Watkins Glen in Upstate New York

Prepare to be amazed by my favorite park in New York - Watkins Glen State Park. It is one of those absolutely magical places that cannot be easily compared to anywhere else, where every twist and turn takes you on a stunning journey to more and more amazing views.

TLDR: Be amazed in 60 seconds by the stunning views of Watkins Glen.

I traveled to this location during a 22-day road trip across Northeast America (read about that full trip here). It was one of the first stops in the trip, and it became difficult to dethrone its beauty.

If you only had time to visit one park in Upstate New York, this is 100% the one to pick. The trail itself is nearly all stone, which is carved and built right into the gorge as it winds through and around. At times, the trail goes behind waterfalls, over incredible stone arch bridges, and cuts through caverns. Be prepared for stairs, as there are plenty of them!

The main destination, for me, was Rainbow Falls. This is their most iconic spot and I fully understand why. The stunning aqua blue water carves into the terraced rocks, creating circular buckets of water while the deep gorge surrounds you and fall leaves litter the ground as they fall from above. Everything about this spot will have you mesmerized.

Let me give you just a taste of what Watkins Glen is all about:

Main iconic spot at Rainbow Falls

Journey through the gorge

Tiny cascading falls everywhere

One of three stunning stone arch bridges

Endless stairs!

Right at the beginning, your first stone arch bridge!

Loving the layers of rock here

A tall waterfall that you walk behind

Under the stone arch bridge is this stunning view

From the bridge, this is one of the more magical spots

Stunning tiers of falls carving curved shapes into the rocks

The main spot again (vertical)

Almost at Rainbow Falls

Even the little details can be stunning

One of the paths that go through the caves

Layers of rock covered in fall leaves lead to this waterfall

Fall leaves everywhere

The third stone arch bridge right by Rainbow Falls

Fun paths carved right through the gorge

View looking back from the 3rd stone bridge towards Rainbow Falls