[GaliWalker]

Aug 15, 2010: Watkins Glen

Waterfall heaven! I’ve had my eye on this place for some time now, but the long drive (10+hrs round-trip) from Pittsburgh to the Finger Lakes region of New York State took a bit of effort…but boy, was it worth it! Watkins Glen is a narrow gorge, located at the base of Seneca Lake. It’s about 2mi long, chock full of one waterfall complex after another. Every little nook has something to see. It is popular though; I was there at 8:00am and there were already quite a few people in the gorge. If you haven’t been there, and are in the area, this place is a must visit. Without further ado, here are the pictures... Gorge...

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Nooks and cranies...

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[SeanSullivan86]

Cool place, I walked through there two years ago while going to school in Ithaca.

[Sore Feet]

I'd really like to get there as well. For that long of a drive, I hope you at least spent the night in the area and saw some of the other waterfalls around. The Finger Lakes area is absolutely loaded.

[Paulie59]

Great pics! Beautiful. You know, when I lived in New York I used to go to the Watkins Glen race track to watch the Formula 1 race that was held there each year as part of the Grand Prix circuit. I had no idea of the actual 'Watkins Glen' until now!

[GaliWalker]

[GaliWalker]

[Paulie59]

GaliWalker wrote..

[GaliWalker]

This site has the original track layouts. Before I explored the gorge I drove around in search of the track and saw some crude signs indicating that I was following the "international" circuit. The original 1948 map shows that I drove about half the course.

[Scrooge]

When I was a kid, we lived about 50 miles from Watkins Glen, so we went there pretty frequently on our 'Sunday drives'.

Nice, although the falling water did look quite different, 60 years ago. Unfortunately, my hiking trail standards are based om what I grew up with in New York State Parks, solidly engineered, often paved with flagstone and bordered with rock retaining walls. I always have trouble understanding why our great waterfalls aren't blessed with the same kind of water-hugging masonry masterpieces that grace New York State. Sore Feet is right: there are lots more waterfalls in the Finger Lakes region, particularly around Ithica. In fact, there are three or four falls right on the Cornell campus that are worth a visit.

[Paulie59]

Interesting....thanks! Looks I was there at the 'Third Course'.

[red hat guy]

Robert H. Treman State Park in Ithaca has some really cool gorges and waterfalls. Also, Letchworth State Park near Geneseo (dubbed the "Grand Canyon of the East") is very nice.

[iron]

great stuff gali. been awhile since you've posted; i was starting to get worried. i really like 5: the explosion of the falls striking the water is awesome. also, 12 is clean and elegant. nice!

[GaliWalker]

Thanks iron (and everyone else). No need to get worried, I'm still here. I'm just trying to be a bit more selective with the trip reports.

[Magellan]

Stunning images Galiwalker. You are giving me a hankering for some east coast exploring.

[D. Inscho]

Fine camera work, great sensitivity to light. It looks as though it was a cloudy day? I'm from the area and visited early July. Your Ohio pix inspired me to re-visit the Ithaca (Treman & Taughannock SPs) area to try to capture some of that sedimentary geology and sensuous water carving through it. Result? I'll leave that to your capable lense. Thanks!