A Day Of Chasing Waterfalls Along The Watkins Glen State Park Trails

I am a Taurus, which is an Earth sign – if that actually factors into this current self-reflection I’m having.

Suddenly, I got hit with a flashback. The year was July 14, 2013, and the place was Cappadocia, Turkey. Yes, it was the time I ate that kabab my gut told me to avoid, got food poisoning and was sick for a little over a week. I used the washroom more times travelling through Cappadocia, Istanbul, Athens and Santorini than I did that entire Month.
This single event is responsible for me, several years later, launching the Travel Horror Stories Podcast.  

Somehow, I became anxious about possibly needing a washroom and not being able to find one. Therefore, the thought of hiking was something far removed from my mind as washrooms would be scarce. Yeah, sometimes my stupid thoughts can get in the way of logical thinking but hey, I’m a city boy, so laugh if you must. In fact, when people from the country laugh at people from the city when they come to the country and start freaking out…

It’s me they’re laughing at.

So how did I end up here? Well, two of my good friends and co-hosts of our web series “Wait, What?!” fellow travel blogger, Kevin Wagar from the Wandering Wagars and Kathryn Dickson from Kathryn Anywhere decided to make a pit stop here since it was on our way back to Toronto. We had just left TBEX, a travel blogging conference that was held in Corning, NY and since our web series is about gently pushing each other out of our comfort zone well…here we are!

The History Of Watkins State Park

& The Watkins Glen State Park Trails

In 1924, the first established New York State Parks department in the Finger Lakes Region took over management of the park. Much of the stonework in Watkins Glen State Park was completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, which was active in the park from 1935 to 1941. They built park buildings, trails, stonework, bridges, and many other projects.

How To Get To Watkins State Park

If you’re coming by bus, Greyhound has stations in both Corning and Ithaca and both are approximately 30 minutes from downtown Watkins Glen.

Watkins Glen is easy to get to by car with major highways going around the town. From the North,  Routes 14 or 414 (which follow the west and east sides of Seneca Lake, respectively) from the New York State Thruway. The Glen is about 64 km south of the New York State Thruway (Exit 42 in Geneva). From the South take Routes 15 and 81 to Interstate 86. The Glen is approximately 28 km North of the closest I-86/Southern Tier Expressway Exit.

Special thanks to Brittany, Tourism and Marketing Manager of Watkins Glen for explaining the routes!

Places To Stay Near Watkins Glen State Park

Since I was just passing through I did not need accommodations but did come across these places that would of peaked my interest if I needed to stay

Breakfast

Berta’s Cafe is a well-loved bakery and coffee shop set in an informal old house with beautiful garden and optional outdoor seating. 

This café serves a large selection of locally roasted coffee.  Many of the local eateries and hotels get their bread and desserts from right here. The bakery keeps the café loaded with an assortment of old-fashioned cookies, French-style pastries, and chewy brownies & bars and gluten free & vegan sweets.

I’m only in the area for one day but its good to have options

If you prefer to explore the gorge with a guide, look for posters around the park listing times for tours offered weekly during the summer months.

In addition to Watkins Glen State Park, there are many other outdoor adventures to experience in Schuyler County including the Catharine Valley Trail, Finger Lakes National Forest, Finger Lakes Trail, and Sugar Hill State Forest.

Watkins Glen Cemetery (St. Mary’s Cemetery)

On April 10, 1912, Watkins Glen native Elizabeth Barrett Rothschild and her husband, Martin, boarded the Titanic in Cherbourg, France. A wealthy and childless couple, the Rothschilds were frequent travellers. Little did either know it would be the final journey for one of them.

Martin did not make it alive.

His body was buried in a mausoleum inside this cemetery that was built by his wife for him. 

Rooster Fish Brewing Pub

Formerly known as Wildflower Crooked Rooster, it is a beer garden that serves the best-tasting Nashville hot chicken, bacon mushroom Swiss burger, steak and fries, pickled onion rings, kale salad, pretzel, blackened cod sandwich and more.

Jerlando’s Ristorante & Pizza Co.

Jerlando’s Ristorante & Pizza Co. serves Italian and American selections including a variety of pasta, steaks, seafood, poultry, sandwiches, veal, salads, pizza, wings, and burgers. They serve wines, local and craft beers.

I’m always impressed with what mother nature is able to accomplish with a little water and a lot of time. It’s like watching clay being sculpted into a bowl in slow motion. Amazing!