Watkins Glen State Park is where things went off the rails for us on our Road Warrior Trip (quite literally). Pulling in after a long drive from Gettysburg National Battlefield, it was nearing 5:00 p.m. on a weekend. We easily found our spot and, after some negotiation, backed into the generous clearing. As we pulled the king-sized bed on “Shirley Jean” – SNAP – one of the wheels popped off the rails, and our bed was now unattached on one side, floating while a large piece of metal stuck out in an entirely different direction.
In moments like these, the weight and responsibility of parenting becomes heavy. The intensity of everything in life is leveled up when others are relying on you not only for accommodations, safety, and food but also information on how a well-adjusted adult should react to a world full of challenges.
If this bed break happened when just Mr. Family Trip and I were cavorting around the country, the potential solutions would have felt easy: a cheap hotel room or a cheap tent at Walmart for one night. But with rain sure to come in and a family of four (with a dog), life’s options were more limited. Every decision meant more.
We managed, of course. Mr. Family Trip applied elbow grease and some stubbornness to make our camper inhabitable (and comfortable) for two more nights, even keeping us dry through the storms.
Rolling out of Watkins Glen two nights later, we acknowledged we were hobbling along and our ride to Niagara Falls was dominated by conversations about our next best step.
Our entire trip to Watkins Glen was tinged with a bit of panic and frustration. But that did nothing to minimize the enjoyment we found in this New York State Park.
New York DELIVERS when it comes to state parks (not just the Niagara Falls one, but another one I’ll be posting about soon, so stay tuned).
Watkins Glen is a fairy realm. While packed with summer crowds, we got up and out early and had a lovely time staring up at the gorge’s walls.
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About Watkins Glen State Park Campsite
We found the Watkins Glen State Park campsite to be lovely. The check-in desk staff were kind; ice and firewood were easy to get; help when our camper was broken was also easy to come by (even if they couldn’t do anything but nod in sympathy).
There was so much activity, so many people, at this campground but we still felt worlds away from it all … until people came walking through our site to head to the bathrooms.
The whole park is only 778 acres, which is fairly small for a park, and it has over 300 campsites.
Once parked at the campsite, we found it easy to get everywhere we wanted to go by hiking, including the Gorge Trail.
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While Watkins Glen campground has over 300 campsites, they are usually all booked months in advance for summertime. This park is incredibly popular. When we made reservations for our trip over three months in advance, most of the campground was booked.Â
Once we were set up, we had more space and relative privacy than at any other campsite since our stay in Mount Rogers Recreation Area years ago.
The only downside, as I mentioned, was people walking through our campsite a lot – a LOT. The pathways to the bathrooms were inconveniently located for those sites, and walking by our campfire while we were toasting marshmallows seemed less problematic to them than the extra 200 steps I guess. (New Yorkers: tighten up!)
There is an Olympic-sized swimming pool at the park that is available to both the general public and campers for a fee.
Hiking the Watkins Glen Gorge
Watkins Glen State Park is one of the most popular state parks in the United States, with over one million visitors a year. Since 2011, it has seen a 99% increase in the number of tourists visiting.
The reason for the throngs (which no doubt social media has helped inflame just as we surmised with Devil’s Bathtub) Â is the 200-foot cliff face and the 18 waterfalls, all within a two-mile walk. This place is gorge-ous (of course that pun had to happen).
The Gorge Trail is a total of 1.5 miles one way. It does not loop. If you want to make this a loop, you’ll have to add in Indian Rim or South Rim Trail, which can add another mile-plus. The Rim Trails meander through woods, making them less exciting than the Gorge Trail, but they are also far less busy.Â
A good map of Watkins Glen hiking trails is available online here.
There are quite a few stairs on the Gorge Trail, some counts have it at over 830 stone steps. For most people, the direction they choose to walk means the Gorge Trail ends with a stone staircase called “Jacob’s Ladder.”
At the top of Jacob’s Ladder, there is a parking lot with a concession stand, selling ice cream and other fun treats. A company offers a shuttle for $6.00 per adult, taking visitors around the Gorge to different parking lots. Many choose to jump on the shuttle after ascending Jacob’s Ladder and return to their car via wheels.
Because of how wet everything gets, Watkins Glen Gorge Trail closes to visitors once temperatures hit freezing and stays closed for the winter months. The state park remains open, but visitors cannot walk the Gorge Trail.
What to do in Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen township is at the end of the gorge, on the opposite side of Jacob’s Ladder. But you’d have no idea the natural wonder is there unless you walked in, it is so delicately hidden.Â
We trekked into downtown Watkins Glen out of necessity. We needed some camper equipment and tools from Walmart. Surprisingly, our time downtown was a highlight of the trip.
Home to a famous NASCAR international racing track, Watkins Glen also sits at the tip of one of New York’s famed Fingerlakes. It was a crisp, crackling, sky-blue day when we visited. It felt magical.
We enjoyed a local brew at Horseheads Brewing, which sits off a dock on Seneca Lake and boasts some of the friendliest staff I’ve ever encountered (their hospitality was genuine).
We walked along the water’s edge, we found a diner (Art & Nancy’s), we went in search of bagels and doughnuts. And while we never saw a racetrack, we were impressed by this quaint area.
We were pretty wounded road warriors at this point, tired and no longer able to trust our home on wheels. While Watkins Glen didn’t try to fix us (like Niagara Falls did), we still managed to find a wonderful campsite, a towering gorge dripping water, and friendly people who made us forget our problems. In Watkins Glen, the road warriors in us were reminded that the battle to be out there was worth it. Every mile.
- For more on the Watkins Glen Campground, visit newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/watkins-glen-state-park/
- Watkins Glen State Park information is parks.ny.gov/parks/watkinsglen