Watkin's Glen: 832 Steps

We visited Watkin's Glen on July 3. This state park is absolutely beautiful - the parking lot is surrounded by tall rocky outcroppings. Getting into the gorge involves walking up steps through a tunnel in the hillside, which my boys loved. As soon as you come out on other side of the tunnel, a waterfall greets you.

The hike is all uphill from the visitor's center. For the elderly or for those who would rather hike downhill, I highly suggest parking at the lower visitor center, then paying $3 per person to ride the shuttle to the top of the gorge. With this strategy, you simply hike downhill through the gorge and end up at your car.

On the other hand, hiking downhill doesn't give you quite the same perspective. When you hike uphill, you turn each corner and face the magnificent waterfalls cascading over the rocky precipices.

We managed to snag a nice family picture (thanks to my father-in-law) at one of the lower falls.

The beauty of the glen is stunning. Every other turn leads you through a cave, behind a waterfall, or over a stone bridge.

We were able to see an endangered species of dragonfly in the gorge. They are extremely friendly and this one flew to my forehead for a while, then hitched a ride on the back of another boy's shirt.

It was a beautiful day, but also a little on the warm side. Hiking up 832 steps can make everyone a little tired (I was panting behind the camera, so no image of me in my out-of-breath glory).

The gift shop at the top of the gorge was selling these t-shirts:

We didn't buy one, but we did go for the offer of ice cream when Grandma and Grandpa suggested it!

There is a fabulous playground at the top of the gorge, and the boys scrambled around on the rocks and slid down the slides while the adults rested in the shade. Apparently, there is an Olympic-sized swimming pool in this area, too, but we didn't see (or use) it.

After playing on the playground, we caught the shuttle back down to the visitor's center and headed over to Jerlando's Pizza for lunch. I had an excellent Bruschetta pizza, which tasted exceptionally good after the hike!