Day 295 - Watkins Glen State Park, NY

(Click any photo to enlarge.)

***Scroll down to see my offer for Red Cross donations.***

The Cavern Cascade; you
can walk behind this fall

Spillway at the start of the park

Watkins Glen is a small town in New York, located on the Seneca Lake, which is one of the famous Fingers Lakes of New York.  The town  is famous for its Nascar track, as well as for its amazing state park, which follows the Glen Creek gorge.

Norma and I parked at the lower end of the park, which is the end that is closest to the town of Watkins Glen.  We started up the more than 800 stone steps, following the gorge trail.  First we came to a water chute that was chiseled into the stone by millers who wanted to direct water to a mill that was once located at the base of the gorge.  Then we started up the stone steps.

Occasional wildflower

Central Cascade

The park's trails consist of mainly stone stairs and stone paved walkways, which were built by a public works project in the 1930's.  The stairs and bridges pass by numerous waterfalls and spill pools, surrounded by steep canyon walls that have been cut over eons by the Glen Creek.  We walked up these steps, which were wet and slippery with a fine sheen of silt.

There were many great places to stop and take photos, whether of people admiring the falls, the moss covered rock walls, the falls and spill ponds, the scoured out potholes, or the soft green ferns clinging to rock ledges.

My favorite shot today

Fern and fall

I walked approximately half of the two mile park, stopping at the Central Cascade and Glen Cathedral.  Norma opted not to continue the hike, because heights and the wet slipperiness of the stone steps caused her some concern.

At the Central Cascade, I took a lot of photos with the tripod, concentrating on composing good scenes and capturing the good light that was highlighting some of the trees.

Amish women buying ice cream

I returned to the car, this time going downhill all the way, using my tripod as a walking stick in places to keep myself from slipping.  I happily made it safely down to the base, but my hair and shirt were drenched from the heat and humidity.

Watkins Glen is well worth the visit.  Be sure to wear the proper footwear, take water, and surely don't forget your camera.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

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Forward me by email any receipt for an online donation made to the Red Cross for disaster relief, and I will send you a 5x7 print of your choice from any of my daily photo walks or from my website.  Offer good until September 2, 2013.

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter: @camscamerashots
Email:  cam.miller@comcast.net

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use whatever camera is easy and convenient for walking comfortably; always have a backup camera at the ready in case of mishaps (I use the Nikon Coolpix P7700)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so