Out of the way and less known than the other finger lakes gorge trails, we wanted to see if this park was worth the trip...
Continuing our finger lakes adventure on a third day, we began by visiting Fillmore Glen for an early morning hike. So early, in fact, that we had the entire gorge to ourselves until we headed back along the rim trail. Named after president Millard Fillmore, and featuring a replica of his boyhood home, this is yet another incredible state park based around a gorge full of waterfalls.
This park is a bit remote, and we really only had the opportunity to visit because I felt like hitting a bunch of parks on the way home... that happened to all be out of the way but in the same direction! I wouldn't say this gorge is as impressive as Watkins, Treman or Buttermilk but it's still awesome and has it's own charm, characterized by an abundance of bridges and more biodiversity than the other parks. So if you find yourself out by the finger lakes, definitely consider making the trip.
The waterfalls themselves are quite the diverse mix. We started in the upper lot and so we viewed the most major waterfall last. I would recommend this method if you like the end of your hikes to have the biggest possible reward. If you park at the bottom the first waterfall you'll see is the big one.
My first photographed waterfall here is also quite large. Unlike the other falls that all exist as a part of the main brook, this one comes tumbling down the side of the gorge to join it. No photo is going to do this thing justice, it's super tall. In fact you'll cross right over the top of it on your hike back if you choose to do the north rim as your return trail.
This might be the biggest fall in the park, I'm not sure, but I can guarantee it's not the most powerful. The waterflow is like a torrent of rain compared to some of the other falls here.
This fall was especially difficult to capture as the time of day we choose to hike saw it submerged in shadow. You get to view this stunning plunge from an older looking bridge that gave me some Deja-vu from childhood. I swear I've never been here though.
As soon as you pass this spot you'll find yourself with a flat rock wall on your left. It was positively dripping with water and essentially raining on us as we passed. I can't imagine how much wetter this spot must get after it rains or earlier in the season. This reminds me of the section at Watkins Glen when you reach the famous photo spot [you know the one] and we got drenched there too!
After you have your fill of getting wet you'll come upon this cool scene, a very wide drop followed by a number of tiny cascades. This signals the end of the main gorge trail. You can choose to return on the south or north rim. The south rim is supposed to have an over look that we skipped, the north rim returns to the main fall AND if you continue north instead there is supposed to be an additional water fall further up.
The north rim trail was pretty unremarkable. A pleasant stroll through the woods, and mostly down hill. We encountered a number of people here who choose to come up this trail to go down the gorge, maybe we're doing these gorges wrong? Near the end we encountered, you guessed it, stairs! Lots of stairs. Seriously New York, listen, what is up with all of the stairs in your parks??
When you reach the bottom there are two last things to check out. First is the swimming area, which was not filled when we were there. A bit too early in the season so the locks were open. The main attraction to the park though is the "Cow Sheds', the largest falls in the park. From the bottom you can only see the big drop but there are several above it you will see at the start of the gorge trail. This impressive waterfall was so nice that we even forgot to check out the replica cabin of Millard Fillmore before we left!
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