TonyF Loc: Bradenton, FL

Hello Hoggers,

Visiting the Finger Lakes region for the first time (staying in Watkins Glen) for 6 nights in September. I know there are a lot of wineries and breweries that I will research myself. Any must see areas for photos?
Thank you, Tony

jbird97 Loc: Ephrata Pennsylvania

If you take the road behind Glenora Winery it will take you down to the lake and there is a beautiful waterfall there, Glenora Falls.

mikegreenwald Loc: Illinois

The Glen itself is outstanding, particularly after a heavy rainfall. I don't know how to arrange for the latter, but patience helps.

TonyF Loc: Bradenton, FL

Appreciate that, thanks.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

starlifter Loc: Towson, MD

Take one of the tour boats that cruse among the islands. Can't name any specific ones as we were on a bus trip and everything was arranged by others, but I think it left from Alexander Bay, NY.

rfreudenheim

Tony -
I grew up in Watkins Glen and nearby Ithaca. I am vacationing there in the first 10 days of September. Here are some thoughts. If you are there from the 8th through the 12th you will see the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association event which includes the downtown festival. This is one of the biggest events of the year there. The vintage race cars are brought downtown from the track on Friday evening and people get to walk around them, talk to the owners/drivers and generally have a fine old time. You can research this at www.svra.com

Regarding shooting in the state park, keep this in mind. The best way to do so is to get to the top of the park and walk down. Unless you are under 21, that's the only way to go. There are ways to arrange transportation back to the top after you are done but I don't remember them at the moment. A lot of people do the park this way.

You will get wet. There are several places where the spray from the waterfalls cannot be avoided. The path can be slippery so good "grippy" shoes are recommended. The gorge is narrow and you will be in low light conditions a good bit of the time. Depending on how serious you are about getting perfectly exposed shots, you will probably want to carry a tripod. There are likely to be a fair number of people around, so it may be very difficult to get shots that don't have them in the frame.

Other options in the area are to drive a half hour over to Ithaca which is a very interesting small city. Corning is about a half hour from Watkins and has the Corning Glass museum which is worth visit, and just cruising around the countryside is very pleasant. I like to shoot wide landscapes of the farms, barns and rolling hills.

Finally, you should be aware that the weather up there can change at a moment's notice. Make sure you bring clothing for a wide range of temperatures and include foul weather gear and extra (dry) shoes.

You will have a great time - take some memorable photos!

dbaird2495

I lived in Rochester NY for 45 years and I have photos of over 50 waterfalls. Most on my website at http://donbaird.net/. I highly recommend you also go to Robert Treman State Park and Letchworth State Park.

krl48 Loc: NY, PA now SC

Watkins Glen is about a 3 hour drive from Alexandria Bay and the 1000 Islands.

TonyF Loc: Bradenton, FL

Thank you for this info, much appreciated!

TonyF Loc: Bradenton, FL

Thank you. Just looked quickly at your waterfall photos--very nice!

lnl Loc: SWFL

Taughannock Falls State Park has waterfalls and is close by. A beautiful area to add to your itinerary. The entire Finger Lakes area is a nice place to drive.
If you like pottery, you may want to check out Wizard of Clay pottery. It’s about 1-1/4 hours drive from Watkins Glen. It’s a favorite of mine. They have a website to see what they make.
As you said, there are many wineries to visit and most have tasting rooms. Time to enjoy!!

TonyF Loc: Bradenton, FL

Thank you!

OKsprat Loc: Oklahoma

Hi Tony,

I stayed on the east side of Lake Cayuga in 2018, and checked out Filmore Glen, Buttermilk Falls, Lansing Myers Park, Watkins Glen, Robert Treman, Ithaca Falls, and Taughannock Falls. Taughannock has a short, flat hike to a 200 foot waterfall. At most of these you can do a loop hike consisting of the “gorge” (or creek) hike followed by the “cliff” (woods) hike back. I generally went up the gorge trails and came back down the cliff trails.

At Hermann J. Wiemer winery on the west side of Seneca Lake, I found a Riesling semi-dry wine that I really liked.

Have a great trip!

Pat
(Attached is a photo from Buttermilk Falls SP)

(Download)

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

“Unless you’re under 21”? The park isn’t that big and the elevation gain isn’t that much! I’m 61 and regularly hike much farther and higher.