Fall Edition in New York's best park
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
About the Author
Founder and visual artist, specializing in all aspects of a businesses presence from imagery and video to graphics and web. A graduate of IPFW with a Bachelor in Fine Arts, Concentration Photography as well as an Associates Degree in Business. His personal photography works are focused on landscape, travel, and aerial photography.