Watkins Glen State Park generates 19 waterfalls within two miles as Glen Creek descends 400 feet through 200-foot shale cliffs. The gorge trail winds through tunnels, over and under the falls, past water-carved shale walls. Get there before 9am or after 4pm in summer. The gorge fills up.
The village hosted its first road race in 1948 on a course that wrapped around the park and crossed Glen Creek. Watkins Glen International hosted Formula 1's US Grand Prix from 1961 to 1980 and still draws large racing crowds for NASCAR and vintage events. Then it goes back to being a small lakeside village with a walkable main street, good restaurants, and the gorge entrance two blocks from the waterfront.
