Excelsior Glen Falls

Excelsior Glen is located just outside of the town of Watkins Glen at the southern end of Seneca Lake. Take Route 414 east from Watkins Glen for 1.3 miles and park in a small pullout just south of where the road crosses Excelsior Glen Creek (there are no signs). The Finger Lakes trail begins climbing adjacent to the creek, marked by a small post and a trail register a few feet further in. The falls are accessed by hiking past the middle falls, and following a somewhat obvious trail that stays to the left and contours the side of the gully (the Finger Lakes Trail continues to the right) and descends steeply to the creek once beyond the middle falls (this section can be treacherous when muddy). Once at stream level, boot paths lead most of the way to the base of the falls. Crossing the creek several times is necessary, so expect to get wet.Excelsior Glen is a short gully located at the southeast end of Seneca Lake that harbors several very scenic, though low volume waterfalls. The third and largest of the falls in the glen, and the second tallest waterfall in the Watkins Glen area, is found about one-third of a mile upstream from the road. The falls veil and cascade a total of 170 feet down a long sloping exposure of stratified bedrock, terminating in a small pool at the base of the cliff. The falls have an overall run of about 200 linear feet, and because of the more gradual pitch of the falls and the close proximity from which it must be viewed, there is a considerable amount of foreshortening in viewing the falls, which makes it appear considerably smaller than it actually is (especially in photographs). The basin which Excelsior Glen Creek drains covers an area of approximately 2 square miles, and while there do appear to be some areas of swamp in the drainage, it’s largely devoid of sources of consistent ground water discharge. When we surveyed the area in May 2018 the flow was lower than we had anticipated, and without consistent rain or snow melt to continuously replenish the creek, its volume should be expected to be quite small for much of the year. Due to the significant height of the falls, the small volume of Excelsior Glen Creek is further marginalized by the size of the cliff, and during periods of low flow the falls will not appear nearly as visually prominent because the water has more area to spread out across, resulting in less aeration and turbulence.