26, 2017 at 7:53 pm

      That is true. NYC is quite overwhelming, so I can’t blame you 😉

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