WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (WETM) – People from all over the country are making their way to their summer destinations, and a hugely popular one is the Finger Lakes. The tourist towns boast impressive attractions, but the state parks are probably their most famous features.

People looking to visit a New York State Park this year will likely find that Watkins Glen ranks among the highest-rated and most popular of any in the Empire State.

Two popular travel sites, especially for hiking opportunities, are Tripadvisor and AllTrails. On both sites, when rating NY’s state parks, Watkins Glen ranks among the top five on both lists with glowing five-star reviews.

In fact, on Tripadvisor, it takes the No. 1 spot with almost 5,000 reviews and was even named the 2023 traveler’s choice. On this list, the Watkins Glen gorge is closely followed by Niagara Falls, Letchworth State Park, and another Finger Lakes staple: Robert Treman State Park. Taughannock Falls and Buttermilk Falls rank as No. 6 and 8, respectively.

On AllTrails, many of the parks are located in the Hudson Valley and Catskill regions, but Watkins Glen comes in fourth. And the Finger Lakes continue strong again; Taughannock Falls , Buttermilk Falls, and Robert Treman come in at 7th, 8th, and 9th, respectively.

Earlier this month, the New York State DMV announced a series of regionally-themed license plates. The Southern Tier’s plate features the iconic waterfall in the gorge trail at Watkins Glen.