Pluto Falls

Watkins Glen State Park is located right in downtown Watkins Glen, at the south end of Seneca Lake. There are multiple parking areas available, one on either side of State Route 14 adjacent to the park visitor center, as well as larger lots available a short distance up Route 329 from downtown, and off of Route 409 near the upper end of the gorge (consult a park map for specific directions). From the lower parking lot, simply hike the easy Gorge Trail upstream. Pluto Falls is encountered approximately 0.8 mile from the visitor center.Watkins Glen is rightly one of the most popular natural attractions in western New York State. Over the course of about a mile Glen Creek tumbles through a spectacular narrow canyon with sheer cliffs as much as 200 feet high, and tumbles over numerous waterfalls, most of which can be easily enjoyed from a creatively constructed path which traverses terraces and walkways perched on the side of the gorge. There are said to be 19 waterfalls located within Watkins Glen, though distinctly naming some of these features is stretching the definition of waterfall to quite liberal extremes. Pluto Falls is the second-to-last of the major waterfalls located along Glen Creek along the Gorge Trail in Watkins Glen. The falls are located in a section of the glen known as Spiral Gorge, where the creek squeezes through narrows no more than 2 feet wide, swishing and zigzagging between potholes with small falls in between. Pluto Falls represents the final two or three tumbles between these pools. When we surveyed the falls in May of 2018, we measured the two final leaps to 6 and 7 feet respectively, however a large logjam clogging the creek a short distance downstream from the falls had backed up a large pool below the falls, which likely submerged the bottom third to half of the lowest tier of the falls, which is in all likelihood more 9-10 feet tall when properly exposed to the elements. Hopefully a future re-survey of the site will result in a more accurate measurement. One of the smaller falls just upstream from Pluto Falls is known as Glen Omega Falls, but which it is was not clear during our visit (it’s not likely more than 5 feet tall). Glen Creek has a moderately large drainage basin, but like many streams in western New York the low elevation and broad farm lands on the plateaus above don’t promote the best ground water retention and as a result the volume of water present in the creek can vary dramatically between seasons. Upstream from the heart of the glen, the creek’s basin covers approximately 22 square miles. There are two small lakes along Glen Creek upstream of the gorge proper, but neither are large enough to contribute meaningful volume to the stream during the dry season. Though the creek flows all year long, unless it has been replenished by passing storms, expect to see a fairly small stream for much of the summer and early autumn months.