If you have been smitten by the “Nature” bug and want to give your wanderlust toes plenty of ground to cover, then New York State is the place to be. Your nature craving will be satisfied and you will be left inspired with the soulful beauty around you. While the urban jungles in and around New York City (Times Square, Manhattan, Long Island, etc., etc.) get the limelight much too often, I feel like the parks, waterfalls, and trails are not talked about enough. We have spent quite a few weekends exploring the parks in this area and are always left feeling excited about discovering yet another beautiful patch of land or water body! Hop on our journey as we unveil some of the true treasures of New York. These are perfect locations for a quick and restful weekend getaway without pinching your wallets too much:)
One of our favorite day trips with some awesome company was a two hour drive east of Buffalo to the village of Naples. In this region, get ready to embrace the beautiful Grimes Glen Falls. Grimes Glen is a long deep gorge that makes its way into the village of Naples, eventually joining with the Naples Creek, that drains into the Canandaigua Lake, one of the famous five Finger Lakes in NY.
The pictures speak tales about the spectacular beauty of this place.
There are three waterfalls in the area and we spotted two of the three on our hike. The first waterfall known as the French Hills Falls is about half a mile from the parking lot. Climb your way up to stand right on the water terrace of the falls...so much fun having the fresh water splash on your tresses!
The highlight of this trip was a barefoot trek through the water to get to the falls. You can chose to do a regular land hike, but we absolutely loved the feel of the warm summer waters running through our feet as we made our way to the falls. I did feel like I could use a good pedicure after though (lol! ).
Of course these journeys are that much more fun when you have your bestie by your side:)
The second falls is a quarter mile from the first one. The water splashes into the middle of a majestic amphitheatre created by the towering high walls that adjoin the falls.
What's a hike without some "beauty" images:)
We made our way leisurely and enjoyed a relaxing day admiring Grimes Glen. Don't forget to drive through the quaint village of Naples and grab a delish bite at a local diner.
Last but not the least...a big shout out to our friend, Suresh, for these beautiful images. Thanks muches for capturing such amazing memories:)
