Hiking the Gorge Trail at Watkins Glen State Park: The Most Scenic Hike in New York’s Finger Lakes

Watkins Glen State Park in New York’s Finger Lakes region is a place where nature feels almost unreal. The park is widely considered one of the Empire State’s crown jewel natural treasures. It’s also regularly ranked as one of the best state parks in the United States. We’ve visited many of the best state parks around the nation, and can honestly say, this is for sure one of them. 

With more than a dozen waterfalls, towering cliffs, and a narrow gorge carved by tens of thousands of years of rushing water, the park draws eager visitors from across the country. Whether you come for the celebrated Gorge Trail or a weekend of camping, Watkins Glen delivers an experience unlike anywhere else in the East.

Hiking Watkins Glen Gorge Trail 

We’ve visited the park quite a few times when roadtripping through the area.  Every time, we have to stop and hike through the gorge.  The Gorge Trail is really the heart of Watkins Glen State Park. It’s 1.5 miles one way, but it is best combined with the North Rim or South Rim Trails to make a nice, roughly 3-mile loop. 

You can access the trail at four different points. There is a large parking area near downtown Watkins Glen that is the main entry and exit point. Most visitors start and finish here. You can also start on the opposite end of the trail near the Jacob’s Ladder section.  If you are camping, there is a spur trail that connects to the mile-point bridge. Lastly, you can start near the South Pavilion and the swimming pool. No matter where you start its an incredible experience. 

The last time we hiked the Gorge Trail, my wife and I  started just after dawn from the main entry point. To my surprise, we were not the first cars there, but close. 

Entrance Tunnel, Sentry Bridge, and Couch’s Staircase

The first thing you come to is a tunnel through the stone and a set of stone stairs.  After exiting the tunnel, you cross the Sentry Bridge and start making your way up Couch’s Staircase. Get used to stairs. There are more than 800 of them on this hike. 

Point Lookout

Next, you can see Point Lookout to the right. This is where you start to get a real sense of how spectacular this hike will be, with amazing views up the gorge. As you continue up the trail, the roar of water grows louder, and the gorge narrows, then one of the highlights of the hike, Cavern Cascade, comes into view. 

Cavern Cascade & Spiral Tunnel

Once you see the view, you understand why it’s one of the most photographed spots in the park. Cavern Cascade sends a ribbon of water plunging straight down into a swirling pool. If that is not cool enough, you walk behind the waterfall on the stone walkway before climbing the famous Spiral Tunnel, which was carved directly into the rock in the 1920’s by the CCC. From the tunnel, make sure to stop a moment and look at Cavern Cascade, you can get a great picture here as well with a unique perspective. 

Suspension Bridge Views

Next up, make sure to stop and take a look up.  You are under the Suspension Bridge. It was built in the 1870’s and is more than 80 feet above the ground. If you get on the trail at the swimming pool, you cross and drop down to the gorge. 

Continuing up, you pass the Lover’s Lane access point. The lookout is where tradition has it that you share a kiss with your partner. 

Glen Cathedral

The trail continues up and narrows through the gorge, and you enter Glen Cathedral.  This is where the sun hides and the temperature drops. On hot days, it feels like natural air-conditioning. The darker sandstone and shale walls make for great photography opportunities.  You pass by several smaller waterfalls on your way up to the Gorge’s largest, Central Cascade. 

Central Cascade

At more than 40 feet tall, Central Cascade is perfectly framed by a beautiful stone bridge and flanked on the right by stone stairs. This is a great place to stop and take a few pictures. It’s particularly nice in the fall, when the foliage is changing colors. Once you are done taking the view, you head up the stairs and are treated to an up-close view of Central Cascade. 

At the top, walk across the bridge and take a look back toward the direction you just came. This is another great photography spot. Several small cascades flanked by canyon walls drop like teacups into a calm pool. 

From the view, you hike up the trail on the left side of the gorge until you start to catch your first glimpse of the showstopper of the park, Rainbow Falls. 

Rainbow Falls

In a crown-jewel park, Rainbow Falls is the centerpiece trophy. The view is one of the very best waterfall views, honestly, anywhere. A curtain of water pours over the stone walkway, creating rainbows in the mist on sunny afternoons. The stone bridge, waterfall, weeping walls, and layered rock create one of the most iconic scenes in the Finger Lakes.

Frowning Cliff and Mile Point Bridge

Frowning Cliff, past Rainbow Falls, provides quite the contrast. It’s dark, cool, and rugged. As you continue up the trail, you pass Mile Point Bridge, which, like much of the park infrastructure, was built by the CCC. 

Jacob’s Ladder

Then, before you know it, you are Jacob’s Ladder. Which is nearly 200 steep stairs that lead to the upper entrance. From there.  You can hop on the North Rim Trail and work your way back down to the main entrance parking lot.  Combined, the Gorge Trail loop offers about 2.5-3 miles of unforgettable hiking.

What makes this hike special isn’t distance or difficulty—it’s the constant “wow” factor. It’s dramatic, stunning, and ridiculously photogenic.

Camping at Watkins Glen State Park

For anyone who wants more time inside the park, the campground offers an excellent home base. The campground sits above the gorge in a wooded setting, providing easy access to trails and a short drive to nearby Finger Lakes attractions.

Other things to do near Watkins Glen:

Explore Buttermilk Falls State Park.

See more incredible waterfalls at Robert H. Treman State Park.

Discover beautiful Taughannock Falls State Park.