Watkins Glen State Park

The gorge is about a hundred and twenty metres deep, and along roughly three kilometres the stream has cut nineteen waterfalls into shale and sandstone laid down under a shallow sea. The Gorge Trail is the reason to come: over eight hundred stone steps and a path built largely by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, which passes behind Cavern Cascade so you walk under falling water, and through Rainbow Falls where a side stream drops across the path. The rock is constantly wet and the stonework is deliberately rough for grip. The Gorge Trail closes from about mid-October to late May because of ice. Watkins Glen International, the motor racing circuit, is a separate site above the village.

What's there

• Nineteen waterfalls - in about three kilometres of gorge.
• Over eight hundred stone steps - built by the CCC in the 1930s.
• A path behind Cavern Cascade - walking under the water.
• Rainbow Falls - dropping across the trail itself.

When to go

May to October, while the Gorge Trail is open. Two to three hours.

Before you go

The Gorge Trail closes for winter and reopens late in some years. The stone is always wet and slippery. It is a one-way climb with a shuttle or a road walk back. Summer weekends are crowded and the lots fill.

Nearby

Seneca Lake wineries run north; Ithaca and Taughannock are east.

Key facts