Watkins Glen State Park is home to one our favorite hidden gem photo spots in the entire US – Rainbow Falls. Kristen grew up in western New York and we spent our covid lockdown year in the Finger Lakes, so we’ve hiked the mesmerizing gorge trail more times than we can count. One thing we can tell you for sure is that walking through this genuinely postcard-perfect place never gets old!
In this guide we show you how to hike the incredibly scenic Watkins Glen Gorge Trail to Rainbow Falls, based on our experiences.
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Our Experience
We’ve hiked through the narrow stone gorge during the day once and for sunrise a bunch of times on trips in summer and fall. All the photos in this guide were taken by us on a sunrise hike we did on a weekday morning in October 2022 when the gorge was empty. And our photo of Rainbow Falls was published in Gestalten’s Great American Road Trip, which was pretty cool!
Look, this is one of the most photogenic places we’ve visited and we’ve been traveling since 2018. It’s not the easiest place to get to, but the Finger Lakes is a lovely region to visit for hiking in gorges, relaxing by lakes and sampling delicious wines. If you have any interest in photography or unique scenery, you’ll love the Watkins Glen gorge trail. Read more about us.
What Can You Expect?
Picture nineteen waterfalls plunging through a deep and narrow gorge, complimented by exquisitely crafted human made stone staircases and bridges. No, you haven’t been summoned to the council of Elrond in Rivendell, you’re hiking up Glen Creek gorge to Rainbow Falls inside Watkins Glen State Park, the crown jewel of New York’s Finger Lakes region.
What is Rainbow Falls? Well, it’s the gorge’s gasp-for-air, weak at the knees standout waterfall. The entire 1.5 mile length of Watkins Glen’s gorge hike is breathtakingly beautiful, but the scene at Rainbow Falls takes it to a whole new level.
Trail Statistics
- Distance: 2.6 miles roundtrip
- Type: Loop
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Time: 2 hours
The hike is technically a loop, partly inside the gorge and partly above it on a rim path. But many visitors choose to hike the gorge out and back because, well, it’s far more attractive!
It’s rated as moderately difficult because there are 832 uneven steps in the gorge and sections of the Rim Trail are pretty steep. Plus, when the steps are wet the whole place can be treacherously slippery. But if we’re being totally honest, this is an easy hike. And it’s more of a walk than a hike anyway if truth be told.
It normally takes us 2 hours to walk to Rainbow Falls and back because we always stop to take a lot of photos. But you can do it much quicker if you’re not as obsessed with long exposures as we are. We usually check comments on AllTrails to see what other hikers have said about recent conditions and the first time we used this trail map to get around.
Our Trail Walkthrough
Okay, let’s walk through the gorge trail with our photos and descriptions for each part of the hike.
1. Sentry Bridge
Beginning at the main entrance, pass the gift store and restrooms on the right. There are no toilets inside the gorge, so this is a good time to go. Continue through the park, which has information about indigenous groups and history of the area.
The enchanting gorge trail begins at Sentry Bridge and it’s visible before reaching the hiking path. Your first glimpse into the gorge is a narrow crack in the earth, a small silky waterfall flooding through the bottom and a beautiful arching stone bridge connecting the two sides.
Crossing Sentry Bridge transports you into the magical gorge, but in order to reach the overpass, you must first climb up a spiral stone staircase cut into a turret. So it feels pretty cool right from the get go!
2. First View Upstream
As soon as you enter the Watkins Glen gorge, you instantly know it’s going to be a special landscape. Cross Sentry Bridge and look to the right for your first up-gorge view. You’ll see a narrow, jagged and photogenic ravine with Glen Creek flowing gently through before it pours out of the gorge behind you at Sentry Bridge.
Low running water allows you to see much greater detail in the eroded shale rock. But this is just an appetizer for the main course coming later. If you visit in spring, expect more water here flooding out from the creek.
3. Couch’s Staircase
Couch’s Staircase is a series of 120 stone steps leading up and away to the left side. You don’t need to climb this series of stairs unless you want to see the Watkins Glen south entrance area.
This path leads to South Rim Trail with a good view looking back over the main entrance, but it’s definitely one you can miss if you want to avoid unnecessary stairs.
Hiking Tip: If you park at the south entrance, this is where you’ll enter and leave the gorge.
4. Unnamed Vista
After the sign for Couch’s Staircase, you’ll see a short staircase leading down to the right. And this is the first spur path you should take in the gorge.
There’s no official name, but the path descends to a viewing area looking upstream at multiple waterfalls with Cavern Cascade just about visible in the background. It’s a very quick detour and you’ll only need a few minutes here.
5. Cavern Cascade
You might have seen Rainbow Falls on magazine front covers or images like ours, but one of the things we liked most about hiking the Watkins Glen gorge trail was the amount of surprises we encountered. Cavern Cascade waterfall is just one of those unexpected surprises and it’s among our favorite spots along the whole trail.
Climb the next set of stone steps after Point Lookout aiming for what appears to be a dead end. All you can see is a thin 30-40 ft high waterfall flowing out of a 3 meter wide gully caused by shale rock eroding underneath tougher sandstone layers.
Eventually, you’ll see the path actually curves behind Cavern Cascade falls, so walk in an arc behind the waterfall and don’t forget to reach out to touch the water as it plunges down into the pool below.
6. Spiral Tunnel
Next to Cavern Cascade, you’ll notice a deep and dark orange light bursting out of a tunnel. Walk through this cave like tunnel and spiral round to the left as you gain elevation.
Make sure to turn around a few steps into the tunnel so you can see the Cavern Cascade through the opening for a cool photo. This is one of our favorite photo spots in the park.
7. Suspension Bridge
After climbing through the spiral tunnel you’ll emerge into what feels like a new section of the hike. Follow alongside Glen Creek and notice how the gorge narrows.
Looking up you’ll see a suspension bridge crossing over the gorge and connecting the two Rim Trails together. You’ll have the chance to stand on this bridge later.
8. Lovers Lane Lookout
Not long after you’ll come to two splits in the path. The first split leads up to Indian Trail which is effectively North Rim Trail and back to the main entrance. And the second split leads to Lovers Lane Lookout.
You can climb the steps up to Lovers Lane at this point, but we recommend staying in the gorge instead because you can stop at Lovers Lane on the way back to the main entrance from North Rim Trail later.
9. Glen Cathedral
At face value, Glen Cathedral is one of the least exciting parts of the Watkins Glen gorge trail hike. But if you look closely at the towering walls flanking Glen Creek you can see horizontal layers of rugged sandstone and shale. These layers were formed almost 400 million years ago.
After climbing more stone staircases you’ll see a thin waterfall ahead. The gorge trail then passes through a small cave like tunnel and reveals a beautifully ornate stone bridge crossing over the thin waterfall.
10. Central Cascade
The razor thin Central Cascade waterfall drops almost 60 feet beneath the bridge and is the tallest waterfall along the trail. This is another excellent photo stop and one of those unexpected surprises.
As soon as you’re on the other side, you’ll see a long line of short waterfalls plunging a few feet into circular pools. This series of waterfalls is incredibly photogenic and marks another of our favorite spots in the gorge. But it’s about to get even better!
11. Rainbow Falls
You’ll see another stone staircase ahead, take it and look to the right as Rainbow Falls finally comes into view for the first time. Rainbow Falls is dramatic, beautiful, piercing and delicate all in one emotional punch. It’s almost too much information for the brain to handle and it honestly takes a good 5-10 seconds to process what you’re looking at.
There’s just so much to admire about this scene. Waterfalls and pothole pools, wispy water falling from above, a gorgeous stone staircase and bridge in the background, vibrant colors and dark shadows contrasting. They all combine to make this the cherry on top of an extremely tasty ice cream sundae, so spend the most amount of time here.
Travel Tip: If you visit on a late sunny afternoon at just the right time for sun rays to penetrate the gorge, rainbows appear as light reflects and refracts in water droplets.
12. Frowning Cliff
Head up the steps and cross the bridge that will be in dozens of your photos of Rainbow Falls. You’ll find yourself walking into a very narrow section of the trail. After the excitement of Rainbow Falls you might think it would be difficult to be wowed again on the hike, but the fun isn’t over yet.
In this section, water falling down the cliffs gives off the appearance the walls are crying, hence the name Frowning Cliff. Because this part of the hike receives little sunlight throughout the year, the walls here are mostly bare. It can be pretty dangerous in late spring when stubborn ice remains along the trail.
13. Spiral Gorge
Depending on recent rainfall levels, you may pass under a very thin waterfall dropping from high above as you walk through Frowning Cliff towards another stone staircase. We’ve gotten soaked here a few times! As you approach this set of steps, you’ll notice a razor thin waterfall carving through the rocks down to the left side.
This is the beginning of Spiral Gorge and it’s another wonderful photo spot to admire. Climb the steps to see more small waterfalls plunging beautifully through this picturesque section of the hike.
14. Mile Point Bridge
You’ll notice another arching stone bridge ahead, this one is called Mile Point Bridge and it essentially marks the end of Watkins Glen gorge trail.
There’s an option here to cross Mile Point Bridge and hike South Rim Trail back to south entrance. Personally we’ve never taken this turn here, instead continuing the hike straight ahead beyond the bridge as the trail flattens.
15. Jacob’s Ladder
The trail remains picturesque but not on the same level as inside the gorge proper. You’ll follow the side of Glen Creek on a much flatter and easier going path until eventually reaching the beginning of a lengthy staircase, which is known as Jacob’s Ladder and consists of 180 steps.
Now, by all means you can climb the steps to upper entrance, but there’s really not much point unless you’re parked there. Instead, take a photo of the railway bridge crossing Glen Creek and turn around. Then take a shortcut at Mile Point Bridge up to North Rim Trail via Indian Trail.
Hiking Tip: If you park at the upper entrance, this is where you’ll enter and leave the gorge.
16. North Rim Trail
From this point on, you’re basically just making your way back to the main entrance. There are a few places to stop, including Lovers Lane Lookout, Point Lookout and the suspension bridge you passed under a long time ago.
But in truth, views from above looking down into the gorge aren’t as exciting or interesting. Much of the view is blocked by leaves or the gorge itself, but the hike back to main entrance is much quicker compared to hiking back down the gorge trail. We usually go back on North Rim.
Trail Map
Click or touch the map below to activate. Zoom in and out, move around the map and get to know the area. You can also click on the “view larger map” icon in the top right to expand the map, which is much easier to see.
Map key:
- Yellow – Parking lots at each entrance
- Brown – Restroom locations
- Light Red – Points of interest along the gorge trail
- Purple – Restaurant recommendations
- Blue – Hotels and camping
Getting To The Gorge
Watkins Glen State Park’s gorge is located in the village of Watkins Glen at the bottom of Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes region of western New York.
- Address: 1009 N Franklin St, Watkins Glen, NY 14891
- Location: Google Maps
Distances and drive times from nearby major cities:
- Rochester NY – 80 miles (1h 30m)
- Syracuse NY – 90 miles (1h 30m)
- Scranton PA – 125 miles (2h 20m)
- Buffalo NY – 146 miles (2h 30m)
- Albany NY – 205 miles (3m 30m)
- New York NY – 242 miles (4h 20m)
Watkins Glen State Park is open year round from dawn to dusk, but the gorge trail typically closes from the end of October through the end of May due to ice and dangerous water levels.
So if you visit between the months of November and April, you won’t be able to hike to Rainbow Falls. Check the official website for exact opening times because it’s weather dependent.
Parking
There are three main entrances and parking areas at Watkins Glen State Park:
- Main Entrance – Located on N Franklin Street, there are two parking lots on either side of road. The lot directly next to the park on the west side contains about 50 parking spaces with 3 disabled spots. Across the road on the east side is a larger lot with over 100 parking spots.
- South Entrance – This entrance is about 1 mile from the main entrance. Follow Old Corning Road and take the first right onto Walnut Road before turning into south entrance on S Pavilion Rd. There are over 100 parking spaces here with restrooms, a snack bar, a swimming pool, picnic area, playgrounds and camping. From this lot, you can access the gorge trail via Couch’s Staircase.
- Upper Entrance – Located 2 miles from the main entrance along Steuben Street (Route 409), there are no marked spaces and it’s a long oval shaped parking area. You’d access the gorge trail via Jacob’s Ladder.
Most visitors begin at the main entrance, which is located in the middle of town. We always park at the main entrance because it’s more convenient and it has instant access to the gorge from the lowest elevation. It also has a visitor center, the Glen Cafe, restrooms and several informational boards.
A seasonal shuttle bus runs between all 3 entrances from May to October. It costs $6.00 per person, but children 10 and under are free. The shuttle runs from 9:00am to 6:00pm on weekends in the summer, but you can check the official website for the exact schedule.
Entrance Fees
You don’t have to pay an entrance fee and you don’t need a reservation to visit Watkins Glen State Park, but a $10.00 vehicle fee is collected daily between mid-May to mid-October from sunrise to sunset. Payment is not taken at the gate but at a machine in the parking lot where you can pay cash or card.
If you want to avoid the parking fee, you could leave your car at your hotel and walk to the main entrance, or park on one of the side streets in town along N Franklin St where there are no parking meters.
When To Visit
The gorge is busiest on weekends between May and October, especially during the holidays. We actively avoid attempting to hike the gorge on weekends because it gets so overcrowded and it’s not a big place to begin with. Instead we go on weekday mornings at first light to beat the crowds.
Late May is when the gorge trail typically reopens after a long winter, and spring is the best time of year to see more powerful waterfalls. Keep an eye on the open status on the official website so you don’t arrive before the gorge opens.
And don’t even bother going in winter because the gorge is closed. If you’re in the Finger Lakes area and want a great waterfall hike in the winter, go to Taughannock Falls State Park instead.
Our favorite time of year to visit Watkins Glen is the last week of September or first week of October when spectacular fall foliage colors illuminate the gorge and Rainbow Falls becomes even more beautiful. The weather is perfect for hiking and it’s not as busy as summer.
Photography Tips
As travel photographers, we absolutely love taking photos inside the gorge and in particular at Rainbow Falls. For us, the perfect photography conditions are early morning on an overcast October weekday for minimal crowds and optimal lighting.
Our top photography tips:
- Use a lens with focal length anywhere between 16-55mm depending on the type of frame you want to create. We use our 16-35mm lens and 24-105mm lens.
- You absolutely must use a tripod for stability if you want to capture the silky waterfall effect. There are one or two spots you can place your camera on the wall but you won’t have any flexibility over camera angle.
- Shoot 0.3 second-3 second exposures using different apertures to get a nice mix of focal depth and silky waterfall effects.
- Visit early in the morning before the sky is blown out by daylight. Use a ND filter to stop down to the light or a CPL filter to dim the glare in pools below.
- You’ll see a lot of glare in the closest pool if you try to capture a frame with the entire bridge in shot. Move to your right, cutting off some of the bridge but removing the glare altogether.
Restaurant Recommendations
You don’t need to leave the village of Watkins Glen to find fantastic places to eat after finishing in the gorge. If you’re visiting in summer we recommend making a reservation because restaurants fill up fast. Even in fall you should play it safe by arriving early to dinner or booking a table in advance.
Here are our favorite eateries within half a mile of the main entrance:
- Nickel’s Pit BBQ – BBQ meals, craft beer and live music in a historic building.
- Jerlando’s Ristorante – Family-run restaurant styled to look like an Italian piazza.
- Thai Elephants – Traditional Thai dishes.
- Babcha’s Pierogies – Homemade pierogies, cabbage rolls and kielbasa.
- Blue Pointe Grille – Lakefront dining located in the Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel.
- Seneca Cheese Company – Wine and cheese bar with terrace.
Where To Stay
The best way to visit Watkins Glen State Park is by staying in a village hotel the night before and waking up early to be the first person hiking the gorge trail. And every hotel in the village is located within walking distance to the main entrance.
Here are our top hotel recommendations:
- Cheap – Budget Inn Watkins Glen
- Private cabins – Lakeside Resort
- Luxury – Longhouse Manor B&B
- Luxury – Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel
We’ve stayed at the Budget Inn and the Harbor Hotel. While the Budget Inn is very basic, it’s only half a mile from the main entrance so we could easily walk to the park.
Whereas we had lovely lakeside views from our room in the luxurious Watkins Glen Harbor Hotel which was closer to the best restaurants in town but a little further to walk to the gorge.
Camping Options
If hotels don’t fit your budget or you’d prefer to be outdoors surrounded by nature, there are 279 campsites and 9 rustic cabins in the park all located near the south entrance. All camping options are available from from mid-May to mid-October. But prices are increased for peak season from the end of June to the end of August.
- Campsites cost $18.00/night in the off season and $30.00/night in peak season. You can book a campsite here.
- Cabins cost $58.00/night with a $7.00/night out of state fee and there is a 3 night minimum. You must bring your own bedding and you can book one here.
The Morgan Conclusion
We adore the gorge trail at Watkins Glen. Fun hikes and stunning photo spots are our favorite things to find when we visit new places, but there are also some truly amazing places closer to home.
If you’ll be visiting the Finger Lakes and you enjoy nature, we can’t recommend this place highly enough. Just make sure you arrive super early or much later in the day after the typical 10:00am-2:00pm rush thins out. Oh, and don’t forget to charge your camera or smartphone before arriving!
More From The Finger Lakes
- Fun things to do in the NY Finger Lakes
- Best places to go in Ithaca, NY
- Guide to visiting the Corning Museum of Glass
- Best things to do in the Village of Watkins Glen
- Amazing things to do at Letchworth State Park NY
- Guide to visiting Stony Brook State Park in Dansville
- How to hike Buttermilk Falls Gorge Trail
- Hiking Robert H. Treman gorge to Lucifer Falls
- Ultimate guide to visiting Taughannock Falls
- Where to find the best Finger Lakes waterfalls
Want more New York content? Head over to our New York Travel Guides to explore the Finger Lakes, Adirondacks and the best of NYC.
We hope our guide to hiking the amazing Watkins Glen State Park gorge trail helps with planning your visit!
Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Thanks for the info, well put together. Would it be ok to visit around the end of October?
Hi Djay, unfortunately the Gorge Trail typically closes around that time of year. The exact dates change slightly every year due to weather, but there is a good change the trail will be closed if you want to visit at the end of October. You can check comments on AllTrails or visit the Watkins Glen State Park website below:
https://parks.ny.gov/parks/watkinsglen/maps.aspx
But sometimes the website doesn’t get updated right away so it might be best to call before you visit. Good luck!
Thanks much. I’m not from the USA, just looking at vacation ideas as I plan to travel to there between October 15 to October 30 and would like to do some hiking.
You might be able to make it if you go to Watkins Glen closer to the start of your trip. It’s worth it!
Thanks much.
If Watkins Glen is closed, you can still visit Taughannock Falls near Ithaca or Letchworth State Park which is about 80 miles from Watkins Glen so it will be a little bit of a drive. Both of those state parks are open year round and we have guides for both on our website! Hope you have an amazing trip![🙂](https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/svg/1f642.svg)
Just wanted to say thank you for this article – it had all the information i was looking for. Thank you and safe travels!
Hi Farah, thanks for letting us know and have a great visit to Watkins Glen!
Hi! We are planning to visit Watkins Glen soon! Question though, as I think I might not have understood: If we park at the Main Entrance and take the shuttle to the Upper Entrance, can we avoid the hiking up 800 steps? My partner has some older injuries that don’t necessarily hinder us from hiking, but don’t want to push it
thinking a one-way only hike, more downhill, would be easier for us.
Yes that’s right, take the shuttle from Main to Upper entrance, walk down Watkins Glen Gorge Trail all the way through the gorge to Main entrance. There might be one or two small sections of steps but almost all steps are going UP gorge trail so you won’t have many to contend with. Hopefully the recent heavy rain hasn’t caused any issues inside the gorge. Have a great trip!