Finger Lakes Region

We spent several days in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. It is a beautiful area with so much to see and do. We opted to stay at a campground, Send-Acres Campground, as the weather was still a bit warm and muggy and we wanted to run the A/C. However, there were quite a few Harvest Host sites along the lakes we would have stay at if the weather was cooler.

One of our first stops was a place we went to by accident. We wanted to take the scenic route to Watkins Glen State Park and our GPS took us right by the Taughannock Falls State Park, so we decided to stop and see it.

“Taughannock Falls plunges 215 feet past rocky cliffs that tower nearly 400 feet above the gorge. Gorge and rim trails offer spectacular views from above the falls and from below at the end of the gorge trail.” – NY State Parks

We know it snows in New York and there was a picture of the falls frozen in the winter but it was hard to imagine.

We continued on and saw yet another snow mobile crossing sign. These were all over as we drove around New England, but because it was hot and muggy most of the time we just couldn’t picture this area covered in enough snow to have snow mobile traffic.

We made it to Watkins Glen State Park in Watkins Glen at the southern end of Seneca Lake.

We had already decided to hike Gorge Trail, which takes you up over 800 steps through the center of the gorge. “The park features three trails, open from mid-May to early November, by which one can climb or descend the gorge. The Southern Rim and Indian Trails run along the gorge’s wooded rim, while the Gorge Trail is closest to the stream and runs over, under and along the park’s 19 waterfalls by way of stone bridges and more than 800 stone steps.” – Watkins Glen State Park

“The centerpiece of the 778-acre (3.15 km²) park is a 400-foot-deep (120 m) narrow gorge cut through rock by a stream—Glen Creek—that was left hanging when glaciers of the Ice age deepened the Seneca valley, increasing the tributary stream gradient to create rapids and waterfalls wherever there were layers of hard rock.” – Wikipedia

“The waterfalls of Watkins Glen descend like the steps of a staircase. Level stretches between falls are like stair treads. Three steps and two treads drop through this narrow section of the glen. The steps are Cavern Cascade, Minnehaha Falls and Entrance Cascade. Real staircases take you around the waterfalls.” – Watkins Glen State Park

“An almost two mile hike will take you past 19 waterfalls and up over 800 stone steps.” – Finger Lakes Region Official Guide

“Watkins Glen State Park is the most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks, with a reputation for leaving visitors spellbound. Within two miles, the glen’s stream descends 400 feet past 200-foot cliffs, generating 19 waterfalls along its course. The gorge path winds over and under waterfalls and through the spray of Cavern Cascade. Rim trails overlook the gorge.” – New York State Parks

Halfway up the gorge.

“Compare the railroad trestle that crosses the gorge ahead (see 2nd pic below) with the photograph to the left (pic below). Taken in the early 1900s, the photographs shows three steel towers or piers supporting the trestle. In 1935 a powerful flood washed out the middle pier. The reconstructed bridge you see today lacks a central pier. It has two reinforced piers at each end that permit high water to pass.” – Watkins Glen State Park

We celebrated at the top.

We decided to take the Indian Trail back to the entrance and avoid some of the crowds that were in the Gorge Trail.

It was actually a much easier trail, though nowhere near as scenic as the Gorge Trail.

There were spots where it did overlook the Gorge Trail, however, if you come here and are able to climb the stairs, definitely take the Gorge Trail up. It was soooooo much better.

Watkins Glen is also known to race car enthusiasts. “Watkins Glen International, nicknamed “The Glen”, is an automobile race track located in the town of Dix just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years (1961–1980), but the site has also been home to road racing of nearly every class, including the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Associationand the IndyCar Series.” – Wikipedia

“Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956 a permanent circuit for the race was built. In 1968 the race was extended to six hours, becoming the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. The circuit’s current layout has more or less been the same since 1971, with minor modifications after the fatal crashes of François Cevert in 1973 and J.D. McDuffie in 1991.” – Wikipedia

“Finger Lakes Wine Country, New York is home to more than 100 wineries, breweries and distilleries centered around Keuka, Seneca, and Cayuga Lakes.”

“The Finger Lakes is a world-class wine producing region that specializes in aromatic white varieties like Riesling and Gewurztraminer. The region is also finding exciting success with cool-climate reds like Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir.” – Finger Lakes Wine Country

Some of the wineries also have food. We sat outside one night to eat and enjoyed the view of this guy bobbing up and down between the vines.

Also in the area, horse and buggy signs.

And people driving in a horse and buggy down the same roads we drove.

While in the area we visited another National Park site. “Women’s Rights National Historical Park tells the story of the first Women’s Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, NY on July 19-20,1848.” – National Park Service

Joel also found a museum for us to visit. We are both fans of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life and didn’t realize that it was based on the town of Seneca Falls. The museum is a cute stop if you have some time and like the movie.

We had a really nice time exploring this area and would love to come back some day.