Havana Glen.

(1) Portal cascade (more photos below)

In the fingerlakes region of New York has an interesting phenomenon where streams cut through the bedrock and create waterfalls over cliffs exposed by glaciers. Over time the water eats away at the cliff and amazing formations are formed. The proper term for such a feature is canyon, but in the east we call them glens. The most famous one is Watkins Glen state park which has a nice trail built into it and is quite the tourist trap. But there are also two other glens very near by, one is partially open to the public and the other is on private land. I have visited all three and each has their own traits which make them unique. The one that I have chosen to write about here is the partially open one, Havana.

The entrance is a nice quaint park with campgrounds. A small path leads up to the first and largest waterfall in the glen. The trail is of much lower quality than it's more well known sister Watkins' Glen. The trail leads to the base of eagle cliff falls, which gets its name from eagles that once nested on the north cliff.

People use the pool at the base of the falls as a swimming hole. Even though swimming is not allowed at the park, on a sunny day you will find people around any larger pool in the glen. The official trail ends at eagle cliff, You are technically not allowed to visit the rest of the glen. However there are trails that go up above and give a view down from above. These trails can be dangerous as there is no railing and the cliff is quite abrupt, caution should be exercised if you choose to go this path.

Up above eagle cliff the water has carved a path through the stone creating what is known as the council chamber. As the story goes in 1798 when general Sullivan led his march through Montour falls (at that time Catherine's town) The local Iroquois took refuge along with the British soldiers in the council chamber. It was here that the decision was made for the Iroquois to leave their home and head north to fort Niagara.

The council chamber now is a large rectangular void in the rock with seemingly perfect 90 degree angles. It is a very interesting portion of the glen with towering straight walls which are a nice retreat from the chaotic curves of Watkins Glen. Above the council chamber is the second waterfall curtain cascade. In the early spring the waterfall is not much to look at but later on into the summer the sun glints off from the water that cascades down the rock face on the upper portion of the falls to create quite an amazing sight.

Beyond curtain cascade is bridal veil falls. Bridal veil falls is split into two portions an upper and a lower, with the lower feeding curtain cascade. It is impossible to get from the bottom to the top of bridal veil without leaving the glen and walking around the edge. In the portion directly above bridal veil there is a small cave dug in some 8 foot into the rock, I personally have no Idea of its origin but in a 120 year old description of the glen it is called "indian oven". Above the cave there is a natural tunnel through the rock that in the 1800s the trail went right through. It is known as the mountain tunnel and today is almost inaccessible. I have been in it and have seen people climb up to it but I cannot recommend it to anyone because the entrance to the tunnel is now 20 foot up a steep cliff.

Just across the glen from this there is an interesting formation of stone, which is a pillar that stand separate from the rest of the cliff. This pillar has some trees growing atop it so it resembles an island.Beyond this is Whispering falls what is arguably the most difficult and dangerous waterfall to traverse. It is a nice waterfall with a deep pool at the base of it with steep cliff faces reminiscent of the council chamber. I have seen people use it for cliff diving which is incredibly dangerous due to the relative isolation of the fall. Nonetheless someone in the past attached a steel cable to aid in traversing the waterfall. I sliced my hand on it the very first time I found it and found alternatives.

The portion above whispering falls is called glen chaos. The bedrock is tilted at about a 45 degree angle. It is a rather quiet and calm portion to the glen. Just past glen chaos is echo falls, where a small piece of iron railing still sets in the stone from when the whole glen was open. This is the only pool I have never entered, It is deep and murky and the water Is churning. I did have a friend that fell in it and went completely under. He turned out ok but I cannot stress the importance of caution. People have died in this glen. Above this is another portion of calm stream that continues for a bit before reaching fairies cascade.

Beyond fairies cascade you enter the upper gorge. There is a small spring fed waterfall that comes down from the woods. This is a very amazing portion of the glen. After the upper gorge the stream evens out and the walls shrink and It almost appears as if the glen has ended. But if you continue on just a little bit you come to summit falls, the last waterfall of the glen. There is a nice pool at the base of it for potential swimming and it is far safer than other waterfalls. The cliff side exhibits an interesting phenomenon where the sound from the falls echoes to create a hollow rumble even some distance from the fall. This is the phenomenon that gave echo falls its name although I did not notice it there.

This glen in my opinion rivals Watkins Glen in many facets. However either glen is worthy of wonder. Each is great in its own way even though they are both quite different. I have explored this glen in full, This is highly dangerous and I do not think anyone should try it themselves. You cannot walk the glen in a straight shot as you can Watkins, this is because the trails that were set up in the 1800s are all but gone. In order to see the full glen you must climb in and out of the glen along its length. People have died in this glen exploring. I have provided here a very comprehensive "tour" of the glen so that people can see the wonders without personal risk. I have accidentally left out images of the tunnel and cave but I will add them when I find them. There Is a trail that leads from eagle cliff to summit falls through the woods. If you choose to explore havana glen I ask you stay on this trail and its offshoots. Be careful and stay away from the edge!

(EDIT) I have just made a post with historical photos from the glen. The numbers below correspond to the numbers on the photos here .
(Adding the numbers messed with my formatting so some of the images are jumbled around.)