2026-07-31 Watkins Glen State Park - New York

Our trip to Watkins Glen State Park was great!  Many of our New York friends had recommended it to us when we visited Attica New York in prior years.  We finally made it this year!  Watkins Glen is located about 100 miles or two hours from Attica.  We arrived at 7:30 a.m. so we would be sure to find parking at the Main Entrance.  

We elected to take the 1.5 mile Gorge Trail, highlighted in Yellow on our way up and the North Rim Trail, highlighted in Blue on our way down.  Total round trip distance just under 3 miles.  By taking the North Rim trail down we crossed the Suspension Bridge.  It is visible from the Gorge Trail but I have to admit I didn't see it on our way up.  The Suspension Bridge, which is 85 feet above the Gorge, was much more stable than I imagined.  

Cool Photo!

We missed seeing a train cross by on our way down but we heard it!

This is what a lot of the trail looked like.

 

A field of Inukshuks!

A short video.  There had been rain in the area recently so there were several places on the trail where we got a little damp!

Break from Motorhoming - 2025 & Break from Blogspot in 2024

We took a break from traveling in our motorhome in 2025 because we moved!  Now we have a home on the golf course!  We love our new view!

We did travel approximately 3000 miles in the motorhome during 2024 visiting family and friends.  Those photos were posted on Facebook at that time.  Major stops along the way were - Billy & Susan Rascoe's home in Hertford, NC, the 2024 Am Can in upstate NY and visiting Mom in Indiana.

Pulling up Anchor at Acadia National Park

 I thought it would be nice to add a few facts about Acadia National in each of the photos below.

We decided that our last trip here at Acadia National Park would be to enjoy a relaxing cruise aboard the "Alice E" built in 1899.   We sailed with a company called Sail Acadia out of Southwest Harbor. 

Fact 1.  Acadia is the only National Park in the Northeast and the smallest of all National Parks. 

 We sailed on the Alice E which is the oldest Friendship Sloop still in use. The boat accommodates six passengers and the captain. Here we are motoring out of the harbor.  

Fact 2. One of the park’s peaks, Cadillac Mountain 1530 feet high, just happens to be the tallest mountain on the Eastern Seaboard.

It was an overcast foggy day, but our Captain said the visibility was good enough to sail.  He had over 50 years' experience with sailing, so he knew what he was doing. 

Fact 3. From Oct. 7th through March 6th, Cadillac Mountain is the first place in the United States where people can see the sun rise.

 

The boat was 42' feet long and was equipped with small cabin. 

Fact 4. Over four million people visit Acadia each year.

After the sails were released and set, Captain Chris showed us a map of the harbor and our route for the trip.   

Fact 5.  Arcadia was created solely by private land donations, and Acadia, a French word means "Heaven on Earth."

We waited many years to travel the Northeast and our travels through Prince Edwards Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Acadia National Park were worth the wait.  The people, places and events were sensational. We shared many great photos on our blog, but many great memories were shared by us. If you ever get the opportunity to visit these areas, you will have a trip of a lifetime. 

Schoodic Summit Hike - Acadia National Park

The Schoodic Peninsula is the only part of Acadia National Park found on the mainland of Maine. It takes about an hour drive from our campground to get here.   We decided to hike three different routes today as a loop to get to Schoodic Summit - Anvil, Schoodic & Alder.

It is also managed by the national park services but has fewer visitors. It still boasts granite ridges, granite stairs and most features as other hikes we have completed in Acadia national park. 

We also have to navigate many tree roots as well. 

This trail rises abruptly uphill and downhill along our route.  

We have a few switchbacks on the way up the mountain. 

Did I mention granite steps.  Hiking down them is not my favorite part of the hike.  It does hurt the knees. 

We did have to hike down some trails only to hike back up again.  The last .3 miles was decidedly uphill. 

We finally arrive at the summit, but you have to travel to the overlook for the views which is another .2 miles.  

View from the Overlook of the Winter Harbor Lighthouse built in 1856.  It's now privately owned and not opened to the public. 

The Bar Harbor, Maine cruise port is a tender port of call, meaning cruise ships anchor a short distance offshore and passengers are ferried to the port terminal in smaller tender boats. From our vantage point we also had views of Cadillac Mountain and Frenchmen's Bay.

 

Kathy found and photographed an 1860 geological marker near the overlook. 

You can get confused with all the trail markers. I decided to point to our direction of travel on the way back. 

We had to take the Schoodic Trailhead back to the Alder trail on our return. 

 
A long wooden path to cross over a wet section on our return.  It did rain a day earlier but not much accumulation. 

We reach the Alder Trailhead.  We have .6 miles to go. 

After hiking up and down on the way up to the summit, we have a nice wide-open flat trail to complete our hike.  

 Our final totals for this hike.  

The Peninsula is also the home to the Schoodic Research Learning Center. A place for science learning in that it enhances the understanding of the natural and cultural resources of the National Park System.  The building was converted from a closed Naval facility.