Watkins Glen State Park
| Watkins Glen | |
|---|---|
Rainbow Falls and the Rainbow Falls bridge at Watkins Glen State Park | |
| Location | Watkins Glen, Schuyler, Finger Lakes, New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 42°22′37″N 76°52′18″W / 42.377059°N 76.871687°W |
| Area | 1.216 sq mi (3.15 km2) |
| Established | December 27, 1906 |
| Named for | Samuel Watkins |
| Operator | New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |
| Website | parks |
Watkins Glen State Park is in the village of Watkins Glen, south of Seneca Lake in Schuyler County in New York's Finger Lakes region. The park's lower part is near the village, while the upper part is open woodland. It was first opened to the public in 1863 and has been a public park since 1906.
The centerpiece of the 778-acre (3.15 km2) park is a 400-foot-deep (120 m) narrow gorge cut through rock by Glen Creek, a stream that was left hanging when glaciers of the Ice age deepened the Seneca valley, increasing the tributary stream gradient to create rapids and waterfalls wherever there were layers of hard rock. In addition to the gorge itself, the park is widely known for the manmade stone walls and arched bridges spanning the length of the glen.