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    Lyman Run State Park

    4.0 (4 reviews)

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    Watkins Glen State Park - Beauty in a ugly stump

    Watkins Glen State Park

    4.7(498 reviews)
    64.8 mi

    Wow. You know when you've had a place on your list to visit for a while and then you start to…read morewonder if you've built it up too much? If it can't possibly live up to your expectations after years of wanting to visit? That was not my experience at Watkins Glen State Park. I'd wanted to visit for years and finally made it about a week ago when I spent the Fourth of July in the Finger Lakes. It was everything I'd heard about it, everything I hoped it would be. Watkins Glen State Park has four trails, but the reason you're there (at least on a first visit) is the Gorge Trail. It's a paved trail along/in the Glen Creek gorge. I've only hiked one other gorge that felt like you walk in and through and along water in this way. It was stunning. Bridges, lookouts, waterfalls, rock cliffs... I was constantly stunned by the beauty of this trail. I took about a million pictures. This park and this trail are worth planning a trip around. And being anywhere near the Finger Lakes and not visiting this park would be a real shame. It's that incredible. So here are some details that you need to know now that I've totally convinced you of the need to visit. The Gorge Trail is not a loop. At one end of the trail is the Main Entrance, and at the other end of the trail is the Upper Entrance. Both entrances have parking. The park offers a shuttle that takes you from one entrance to another for $6, so you have a lot of options. (FYI: The maps says this shuttle service is available July-August, so if you want to use this service, make sure to visit in those summer months.) You can hike just the Gorge Trail (either way) and then take the shuttle back to the entrance where you parked. Or you can hike the Gorge Trail (either way) and then hike back to where you parked (repeating the Gorge Trail or hiking back on the North Rim Trail). You can do the Gorge Trail in either direction; the views are great either way. We parked and started at the Upper Entrance, which I may prefer as the Upper Entrance is a few minutes outside town, so I think the parking may not get as full as early in the day. We hiked the Gorge Trail from the Upper Entrance to the Main Entrance and then hiked back to the start on the North Rim Trail. I'd do this way again. The best advice I can give is to start as early as you want/can. We arrived at the parking around 7:45am on a Friday morning (it was the Fourth of July weekend so we worried about holiday and weekend crowds), and it wasn't too crowded when we started. That meant a less crowded Gorge Trail, better pictures, and cooler temps. When we were making our way back just an hour or so later, the trail was much more crowded. I also recommend you wear hiking boots, water shoes, or some other waterproof shoes, because you will be walking through wet areas, mud, etc. I saw some girls dressed up for cute photos under waterfalls; they looked adorable, but I was trudging around in the mud in my hiking boots and sweating sunscreen. Neither trail was very difficult, and I think most people can and should do at least the Gorge Trail. (The Upper Rim Trail is a little bit of a bummer after the gorgeous views on the Gorge Trail, but I appreciated that there was a way to hike back to our car without returning on the Gorge Trail, because then it would have been so crowded!) Watkins Glen State Park was one of the highlights of our four or so days in the Finger Lakes. It's really stunning. I look forward to hiking the Gorge Trail again the future.

    Beautiful campground and area. Made reservations in advance for a cabin. It is very rustic. The…read morecabins do not have electric or water. They have bunk beds with very thin cushions. Bring your own sleeping bag, blankets, sheets, pillows, lantern, and water. There is a small shelf, no other shelves. Or table inside the cabin. There is a picnic table in the concrete slab outside the cabin. One fire ring, bring your own grill. The office closes early. We got to the campsite after 7pm and there was no way to check in and get the key. We had to wait until the next day. They sell ice and firewood at the office. Bring cash. You out the cash in the box grab the key go out and unlock the shed for wood. Same for ice but out of the cooler. The staff seemed friendly, bathrooms were clean, sites were tidy. You can hike to the gorge from the campground very well marked. They have a pool, however it was not open when I went so I cannot review that. Quick ride into town where there are restaurants, breweries, more falls, the lake, and much more.

    Photos
    Watkins Glen State Park - Ode to the Indians who made this area home long before the European settlers came here.

    Ode to the Indians who made this area home long before the European settlers came here.

    Watkins Glen State Park - Tiny Toads... maybe the size of Quarter

    Tiny Toads... maybe the size of Quarter

    Watkins Glen State Park - Little Salamander trying to catch some rays

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    Little Salamander trying to catch some rays

    Winslow Hill Elk Viewing Area - Elk running around

    Winslow Hill Elk Viewing Area

    5.0(2 reviews)
    40.3 mi

    Whether you know it or not, PA is home to the largest free roaming elk herd in the northeast. The…read moreelk that currently call PA home are not indigenous to the area. The original herds of elk were hunted to the point of extinction in the early 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century the PA Game Commission imported elk from states like Colorado and the descendants of that group are what you mostly have today. We were glamping over at Parker Dam State Park and figured that while our chances of seeing any elk were very low (wrong time of day and wrong time of year - ideally you want sunrise or sunset in late summer or early fall not late morning in late spring) but it was close enough that is seemed worth a shot. We drove through all of the supposed hot spots: Benezette Dents Run Caledonia Weedville Woodring Farm Viewing Area Winslow Hill Viewing Area and saw a total of zero regarding anything that had antlers, hooves or fur which is no biggie because that's what was expected. The one side bonus was a lot of beautiful scenery, vistas and overlooks. According to the PA Game Commission their #1 place to see elk is the Winslow Hill Viewing Area. Compared to somewhere like Woodring Farm which is no more than a stone lot with room for a few cars and a small plastic sign pointing to a trail, the set up at Winslow Hill is deluxe. Huge parking lot, maps and placards all over the place, a ranger station during the busier times of the year (of which mid-May is not as we only saw three other people during our 45 minutes here) which leads out to the viewing area, and damn, it is a hell of a view even without any elk in the area. The below map is the best one that I could find that shows where Winslow Hill is located and also many other places on a sort of elk driving tour that lists all of the possible places you could get to view one of these beasts. www.docs.dcnr.pa.gov/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_20032194.pdf

    I've been to a lot of nature centers around the country but this was one of the nicest. It's a…read morelittle walk to the center from the parking lot but there's lots of things to read along the way. The center was free with a gift shop but it was $5 for a inside tour. Outside there were elk viewing areas the best time is dusk and dawn to see the elk. Nice clean indoor restrooms

    Photos
    Winslow Hill Elk Viewing Area - Big bull

    Big bull

    Winslow Hill Elk Viewing Area - No elk

    No elk

    Winslow Hill Elk Viewing Area - Entrance

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    Entrance

    Lyman Run State Park - fishing - Updated July 2026

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