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About Watkins Glen State Park
Watkins Glen State Park is a beautiful and picturesque tourist destination for people from around the world. It features amazing waterfalls, a stunning gorge, and hikes that are not super difficult but are well worth it. The area is compared to Lord of the Rings backgrounds. It can be crowded, so visitors should be mindful of busy times. The park offers different experiences across seasons. In winter, the main gorge trail is closed for safety, but the north and south rim trails remain open, are stunning, and are lightly traveled. The park is also great with snow and ice pillars. Other times of year, visitors should plan for a full day to see all the available things. The Catherine Valley Trail is part of the park and a favorite place for many. It offers scenic and private places well-suited for a picnic lunch, with parks and designated picnic tables throughout. The fishing along this trail is notable, with access to creek banks from April through December for pursuing wild trout, though reaching some spots requires going off the beaten path. The park is dog-friendly, requiring dogs to be leashed and well-mannered. Restrooms include composting toilets along the Catherine Valley Trail, though rim trails may lack facilities in winter. Some visitors note an issue with garbage on the trails. Despite seasonal closures, it is an amazing place that calls people back again and again.
Spectacular and Awesome views!! The hike through the gorge is breathtaking!!
March 2026
We were there in March when it was closed but enjoyed it immensely anyway
March 2026
Beautiful disappointed the big waterfall was closed off bc of ice. One of the park people told us it was all closed but yet when we finally got around to go down when she left tons of people were down there so why she told only us that the trail and falls were closed was extremely rude.
