We took the kids on a short day trip from our camping spot in the PA's Little Grand Canyon (Wellsboro, PA) to Watkins Glen, NY at the southern end of Seneca Lake in mid October. It exceded our expectations and we had a fabulous time hiking the falls. It is a nice walk, despite the stairs. You go with the slow flow and with the fantastic structures of walkways, stairs, and bridges that are so natural and almost hidden along the walls, it is easy to enjoy the sounds of the water and relax!
There are two areas where falls flow OVER the pathway and you are able to reach out and touch the falling water. The kids really enjoyed this aspect and it kept the journey up and back down entertaining for even our most "bored". The walk is a straight shot, not a loop, so you go straight up to your stopping point, then back down the way you came. At first I was a little put off by this, but once we turned around to come back, it was obvious that the entire experience would be completely different. The way in you hike UP the falls, always looking up and around the bends to see what is next. On the way down, you get a completely different view as you are now heading down all those stairs & get a fantastic view out the canyon to the town at the base of Seneca Lake.
There is a $6.00 charge to enter in a car. We saw others walk on in or ride bike and not stop to pay, so if you go up and stay close, it appears to be free! They also have a larger (view from the map on the computer) campground with access to the gorge walk if you are into doing a weekend that way. We hiked it and even did bathroom stops before/after and a gift shop run in 2 1/2 hrs. with 4 elementary age kids on a busy sunday fall day.
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