Watkins Glen Waterfalls

Height: 10-60 feet
Trail Type: Stone
Hike Distance: 2 miles round trip
Difficulty: 7
Beauty: 10

Overview:

Watkins Glen State Park in Watkins Glen, New York, claims dozens of waterfalls, though many are nothing more than a short drop. There are at least five significant waterfalls – Entrance Cascade, Minnehaha Falls, Cavern Cascade, Central Cascade, and Rainbow Falls. Each falls is unique and follows the gorge trail, a stone path that follows the gorge and the creek that runs through it, sometimes going inside the rock wall to help you ascend upstream. 

Directions:

Watkins Glen State Park is located right in the middle of Watkins Glen, New York.

Hike Description:

The trail begins at the bottom of the gorge and stays flat to the Entrance Cascade before cutting into the rock wall and climbing to a bridge over the cascade. A little farther down, you’ll come to Minnehaha Falls and the Cavern Cascade. The trail curves behind the Cavern Cascade and into the rock wall, up a spiral staircase, and continues a slow climb to the Central Cascade. After another bridge over the creek, you’ll climb some more to Rainbow Falls. This is the last major falls on the trail and you could turn back from here. In all, the park claims there is over 800 steps on the trail, but I don’t think it’s that many.