What Are The Best Waterfalls To Visit In New York?
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The Best Waterfalls To Visit In New York
Niagara Falls?
So what are the best waterfalls to visit in New York? Of course, the first waterfall most people think of in New York is Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls is of course one of the most epic waterfalls you’ll ever see, and should be in the top of the list of waterfalls to see in the U.S.. It is a massive set of three waterfalls, Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls, that dump a combined total of 757,500 gallons of water per second. That is a whole lot of water!
Full disclosure from me is that I love smaller waterfalls much more than the massive waterfalls found around the world. What I look for in waterfalls is to be able to get up close, and make much more intimate photographs than can be made with massive waterfalls. Even a small cascade in a creek can make amazing photographs when composed properly.
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Watkins Glen State Park - Best Waterfalls In New York!
Beautiful Cascades at Watkins Glen State Park
Watkins Glen State Park is home to some of the most beautiful and picturesque scenery and waterfalls that you can find in New York, or throughout the U.S. even. My first visit to this park simply blew my mind with the gorge showing what thousands upon thousand of years of flowing water can do to the landscape.
Within two miles you will see 19 waterfalls, countless cascades, rainbows if the light is right, and this is all surrounded by 200 foot high cliffs on both sides. The trail through the gorge was built around 1925 and is really something to see in its own right. You even get to hike through caves toward the bottom of the gorge!
Rainbow Falls at Watkins Glen State Park
The image above is of one of the waterfalls called Rainbow Falls, for a rather obvious reason - the spray from above creates beautiful rainbows when the sun is shining through. The sun was not shining for me this day, so I was unable to capture a rainbow. Still, this is quite a stunning location in the gorge, and certainly deserves some good photographing.
Waterfalls and Cascades in Watkins Glen Gorge
As you can see in this image, the waterfalls and cascades just keep going and going. If you notice the couple walking on the stairs you can a better idea of the true scale of this area. It seems that spring can start a little late in this region, so your mileage may vary with respect to how much of the moss and other vegetation will be present. Beautiful, don’t you think?
Cascades along the stone paths in the Watkins Glen Gorge
The image above does a great job of showing some beautiful cascades that you will see next to the stone pathways. Some of these areas can be very wet during your hike, so prepare yourself for some wet and possibly slippery stones on the path. There are also more than a few areas where you will have some water dripping on you from the cliffs above. If you’re taking expensive camera equipment that is not weather sealed, make sure to take an umbrella along with you for the hike.
Central Cascade in the Gorge at Watkins Glen
Along your hike you will eventually come upon Central Cascade. This can make for some stunning images, but getting the right angle from the side of the path is somewhat difficult. You will also have to be rather patient if the park is busy, unless you’re perfectly fine with including lots of people taking selfies into your images. Off in the distance you’ll notice another very high cascade sending water down to the creek.
If you’re looking to capture some motion blur in the water to create the surreal and dreamy effect, make sure to use a tripod! This image was captured using a 1/2 second exposure, which would be way to long for a handheld shot.
Cascades at Watkins Glen State Park
As you can see, you can make so many images along this stunning path that the only difficulty will be in framing up your shot.
So what are the best waterfalls to visit in New York? My humble opinion points directly to the waterfalls located in the gorge at Watkins Glen State Park. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment below. Also, if you enjoyed reading this post, please share with your family and friends!
Matthew Reed, Editor, Photographer, Writer
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