To tide ourselves over while waiting for our SW roadtrip to commence (4 more days!!!), both Jess and I have spent the summer taking a bunch of smaller weekend and days trips – Vegas, Vermont, Rhode Island, Cape Cod, Hammond Castle, Calf Island… the list goes on and on. Our last “big” trip goes back almost 10 months – our 5-day weekend in Iceland – so we’ve needed to sate our wanderlust in smaller, more manageable ways. Enter my trip to the Finger Lakes in upstate New York last weekend.

I have so much to write about – the awesome B&B, the wine-tasting, the food, the landscapes – and you’ll see posts on all of that soon. But, since we are about to see some of the country’s most beautiful canyons and rock formations in UT, AZ, CO, and NM, I thought I’d write about Watkins Glen.

Just inside the entrance to Watkins Glen

My first glimpse of a waterfall

Unbeknownst to me, NY has a bevy of waterfalls, stone caverns, and state parks – all of which are worth exploring. I’ve seen the “Ithaca is Gorgeous” shirts (so I knew there were gorges in the area), but I was unaware of what Watkins Glen had in store. My friend (also named Nicole) suggested that we check out Watkins Glen, and I’m so glad she did!

Watkins Glen is a State Park that sits at the southern end of Seneca Lake. The shale and limestone glen boasts a 1.5 mile trail, 19 waterfalls, and an assortment of cliffs. We climbed up and down natural stone stairs and caverns until I could climb no more. But there was so much left to explore! I’m looking forward to getting back there to do more winetasting and exploration. Looks like I’ll have to book my return trip soon.  :)