Robert H Treman State Park, Finger Lakes, New York

May 22, 2016

Any visit to the Finger Lakes area of New York must comprise the following three state parks: Watkins Glen State Park, Letchworth State Park and Robert Treman State Park. These parks offer the most spectacular scenery including canyons, eroded gorges and numerous waterfalls.

Robert H Treman is located in Ithaca and is relatively close to Watkins Glen. The main feature of this park is the 100ft plus waterfall called Lucifer Falls. The best way to see the park is by hiking the 4.5 mile loop trail that follows the Enfield Creek. You can start the trail either at the Upper or Lower Entrance. I followed the Gorge Trail starting at the Lower Entrance to the Upper Gorge Trail.Although there are some steep sections, do not skip the Upper Gorge Trail since it is the most spectacular section of the hike. Once completing the Upper Gorge I circled back using the Rim Trail. The Rim Trail is not as scenic as the Gorge Trail but it does offer some nice overlook areas along the way.

View of Lucifer Falls from the Rim Trail

Nice view from the Cliff Staircase on the Rim Trail

Alaska Cruise- Voyage of the Glaciers

July 2015

In July 2015, I took a 7 day cruise to Alaska on the Star Princess. The ship left from Vancouver and finished in Anchorage (Whittier) Alaska while stopping at 3 ports of call (Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway). We also spent the entire day cruising Glacier Bay National Park which for me was the highlight of the cruise. If you are only to take one cruise in your life then I highly suggest Alaska. This is one of the most beautiful cruises I have ever taken. The scenery is spectacular as the ship navigates the inside passage of British Columbia and Alaska passing small towns, dramatic mountains, glaciers, remote wilderness areas and provides the cruiser with countless wildlife sighting opportunities along the way. You’ll see humpback whales, orcas, otters, bald eagles and sea lions right from the deck of the ship.

Day 1

After leaving Canada Place in Vancouver, the ship sailed under the Lions Gate Bridge and pass Stanley Park into the Georgia Strait. The following day (Day 2) we were at sea navigating through the Johnstone Strait and passing the Queen Charlotte Islands towards southeast Alaska. On our day at sea, I spent most of the time exploring the ship and participating in the many activities offered throughout the day.

Cruise ship terminal at Canada Place in Vancouver

The Star Princess leaving Vancouver and sailing past Stanley Park

Day 3

We docked in the small town of Ketchikan in the early morning. We spent roughly 6 hours there.

Ketchikan is a very small Alaskan town famous for its collection of totem poles. It has also been dubbed the “Salmon capital of the World”. When we arrived it was raining quite heavily. Ketchikan is situated in a temperate rainforest and gets a lot of rain due to its geographic location. In fact, they get around 160 inches of rain per year so the chances are pretty high that during a visit to Ketchikan, it will be raining.

Because of the rain, I opted to do a self-guided walking tour of the town. There is a Historic Walking Tour map which is available at the visitor centre which outlines a 2 hour walking route of places of interest. This walking tour passes by several totem poles, Creek Street (which is a former red light district) and a salmon ladder.

In mid-afternoon, we departed the port of Ketchikan making our way north via the Tongass Narrows and through the straits of Southeast Alaska towards our next destination, Juneau.

Creek Street, Ketchikan

Totem pole in the town of Ketchikan

Day 4

In the early hours of the morning the ship entered and docked in Juneau Harbour. Juneau is the state capital of Alaska and it is situated in some of the most rugged terrain. The Juneau Icefield which is located above the town is a massive accumulation of ice and snow stretching for hundreds of miles. Because of this, Juneau is definitely the best location on the cruise itinerary for flightseeing.

This was a long day as we spent almost 13 hours in Juneau providing ample opportunities for sightseeing and adventure activities.

In the morning as soon as I got off the ship, I purchased round-trip transportation on a shuttle which dropped me off at the Mendenhall Glacier. This allowed me to stay as long as I liked. I spent roughly 4 hours exploring the visitor centre and hiking the many numerous trails around the glacier. These trails which vary in distance and challenge bring you up close to cascading waterfalls, salmon streams, and rainforests laden with moss.

The Mendenhall Glacier which is part of the Juneau Icefield is located in Tongass National Forest only a short distance from Juneau. This glacier which is 13.6 miles long is currently in a state of retreat and terminates on the far side of Mendenhall Lake.

Mendenhall Glacier

Trail of Time is a short trail at Mendenhall Glacier

Waterfall found on the Trail of Time hiking trail

After returning in the afternoon from my Mendenhall Glacier visit, I took a whale watching tour. Apparently, Juneau is one of the best places in the world for whale watching. I certainly was not disappointed as I had the opportunity to view several humpback whales at close range.

We departed later in the evening making our way through the Gastineau Channel to our next destination, Skagway.

Day 5

Once again in the early morning, the Star Princess made her approach to historical Skagway, the gateway to the Klondike. Skagway is a little town with a population of less than 1000 although it usually swells during the summer months primarily due to visitors from the cruise ships. Skagway’s main reason for being is essentially the Klondike Gold Rush. In the late 1800s gold was found in the Yukon Territory of Canada and Skagway became a great access point for those who prepared for the long journey to the Canadian gold fields.

 Today the small town has a historical district with many buildings that remain from the gold rush era. While a lot of passengers from the cruise ship usually book the Yukon White Pass Railroad Tour, I opted to take a bus tour with a local tour operator in town. This tour which essentially follows the entire path of the train along the Klondike Highway costs a fraction of the price and stopped at many scenic viewing areas. We stopped at waterfalls, alpine lakes and even spotted mountain goats on the precipitous cliffs along the road.

Upon my return in the afternoon, I decided to do a short hike to Yakutania Point and Smuggler’s Cove.

We departed later in the evening making our way to our next destination, Glacier Bay National Park.

Along the Klondike Highway in Skagway

Skagway, Alaska

Smuggler's Cove

Day 6

At 6.00 am we entered the entrance to Glacier Bay National Park at Bartlett Cove where national park rangers boarded the ship from a speed boat that docked along the ship. We spent close to 9 hours touring this beautiful national park as the park rangers provided us with commentary.

Glacier Bay is one of the most remote parks in the US National park system. The only way to reach it is either by plane or boat as there are no roads that lead into the park. Despite this, the park receives over 400,000 visitors per year, the majority (80%) arriving via cruise ship.

To say the least, Glacier Bay is absolutely spectacular. It is comprised of 3.3 million acres of mountains, glaciers, forests and waterways making it the definite highlight of the Inside Passage. It’s hard to believe that just over 250 years ago, Glacier Bay wasn’t even a bay but once was a massive river of ice roughly 100 miles long and thousands of feet deep. Today a few tidewater glaciers remain mostly in the upper bay.

Upon entrance at Bartlett Cove, our ship travelled another 55 miles to get to these tidal glaciers.

We arrived at Lamplugh Glacier at around 9:30AM. We stayed in the area visiting Lamplugh Glacier, John Hopkins Glacier and Topeka Glacier for around 1 hour and a half before departing for Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers. Once at Margerie Glacier, we spent another hour admiring the beauty of the glacier with its deep blue tones as the ship repeatedly turned on a dime 360 degrees allowing for a panoramic view of the entire area.

We left Glacier Bay at around 3:30PM for our next destination College Fjord.

Margerie Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

John Hopkins Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

Topeka Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

Lamplugh Glacier

Day 7

The Star Princess sailed into Prince William Sound to view the majestic College Fjord. College fjord contains several tidewater and valley glaciers which are named after several elite US East Coast Colleges.

As you travel through the fjord you are surrounded by towering snow covered and rocky peaks. Like Glacier Bay, College Fjord is also one of the best glacier viewing spots in Alaska. There are five tidewater glaciers in the fjord, Harvard Glacier being the largest with a 2kms wide face and 300 ft thickness.

After leaving college fjord we made our way to Whittier our final destination and port of disembarkation.

A magnificent Alaskan cruise had come to an end but the memories of what I had seen and experienced will always remain with me.

Star Princess sailing through College Fjord towards Harvard Glacier

Harvard Glacier, College Fjord, Alaska

View of Harvard glacier (left) and Yale glacier (right) as the cruise ship leaves College Fjord

Leonard Harrison State Park, Pennsylvania

December 2012

Leonard Harrison State Park is situated on the east rim of Pine Creek Gorge which is also known as the "Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania". The park offers exceptional views of Pine Creek Gorge and Pine Creek which carves it's way through the canyon. The park is accessible during winter months however the visitor centre and other facilities are not open. Although the Turkey Path Trail was closed for the winter for safety concerns, we decided to hike it anyway since there was alot of snow. The trail winds it's way past several waterfalls along Little Four Mile Run to the canyon floor. It's 1 mile down and 1 mile back up and in deep snow, it is quite the workout but the views and scenery make it well worth it.



Panoramic winter view of the Pine Creek Gorge and Colton State Park from the main vista terrace in Leonard Harrison State Park

Little Four Mile Run's first waterfall, seen from the Turkey Path Trail.

The second waterfall on Little Four Mile Run produces beautiful ice formations.

The Pine Creek Rail Trail located at the bottom of the canyon is 62 miles in length making it ideal for hiking, biking and cross country skiing.

Antelope Canyon, Arizona

July 2012

Situated just outside of Page, Arizona, Antelope Canyon is a photographer's dream. This is a popular tourist destination and you must book a tour which starts at around $30 through the Navajo Nation in order to see this amazing place. There are two canyons, Upper and Lower but most people who visit choose to only see the Upper as I did. The Upper Antelope tour is about 1.5 hours long and you walk through the narrow passage ways as a Navajo guide explains the geology of the area.

The canyons are named after the pronghorn antelope which once roamed freely. They rise around 120 feet from the steambed and were formed by erosion of the sandstone primarily due to flash flooding which still occurs today.

Here are a few photos of the Upper Antelope Canyon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watkins Glen State Park, New York

August 2011

Watkins Glen State Park is the jewel and the most famous of all Finger Lakes State Parks. It is magnificent and if you are only to visit one park then this is the one. It leaves visitors spellbound as the Glen Creek descends 400 feet past 200 foot cliffs generating a series of 19 spectacular waterfalls, 2 of the waterfalls you can actually walk behind. There are several trails that span the park but the ultimate trail to experience Watkins Glen is from the Gorge Trail. The hike along the 1.5 mile Gorge Trail will take roughly 2-3 hours. It is composed of paved walkways, steep staircases, chiseled tunnels, mortared bridges, and numerous waterfalls including cascades, dripping curtains, punchbowls, plunges and chutes.

This place is magnificent especially in the afternoon when the sun shines through casting light on the walls of the gorge. It is a magical place often looking at times like something out of the Lord of the Rings movie. While not very big in size, the park attracts many visitors who come to marvel at its beauty. It is said to be one of the most visited parks in New York State and it is easy to understand why.

You start at the bottom of the park in the parking lot and make your way up along The Gorge Trail to the top. There are over 800 steps that you must climb. You begin your journey into the Glen by walking through the Entrance Tunnel which was hand cut into the rock in the early 1900�s. You continue along the paved path with exceptional views at every corner. One of the most breathtaking views is the Cavern Cascade. This is one of the 2 waterfalls where you actually walk behind the curtain of the fall. From Cavern Cascade, the views looking down into the gorge are quite impressive. Once past Cavern Cascade, you eventually make your way through a Spiral Tunnel and under a Suspension Bridge which is 85 feet above the creek and then into a section of the gorge called The Narrows. The Narrows has its own micro-climate which is very similar to a rainforest, shady and very moist. Next stop of interest is Central Cascade and Glen of Pools.

Cavern Cascade

Central Cascade and Glen of Pools is considered one of the highlights of the walk. Central Cascade is the highest waterfall in the park plunging more than 60 feet. The trail continues crossing the creek on a scenic bridge to Rainbow Falls. Rainbow Falls is the other waterfall that you can walk behind. In the late afternoon when the sun is out, you can see rainbows reflected off the falls. After Rainbow Falls, you enter a dark and narrow passage with dripping springs and another waterfall with a thin veil called Pluto Falls. The path continues further to Mile Point Bridge. After Mile Point Bridge, there really is not much more to see beyond that point. This is a good place to turn back and walk the gorge in reverse.

Watkins Glen SP is located in the village of Watkins Glen on Seneca Lake. The park entrance fee is $8 per car. Other areas of interest worth exploring around Watkins Glen are Montour Falls, Seneca Lake and Corning Museum of Glass.

Another beautiful state park which is nearby and worth a visit is Letchworth State Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information visit the following related links.

Watkins Glen State Park