Trails: Gorge and Indian Trails
Hike Location: Watkins Glen
State Park
Geographic Location: Watkins Glen, NY (42.37511, -76.87351)
Length: 2.5 miles
Difficulty: 8/10 (Moderate/Difficult)
Date Hiked: July 2013
Overview: A lollipop loop with lots of stone steps featuring
many waterfalls.
Directions to the
trailhead: The entrance to Watkins
Glen State Park
is located in downtown Watkins Glen 6 blocks south of the intersection of SR
414 and SR 14. Park in the large
blacktop parking lot at this entrance.
The hike: If you
like the rounded look of the ridges in the Finger Lakes region compared to the
more angular look of those to the south, you can thank the set of glaciers that
covered this region a few thousand years ago.
As the glaciers plowed across New York,
they scraped the tops off of the ridges and scoured the valleys, creating the
north-south finger lakes we see today.
As water ran off the ridges into the new lakes, deep east-west gorges
were carved out of the glacier-transformed terrain.
The
east-west gorge called Watkins Glen was noted for its scenic value early on. In
1863, the gorge was purchased by Morvalden Ells, a journalist from Elmira,
and opened to the public as a resort.
The land was purchased by New York
State in 1906, and the area has
been operated as a state park ever since.
The park features a 302-site campground, a gift shop, a shuttle bus
service that takes visitors to/from the park’s two entrances, and several miles
of trails. Three trails explore the
gorge itself: the Gorge Trail through the belly of the beast, and the South Rim
and Indian Trails on the rim. This hike combines
the Gorge and Indian Trails to tour the gorge both from within and from above.
Before we
start, I have one warning about this park: it is VERY popular. Indeed, on summer weekends all parking lots
regularly fill to capacity, and the first mile of this hike on the Gorge Trail
can feel as busy as the New York Thruway.
You can try to minimize the crowds by coming first thing in the morning
or during the off-season, but there is no escaping this park’s popularity.
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| Trail enters first tunnel at trailhead |
Begin at
the rear of the parking lot where the entrance path climbs some stone steps to
the right of Glen Creek
and narrows to enter a tunnel. Both of
the tunnels at Watkins Glen are artificially illuminated, so visibility is
never a problem. On the other side of
the tunnel, the waterfall show begins as you pass the first of the glen’s 19
waterfalls.
After
crossing Glen Creek
on a bridge, ignore Couch’s Staircase as it exits left and climbs toward the
south rim. At 0.2 miles and after
climbing some more stone steps in the gorge, you reach Cavern Cascade. This waterfall derives its name from the very
narrow cave-like gorge at its base. The
trail actually passes behind this waterfall, giving you the odd opportunity to
look down the gorge through a wall of water.
 |
| Cavern Cascade |
Past Cavern
Cascade, the trail climbs a spiral staircase through Spiral Tunnel, the second
tunnel on this trail. After exiting this
tunnel, Cliff Path enters from the right.
Cliff Path is the last route down from the Indian Trail, and therefore
this intersection marks the beginning of the loop portion of this hike. Water always takes the easiest route down, so
usually the best choice at this type of decision point is to climb on a
creekside trail and descend on a rim trail.
Therefore, this route will stay on the Gorge Trail for the climb and use
the Indian Trail and Cliff Path as the return route.
The glen
widens slightly above this junction, and a suspension bridge goes from rim to
rim over your head. More stone steps
will require your energy to climb, and Ansel Adams wannabies may slow your
steps further as they block the trail to line up the perfect photo. After passing The Narrows, Lover’s Lane
enters from the rim. You next enter tranquil
Glen Cathedral, one of the creek’s widest and calmest sections. Interpretive signs tell of the wet and dry
microclimates that exist within the glen as they compare the habitats of The
Narrows (wet) and Glen Cathedral (dry).
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| Central Cascade |
Just shy of
0.5 miles, the creek’s mellow section abruptly ends at Central Cascade, another
ledge waterfall where water tumbles over a more resistant layer of shale. After climbing still more stone steps above
the waterfall, the trail crosses the second bridge over the creek and passes a
section of creekbed that features a large number of potholes, evidence of old
waterfalls that have now eroded away. At
0.6 miles, you walk behind
Rainbow Falls,
noteworthy because afternoon sunlight reflects in the waterfall to form
rainbows.
Past Rainbow
Falls, the trail crosses the final
bridge over Glen Creek
and, 0.9 miles into the hike, passes through Spiral Gorge. Spiral Gorge is another very narrow section
of the glen with numerous potholes and scenic waterfalls. Just shy of 1 mile, ignore a cross-trail and keep straight to continue upstream along the creek.
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| Potholes in Spiral Gorge |
Past the 1
mile mark, the crowds thin because the tightest part of the gorge and all of the
major waterfalls are behind you. At 1.2 miles, you reach the base of Jacob’s Ladder, a steep 180-step stone staircase. This staircase is your route to the rim, so
take your time climbing the steps. All
of the park’s stone steps were built by the CCC in the 1930’s, and their
efforts make our tour of the gorge much easier.
As you ascend, notice the active railroad trestle that stretches across
the gorge straight ahead and above you.
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| Jacob's Ladder |
1.4 miles
into the hike, you reach a trail intersection on the glen’s north rim where our
return route, the Indian Trail, exits to the right. Turn right to begin the Indian Trail. Having just gained over 500 feet in elevation,
most of it on steep stone steps, the gradual downhill on the smooth dirt Indian
Trail is welcome. Wire mesh fencing
prevents you from falling in the gorge on the right.
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| Starting down the Indian Trail |
Several
side trails exit right into the gorge, and some overlooks give you the topside
view of Watkins Glen. Truth be told, you
can see much less from the rim than you can from inside the gorge. Near 2 miles into the hike, you pass St.
Mary’s Cemetery and an old pink maintenance building on private land to the
left. Please respect private property
rights and stay on the trail.
At 2.4
miles and at the bottom of a steep descent, you reach the north end of the
suspension bridge across the glen. This
hike does not cross the bridge, but walking out onto the bridge gives a nice
view directly up and down the glen.
Staying on the north rim, another 0.1 miles of downhill hiking brings
you to Point Lookout. Point Lookout sits
at the end of the rim and offers a fantastic view east to the glen’s mouth, Seneca
Lake, and beyond.
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| View from Point Lookout |
At Point
Lookout, the trail curves 180 degrees to the right and makes a final descent to
intersect the Gorge Trail, thus closing the loop. The crowds greet you as you reenter the glen,
but turning left and walking 0.25 miles mostly down stone steps will return you
to the lower parking area and complete the hike.
