Watkins Glen State Park - Camping and Hiking

In 2015, Watkins Glen State Park was chosen from more than 6,000 state parks across the nation as a nominee in the USA TODAY Readers' Choice Poll for Best State Park in the United States, and won third place! - NYS Park - Watkins Glen State Park

Indeed, it is a beautiful park, and you will find a lot of posts and articles about the falls and gorge trail to explore it so I will focus on the hiking and camping part of this park.

Rainbow Bridge and Falls

The Falls.  

There is not one towering waterfalls in Watkins Glen State Park like in Taughannock Falls State Park.  It has 19 waterfalls, generated by the glen's stream descending 400 feet past 200-feet cliffs.  All these can be viewed and enjoyed in the Gorge Trail, a 1.5 mile trail from the start / Visitor Center, where the Main Entrance is,  to the end / Jacob's Ladder, where the Upper Entrance is. 

author's comment - 19 waterfalls? really?

The Trails.  

The park has 3 major trails, and similar to Taughannock Park, they have been named North Rim Trail (Indian Trail), South Rim Trail, and Gorge Trail (was this planned? or just a coincidence?).  The most popular trail is the Gorge Trail because it traverses the stream where visitors enjoy different views of different falls.  This trail gets busy and crowded almost everyday it is open.  This is a 1.5 mile trail from start to finish.  Most visitors take it to the end, and take the North Rim trail back to the start / main entrance.  

Both the North Rim (1.1 miles) and South Rim (1.8 miles) trails are wooded trails - not much to see, but enough to explore to have a quiet walk back to the start.

A view of park's main entrance and path

A cairn village on the North Rim / Indian Trail

The camp.

The park has a big campground, with loops named Villages!  I stayed in Seneca Village, the farthest loop from the campground entrance.  

I had a quiet site, with no camp neighbors.  The site was wet because of today's rain.  I set up my Kamp-Rite tent cot and drove back to the South Pavilion parking lot to do a short exploration.  I just did a very short hike before going back to my campsite, and enjoyed a quiet dinner before calling it a day.

A quiet campsite by the woods

Tonight's dinner?  Ramyeon Noodles!

Morning sex ?  In my car ?!?!

Breakfast

The next day, I had my breakfast and broke camp early.  I drove back to the South Pavilion parking lot and started my hike from here, taking the Couch's Staircase to the main entrance to fully experience the Gorge Trail hike to Jacob's Ladder.  The sun was out, and so was the huge crowd of visitors.  Took the North Rim trail back to the start, exploring the connecting short sections back to the Gorge Trail.

Rested a bit at the parking lot after the hike, and decided to have the late lunch on the road.  Again, on to another wander - Letchworth State Park.

Pictures From The Gorge Trail

My Reviews.

Disclaimer. These reviews are based on my preferences and capabilities, which may be different from yours. These are just for references and guidance. 

Campground. 

As I have said earlier, the park has a big campground, with loops named Villages. The sites are big, wooded, well-spaced, and fitted for RVs, trailers, and tents.  It also has rustic cabins for those who prefer this type of accommodation.  The bathrooms are also clean and well maintained, with flush toilets and hot showers. 

Six Nations Campground

A clean campground bathroom

Hiking Trails. 

The park's hiking trails are all relatively easy trails, with the Gorge Trail getting the most crowd (and the views).  It is best to fully experience the Gorge Trail from the main entrance to the end at the upper entrance, and enjoy a leisure hike back using the North Rim / Indian Trail.  FYI - pets are not allowed on the Gorge Trail.

This is a very good park for families with kids to experience the outdoors.  My recommendation is to book a camp,  arrive early to set up your camp, and either do the hikes late when the crowd has dispersed a bit, or early the next day, again to get a head start with the crowd.  You may also explore the village proper for more activities and good dining options.  For me, a quiet stay at camp, listen to birds, and commune with nature is enough.