If you're looking to view New York in a whole new way, we've got a perfect day trip for you! Lockport Cave is a mere 30 minute drive from Niagara Falls or Buffalo, but you'll feel like you're on a whole different planet. You'll take a two-part tour that is incredibly unique. The Erie Canal is vital to the New York economy and this experience will allow you to learn so much about the area's rich history.
Your tour begins with a guided walking tour through the "Flight of Five" Erie Canal Locks. The Locks allow boats to lift up along the rising ridges of the Niagara Escarpment rocks. Without canals like these, boats cannot travel uphill.
Though they may seem like modern marvels, the locks were actually constructed in the early 1800s! They are impressive feats of engineering that led to great innovations in transportation and business.
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Without the Erie Canal, it is doubtful that New York City could have become the major world player it is today.
Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Tour has been offering tours to New Yorkers since 1977.
You will also take an underground boat ride through the man-made Lockport Cave. This is one of America's longest underground boat rides. You'll soar down the eerily dark and quiet Erie Canal.
It's truly amazing to think of how long ago all of this was blasted out of the solid rock!
How incredible that all this exists right under our feet! This is an educational experience for visitors of all ages.
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Make sure to wear comfortable, waterproof walking shoes
Have you taken a tour of the Lockport Cave? We'd love to hear more in the comments!
Advance reservations are required to go on the Lockport Cave Tour and Underground Boat Ride. For more information, view the company's website or Facebook.
If you’ve taken the time to explore New York, then you know that some of our state’s shortest trails just so happen to be our sweetest. In fact, you'll often be surprised at how little effort it takes to get to some of our most breathtaking outdoor attractions, leaving you full of energy to explore your final destination on the trail. A small-town gem that only opened to the public back in 2002, Dover Stone Church in Dover Plains, NY is a unique aboveground cave in New York that is pretty special, and surprisingly overlooked! It just takes an easy stroll to reach.
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Hidden down in the small town of Dover Plains, you can find an adventure that begins at a historical marker between two houses.
Greeting you with a runway of trees within a wide-open field, you'll walk down a set of stairs and begin your magical journey to Dover Stone Church.
As you begin to make your way through the forest, you'll come across this sign that gives you the history of this small town natural wonder and pointing you in the direction of the trails.
Before you even start your hike, you'll cross a quaint bridge that goes over Stone Church Brook.
Once you see these trail markers, the adventure begins! Stay to the right and follow the brook if you want to go explore New York's aboveground cave.
Your quick adventure begins as the trail follows the brook, surrounding you with jaw-dropping greenery that will make you feel like you're in another world.
Before you know it, you'll see the opening of Dover Stone Church and hear the quiet roars of the cascading waterfalls along the brook.
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Named after the fact that it resembles the shape of a church, when the water is low enough you can walk right into Dover Stone Church.
Obviously, this gorgeous spot is smack in the middle of nature, so there are no tours here. Keep it clean, please!
An adventure that's great for all ages, once you step inside the cave you'll be able to look back at the trail that now has a unique framing to it.
As if this cave wasn't already magical enough, you'll quickly discover that there are gorgeous waterfalls inside here too!
It's an incredible view.
Open every day from dawn till dusk, there's no better time than now to go and explore Dover Stone Church for yourself.
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While hiking to this aboveground cave is an adventure that's beautiful to experience no matter what time of year it is, the scenery here looks exceptionally stunning when New York's gorgeous greens are showing off for the spring and summer. Just off of NY-22, visitors can drive between the two houses where the historical marker is to see if there's space at the tiny parking lot or find plenty of parking spaces at Dover Stone Elementary right across the street when school's not in session.
Did you realize this unique cave was hiding in plain sight? New York is full of natural wonders, and this fantastic spot is just the start! Share your photos of Dover Stone Church with us in the comments below and tell us your favorite part of this beautiful New York hike.
For more amazing cave explorations, read about the epic cave boat tour you can only take here in NY! Or, head underneath NYC for a different side of New York's underground world.
When you think of a famous gorge in New York, your mind probably immediately goes to Ausable Chasm. The massive canyon is 50 feet wide in some areas and spans a depth of 200 feet. It was one of the first tourist attractions in the country and is nicknamed the "Grand Canyon of the East." It's undoubtedly one of the greatest natural wonders in New York and we highly recommend a visit. But there's another grandly gorgeous New York gorge that shouldn't be ignored! Country Living even listed it as the most beautiful gorge in America we would say that is tough to argue with because we also think that Watkins Glen State Park is the prettiest gorge around.
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History & Geology At Watkins Glen State Park
Encompassing more than 700 acres, this massive state park is one that you can easily spend all day exploring — and trust us, you'll want to.
Watkins Glen is a 400-foot deep gorge cut through shale by Glen Creek. The ancient crevice was created by giant glaciers during the Ice Age.
The park is most famous for its Gorge Trail, an adventure that belongs on absolutely everyone's bucket list. When people are looking for the best hikes in Watkins Glen State Park this is the number one place you will want to go. You will get to see most of what the gorge has to offer and in our experience, it was one of the most magical of trails we have ever been on.
This gorge in New York is the centerpiece of this state park and is widely considered to be the most beautiful state park in New York. The park spans 1.2 square miles in area.
Over the course of the two-mile trail, you'll climb more than 800 stone steps and will find yourself walking behind more waterfalls than you knew imaginable. Don't worry too much about the steps, we learned how many there were after the hike and it really surprised us. Mostly because we were so focused on the beauty of the surrounding area that we hardly noticed it.
If you're a fan of waterfalls in New York, you won't want to miss this place. This New York gorge has 19 waterfalls in just two miles! The park's trails are open seasonally and provide a great opportunity to see the falls.
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The Gorge Trail At Watkins Glen State Park
The trail is well-maintained and is easy to follow. It's impossible to get lost.
The landscape here is almost otherworldly in its beauty. You don't get places much better than this in the Finger Lakes region of NY.
You don't have to be a geologist to appreciate the beauty of the rock formations here. The cliffs are made of shale, limestone, and sandstone.
Since the rocks erode at different rates, there's a fascinating cascade pattern to the gorge's walls, which is a large contributing factor to why this is one of the most beautiful gorges in New York.
Like something from a fairytale, this remarkable gorge seems to be carved out of otherworldly rock formations. The curves are mesmerizing and are so much fun to travel through.
There are a lot of beautiful places in New York, but we have to agree that Watkins Glen is one of the prettiest. You've got to see this gorge in New York to believe it! Our favorite part of the trail was seeing how many waterfalls at Watkins Glen State Park there really are. It seemed like every few minutes we were stopping to admire another cascade, or hiking behind the waterfalls which is a truly enchanting experience.
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Other Hiking Trails In Watkins Glen State Park
There are several different trails within the park, and some of them loop together to make for one epic hiking adventure.
Even though the trails are clearly marked, it's always a good idea to have your trusty AllTrails Plus account ready so you can download the trail maps ahead of time and get wrong-turn alerts.
Educational tours at the park are free and available to the public.
If you're planning a trip with a larger size group of people, the option is also available for you to schedule a tour.
Summer, fall, and winter visits all have their perks, but locals agree that the best time of year to visit Watkins Glen State Park is in the spring.
Peak waterfall action. Plus, just look at all of those enchanting shades of green!
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The waterfalls always look their best during the spring months due to snowmelt and run-off, and overall the area is much less crowded than it is during the summer.
If this isn't a fairytale land right here on Earth - what is?!
Bring your camera along for the adventure and see if you can capture similar images! If you want that dreamy "frozen" look like the photo above, make sure you use a tripod and have a long exposure.
Camping At Watkins Glen State Park
Campers, rejoice! With roughly 300 sites, an unforgettable camping experience is available to be had here.
There are several ways to spend the night at Watkins Glen State Park. Take your pick from RV slots, primitive campsites, or one of the nine rustic cabins available to rent.
Get more information on Watkins Glen State Park by visiting its website and start planning your adventure today.
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Have you visited Watkins Glen in New York? Have you ever spent the night in one of the cabins in the campground? What was your favorite waterfall? Share your experiences in the comments! If you have the AllTrails app make sure to download the Creek Gorge Trail map so you can track your progress along your hike. To see our adventure when we hiked this trail please make sure to watch this Adventuring in the Moment video:
Our time in the park was simply mesmerizing and I would highly recommend this park to anyone who loves nature and hiking trails. Once you cross that bridge and enter the park it is like you have stepped into a whole new world filled with wonder at every turn. It reminded us of something similar to something you would see in Indiana Jones. From the natural-looking stone-cut steps to the countless waterfalls found all throughout the park, this is one of those must-see natural wonders of New York.