Chapter 19, Watson Glen New York

We stayed at the Watson Glen KOA, a very nice resort type campground with many amenities, including a 35’ tall waterslide and climbing wall, although it wasn’t open yet when we were there. And the best part for me—they served Hershey Ice Cream! We didn’t have a lot of time in this location (only one full day on the ground) and the weather wasn’t great when we arrived—cold, windy, and rainy off and on. Despite these conditions, we walked down to the camp store and got ice cream cones. 😊

The next day, the wind had died down and it was partly cloudy. Our plan was to visit Watson Glen State Park and hike along the waterfalls trail. Originally, we planned to take the dogs for a run at the campground then leave them in the trailer while we went to the State Park as dogs are not allowed in the canyon. But after looking at a park brochure we discovered there were some hikes that allowed dogs on the trails. So we decided to take the dogs on a hike to tire them out, then leave them in the truck while we explored the canyon (it was a partly cloudy, cool day).

We parked at the visitors center and after talking to the ranger, we decided on a route for our hike with the dogs. We started on the south rim trail, climbing a wood and packed earth staircase consisting of 180 steps. We thought we were in good physical condition until we climbed all those steps, and that changed our minds in a hurry! I needed to stop and catch my breath twice on the ascent. The trail itself was pretty, but not spectacular—that experience was still to come! We walked through evergreen forest with dirt and pine needles for the forest floor and views of the river far below. We had a couple of peekaboo sightings of waterfalls—just a teaser for what was to come.

The trail went about a mile and a half before passing the cut across bridge to the north rim trail. We wanted to extend the hike a bit, so we passed this intersection, following the path another half mile or so until it narrowed too much for comfort (tick phobia), passing underneath an old railroad bridge. After turning around, we retraced our steps back to the bridge, crossed, and went back on the other side of the river. We could glimpse parts of the canyon trail below. The trail looped around and rejoined with the south rim trail in a lollipop fashion, so we finished by descending the 180 steps back to the bottom. My legs felt a little like Jell-O at the end.

We dropped the pups off at the truck, then headed for the canyon trail, the crown jewel of the area. We were filled with anticipation, our excitement mounting with each step closer to the trailhead. We’d seen pictures of the canyon, and it looked spectacular! The trail was a mile and a half long, and wove through a very narrow canyon with high rock walls on either side of the raging river.

To say it was beautiful, amazing, awe inspiring, would all be absolutely true, and still would not be good enough to describe the sheer grandeur of what I saw. In fact I don’t have words strong enough to describe the feeling I got going through this magnificent canyon. The paved path followed the river through a series of cascading waterfalls as it made its way downward. There were rock steps ascending and descending along the way challenging our tired legs further, but we hardly seemed to notice as we were so enchanted by what we beheld.

The rock walls lining the path through the canyon, are home to an abundance of ferns and other moisturizing-loving plants that have somehow managed to take root in the vertical rock walls, saturated with dripping water, that make this rugged landscape their home. There were lovely old stone bridges crossing the river in places, and tunnels through the rock that added an element of mystery.

The river became wide and calm as we approached the end of the trail where we encountered yet another long set of grueling stone steps, called Jacobs Ladder, that ascended in a circular fashion to the top of the canyon, ending at the junction with the north rim trail. There’s a gift and snack shop there, as well as bathrooms. We passed this area earlier when we were hiking with the dogs and used the bathrooms. You can also drive to this spot—there’s a paved parking area with a playground and gazebo. People who don’t want hike back can wait at the gazebo for a shuttle that will take them back to the main visitor center.

By the end of the hike we were really tired, and our legs felt like rubber, but our hearts felt full. I would recommend this enchanted place to anyone who loves waterfalls and wants to be inspired by the beauty and splendor of the natural world. Words really don’t do it justice, nor can the many pictures we took capture the beauty that we found here, but they do provide a glimpse of what you’ll find. It’s well worth the trip! Next, we travel to Niagara Falls. We’ll see if that place can knock Watkins Glen out of the top spot for most beautiful place I’ve ever been!