A Week in Watkins Glen

It has been a perfect week of waterfalls, wine, kayaking, camping, and a boat cruise. Watkins Glen has a lot to offer a variety of people. Though we didn’t partake, this week we could have also enjoyed Six Hours at the Glen, the Watkins Glen Grand Prix. We didn’t know this would be going on this week and it certainly impacted the noise level and traffic in the entire town.
We stayed at Clute Park and Campground for a few reasons: (1) we wanted to be at the center of town to be able to bike, hike, and kayak from our campground without driving, (2) we wanted to be within walking distance of the lake, and (3) we wanted full hook-ups since we would have our trailer here for a full week. For those reasons, we loved the location of our campground.
But with all of the pros, we gave up much of what we love when we camp at a state/national park. We gave up privacy as they pack people in this campground tight! Our neighbors to our left were literally eating breakfast right under our window, our neighbors behind us shared an electric/water spicket with us, and then there was a baseball field less than 20 feet from our rig. We were packed in for real! We also gave up trees, this campground is like one giant parking lot. But Seneca Lake is directly across the street so there is that, and we hiked, biked, kayaked, walked to our dinner cruise, and played in the lake all without moving the truck. It’s what we wanted so we can’t complain (too much).

If you love waterfalls, you must visit the Finger Lakes. Watkins Glen State Park has 19 waterfalls alone. But you have to be ready for people – lots and lots of people! We tolerated the people (and the over 800 steps!) to see these gorgeous waterfalls but we were more than thrilled to hike the next day at Robert H. Treman State Park because there were a lot less people on the trail. This state park has 12 waterfalls and you can actually play in the water here. We climbed almost as many steps, enjoyed less people, got to play in the water to cool off, and just had a much better experience. The coolest feature of the park (and were you find most of the people) is their “swimming pool” which just looked like something out of the 1920’s. People sitting on rock walls, diving in to the deep waters next to a waterfall, and just enjoying this nature-made gem.  We highly recommend Robert H. Treman State Park!

The last gem of the week was a hidden trail with 5 waterfalls on the North Country Trail in the Excelsior Glen. We had heard about this area before but couldn’t find the falls. Fortunately, our kayak guide Paul of Seneca Lake Kayak pointed us in the right direction and we enjoyed this hike on our last morning in Watkins Glen.

We had a fantastic time in the Glen. It was hot this week but the gorges, waterfalls, and a beautiful lake kept us cool!