Watkins Glen, and The Gorge Trail - May 28-29, 2026

Thursday/Friday, May 28/29, 2026 - At the beginning of April, Wendy became aware (Instagram?) of a trail with "19 waterfalls in a one-mile-stretch". It is The Gorge Trail at Watkins Glen State Park. I got it on our calendars to visit, and that is these 2 days (841 miles total):

I drove to Boston for my Thursday Men's Breakfast, and came home to make sandwiches - we left Manchester about 11:30. We checked into the Radisson Hotel Corning at 6:30

At a friend's recommendation we had a great dinner at Three Birds Restaurant:

Up and at 'em the next morning. After breakfast at the hotel, we were up at Watkins Glen State Park at 9:45. I have actually hiked this trail before, back on October 11, 2015, (and you can read that blog here), but I'm SO HAPPY Wendy gets to do it:

From the lower entrance (the "Main Entrance"), it is about 1.5 miles up The Gorge Trail to get to the "Upper Entrance". Not hard, but a lot of steps:

Although one waterfall was in a "closed area" at the beginning of the Trail, the rest was WONDERFUL:

"Rainbow Falls" is a lot of fun, with the waterfall going right over you:

Sometimes the best shots are looking behind you:

For the last 1/2 mile, the gorge opens up a little, and the river is calmer. The water is cool, but not too cold:

The last big push up The Steps, up to the Upper Entrance:

We took the "North Rim Trail" to get back down to the bottom:

We wound up hiking 3.31 miles in 1 hour 52 minutes:

I took a picture of the Watkins Glen Post Office:

We headed 20 miles south to Horseheads, NY and got lunch at Jersey Mike's. Up onto I-84 East, which got me home by 7:30 PM. WOW - Thank You God for this wonderful 2-day-adventure!

Before I get to The Music, over these 2 days Wendy read a few hours from a book we are making our way through: Dennis Lehane - The Given Day, 2008. To quote AI: "The Given Day" is an epic 2008 historical novel by Dennis Lehane, set in Boston around World War I, exploring the lives of two families—one white (the Coughlins) and one black (the Laurence family)—amidst social and political turmoil, including the 1919 Boston Police Strike. :

Music for these days:

The Doors - The Soft Parade, 1969 4th album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 8/21/2019:

various - Whatever - The 90's Pop & Culture Box (7 cds), 2005 album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 7/21/2024 - I like The Energy!

Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness, 1995 double-album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 9/10/2025:

George Winston - Plains, 1999 album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 9/08/2023 - nice way to finish thei Road Trip:

Past entries of this blog are available on the website https://dixonheadingwest.blogspot.com/

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine/New York:
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/