This Stunning Park Near Ontario Takes You Through A Misty Gorge Filled With 19 Waterfalls

This breathtaking park is the place to go if you want to chase waterfalls. Located a quick road trip away from Ontario, Watkins Glen State Park features a misty gorge and 19 enchanting cascades.

The park is situated in New York State, about a three-hour drive from the Ontario border. It's the "most famous of the Finger Lakes State Parks" and is known to leave visitors spellbound.

The area is home to magical features such as stone bridges and staircases, scenic lookouts, a stone tunnel that allows for a behind-the-scenes look at a cascading waterfall, and massive sandstone gorge walls called "Glen Cathedral."

If you want to chase some waterfalls then the Gorge Trail is the place to be. This surreal hike leads past 19 waterfalls and you'll feel like you're in Rivendell from The Lord of the Rings.

You'll wander amidst 200-foot cliffs and whimsical stone steps and bridges while exploring the trail. There are two waterfalls you can walk behind, one of which is Cavern Cascade. The waterfall has eroded a section of the sandstone cliffs, allowing you to pass behind the tumbling water.

Central Cascade is the highest waterfall in the park at over 60 feet tall. Another unique spot to see in Watkins Glen State Park is the dark area surrounding Pluto Falls which features "dripping springs" and "sculptured pools."

Watkins Glen State Park is open year-round, but the Gorge Trail is only accessible during the late spring to fall. According to the park, the Gorge Trail will reopen in late May, although no specific date has been set yet.

The park also offers camping, so you can stay for a while or plan a summer getaway to New York State.

Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.