Watkins Glen State Park

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Rate Watkins Glen State Park

1 - Ugly, Not worth the trip
0
No votes
2 - Could be better
0
No votes
3 - OK, See it if you are in the area
0
No votes
4 - Beautiful, worth the trip
2
7%
5 - Must see, worth revisiting
25
93%
 
Total votes: 27
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Matt
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excellent info. It looks like it's within the boundaries for sure. Doesn't this trail connect with the South Rim trail for the Park? So technically one can park in the park lots and join up with this trail... where in the glen does this tributary pour into?
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cbobcat49
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Yes, the south rim trail in the park is the FLT. So one could park in the state park lot, enjoy the gorge in the main part of the park, and then keep hiking upstream to this place. Hamilton Creek flows northward into Glen Creek about 1/4 mile west of Whites Hollow Rd.
What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us. ~Henry David Thoreau
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Matt
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[hr]
Firefighters rescue man from gorge
WATKINS GLEN—The Watkins Glen Fire Department performed a dangerous rescue operation to save Zachary Smith, 22, who was trapped in the gorge at Watkins Glen State Park. Smith became trapped in the gorge Tuesday afternoon, March 11 and was able to call for help on his cell phone. The gorge trail was closed at the time. Watkins Glen Fire Chief Dominick Smith said the man could have died had things not gone the way they did.
“He could have died very easily,” Dominick Smith said. “He called for help on his cell phone. Cell phones don’t always work. [...] He was lucky enough to get out that call for help. If he had to stay in there overnight, I don’t think he would have made it. The odds worked in his favor.”
The fire chief said Zachary Smith was stuck near the Rainbow Falls area, but they were unable to locate where he was trapped at first.
“We were called at about quarter to 4 p.m. last Tuesday for a gentleman stuck in the gorge above the Rainbow Falls,” Dominick Smith said. “That was all the information we had. We mobilized with our technical rescue unit and went into the gorge and we couldn’t get to him because the Rainbow Falls area was completely frozen over.”
Dominick Smith said they had to send a crew in from the top of the glen to try to locate the man, finding him 100 yards above the Rainbow Falls. He said he was stuck inside on the gorge trail and could not get out. The chief said they set up a rappelling system to lower a rescuer down into the gorge to get to the man and see if he required any medical attention.
“We hooked him into our rappelling system and brought him up,” Dominick Smith said. “It was about a 150-foot rappel down into the gorge. It was very dangerous. Side to side and across the bottom was all ice. They did an awesome job not knowing what we were going to have to do or how long we were going to be there.”
The fire chief said the whole rescue took three hours. He said Beaver Dams, Montour Falls Odessa and Burdett Fire Departments were also called in for generators and other equipment purposes. Dominick Smith said there were 20 Watkins Glen firefighters on the scene, with a total of 45 people participating in the operation. New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Public Information Officer Randy Simons said Zachary Smith was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.
http://www.observer-review.com/firefigh ... e-cms-4208
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Matt
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Watkins Glen State Park gets $5M to reconstruct main entrance
A major reconstruction is being planned at the main entrance to Watkins Glen State Park, one of the region’s signature attractions.
The state has earmarked $5 million for the project, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday.
The funding is part of $90 million set aside for improvements at state parks and historic sites under the New York Works initiative in the 2014-15 state budget passed earlier this month in Albany, according to Cuomo.
The project at Watkins Glen State Park has two main focuses, said Fred Bonn, Finger Lakes state parks director.
The first priority is to alleviate the traffic congestion and parking shortages that often occur at the main entrance on Franklin Street/State Route 14 in downtown Watkins Glen during the busy summer months, Bonn said.
The other main objective is to enhance the appearance of the main entrance, he said.
“We’re looking at what we can do to make the streetscape more prominent, so there’s a little bit more curb appeal for the park on Franklin Street – so when you drive up, you recognize this as a state park facility,” Bonn said.
Some new interpretive displays may be added at the main entrance, with disabled visitors in mind, he added.
“We want to bring the story of the gorge to a spot at the main entrance to allow people who may have mobility concerns a level of appreciation for what the gorge represents,” Bonn said.
Also as part of the project, park management are considering changes to the park’s uppermost entrance off Station Road/Route 409, where tour buses often drop off visitors.
The project is still in the preliminary design phase, and state parks officials have been meeting with consultants. The idea is to finish the design work this year, with construction next summer, Bonn said.
The project had been talked about for several years and is crucial for downtown Watkins Glen, said Schuyler County Administrator Tim O’Hearn.
“I’m thrilled to hear they finally secured the funding to do it,” O’Hearn said. “It will help relieve congestion and certainly beautify the gateway to the village, and it recognizes the importance of the park as one of the state’s biggest tourist attractions.”
“We’re seeing a big increase in tour buses, not only at the state park, but some of the other destinations in the village, the boat tours, that sort of thing. This couldn’t have come at a better time,” O’Hearn added. “We’re bursting at the seams, and this will certainly help accommodate increased growth in the tourism industry for the county.”
Read more: http://www.the-leader.com/article/20140 ... z2ziKYhwEr
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