Watkins Glen State Park

A stunning centerpiece of the Finger Lakes

At the southern end of Seneca Lake sits one of New York's most popular and visually stunning state parks, Watkins Glen State Park. The gorge park is a spectacular centerpiece of the Finger Lakes region and we are working to ensure its infrastructure keeps up with its growing popularity.

Connecting people and parks

With its unique gorge trail featuring hundreds of stone steps, a series of exhilarating waterfalls and breathtaking bridges, Watkins Glen inspires nearly 800,000 visitors each year.

Yet, for many years, the park was functioning with an outdated entrance and a rundown parking area that infringed into the park’s centerpiece gorge. A plan was developed to restore the gorge to a more natural and welcoming setting.

To jumpstart the plan, we acquired two key properties right next to the park entrance. In 2018, our acquisition made it possible to relocate the parking area and allowed the state to unveil a series of other dramatic improvements.

Today, the project has transformed the main entrance of the park and is better connecting new visitors and tourists, alike, to the parks’ incredible gorge trail enhancing the village of Watkins Glen.