Review of Letchworth State Park, New York

 

Letchworth State Park, NY

After my wife and I (and our Pomeranian dog Toby) visited the Niagara Falls State Park during our June trip to western New York, we thought we had seen the greatest state park anywhere.  I was wrong!  

As much as we loved Niagara Falls State Park for all its grandeur and the greatest falls anywhere in the US, we both fell in love with Letchworth State Park.  We would put Letchworth State Park on the same level as Niagara Falls State Park.

Letchworth State Park is in the Genesee region of New York, and is known as the “Grand Canyon of the East.”  It was chosen as the best state park (2015) in a poll by the readers of USA Today.  The park is known for three major waterfalls, whitewater rafting, Genesee River, hot air ballooning and hiking.  

Little did I know at the time of our trip planning to Letchworth State Park, but we had actually visited the park exactly 25 years ago, with our good buddy Charlie.  He went to school near Rochester (NY), and he introduced us to the park.  It was a really brief visit then, but he did confirm that we had indeed visited the park together!

On a warm and sunny Wednesday in June, our pack set out to Letchworth State Park.  As usual, we prepared lunch, snacks, drinks, and food/water for Toby so we can eat at the park.

The drive from Ellicottville to Letchworth State Park takes about an hour.  As we drove closer to the park, we noticed the cellular coverage had dropped down to no service.  Our navigation via Apple CarPlay was useless at that time, as it took us to a deserted location near the park, but not one of the main entrances to the park!

Because of no cellular service, we had to backtrack, then figure out how to get to one of the main entrances.  Luckily, our detour only took about 15 minutes.  I was able to find the same road we had come in, then realized that we had missed the main entrance to the park at the intersection.

All we had to do was go straight in at the intersection, and not turn right at the same intersection.

We paid the $10 entrance fee then made our way to what we thought was the visitor center.  It was not.  We had stopped at the Glen Iris Inn instead.  Nonetheless, there was a restroom across the street from the inn, and we made a quick pit stop.

Visitor center was bit further up and we stopped by there to eat our lunch.  Once we had done so, we decided to drive the entire length of the park to where the Mt. Morris Dam was.  We had driven in at the Portageville entrance at the southern end of the park, and the dam would be on the northern end of the park.

It was a Wednesday, but we already saw tons of visitors by about 10:30 a.m.  We saw hikers, bikers, and slow drivers (like us) gawking at the incredible scenery all around us.

We drove north via Park Road and stopped at one of the many incredible overlooks at the park.  The first one we saw was Inspiration Point.

View from the Inspiration Point overlook
View of the Genesee River below
Inspiration Point
Gardeau Overlook

We made our way to Eddy’s Overlook next.  Again, the views were magnificent almost reminding us of Grand Canyons, but with trees and foliage!  Everywhere we looked, we were in awe…

We saw whitewater rafters carefully navigating their way over the Genesee River and having the time of their lives!  We saw raptors hovering over the canyons looking for prey.  What a sight…

The final stop we made on our way to the dam was Gardeau Overlook.  Unlike the other overlooks, this one was completely abandoned.  There were no other cars or people for that matter, at this overlook.  We stopped by admiring the views yet again!

What a view…
Another beautiful view!

We met fellow travelers at one of the overlooks who were visiting from Israel.  We chatted briefly and wished them well.  We all talked about how beautiful the park was…

After leaving the final overlook, we had finally made it to the Mt. Morris Dam.  We were a bit underwhelmed as there wasn’t much water near the dam.  We had expected water to be filled up to the top.  Oh, well…

After a quick view of the dam area, we were in the mood for some snacks!  We found a gift shop/refreshment stand that was selling cold drinks and French fries.  We had to have some fries!

We enjoyed the fries and a cold drink at a shaded picnic table right in front of the shop.  Toby of course wanted some fries, so we gave him some. He wolfed it down and looked for more, like a scary predator that he is, looking for more prey…

Had French fries here!

After finishing the fries, we headed back to where we had come from, to the Upper Falls area.  We parked our car, then slowly walked towards the sound of the falls.  It was an unmistakable sound of tons of water crashing down to earth.  

We made it to where we can clearly see the Upper Falls!  It was so breathtaking!!!

Upper Falls!
A closer view of the Upper Falls 
View of the Upper Falls from the top of the falls
Had to include this photo!

We decided to walk all the way up the steps to the top of the Upper Falls.  Toby was feeling the heat, so I ended up giving him a free ride up the steps.  Climbing the steps was a heck of an exercise!  We took short breaks up the steps, but we had finally made it to the parking area at the top of the Upper Falls.  Yeah!! 

After catching our breath, we headed back down the steps to the parking lot.  By that time of the day, large crowd had gathered at the bottom of the Upper Falls area.  We were glad we got there early!

There was a small bench near the Upper Falls viewing area, and we decided to stop by to see the falls for one last time.  We took our time getting mesmerized by the beauty of the falls, and reminisced about our overall trip.

It was a perfect trip filled with exciting drives, beautiful scenery, jaw dropping waterfalls, plenty of nature, and awesome hiking trails.  

To say Letchworth State Park is beautiful is an understatement.  We would put this park up there with any park we’ve visited, and that includes places like the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Niagara Falls State Park!

We thank you all for reading, and hope you’ll also get to enjoy this awesome park!


Jake

Wandering Money Pig 


Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Ocean City, Maryland’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Bushkill Falls and Grey Towers.’

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 natural attractions in Las Vegas’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Zion National Park’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Vdara Hotel’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Chateau at Coindre Hall’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Oyster Bay’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Ocean Casino Resort’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Wildwood Park and Fort Hunter Mansion’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Ottawa’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Fiore Suite and classic room at the Borgata’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 places with awesome views near Harrisburg, PA’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Quebec City, Canada’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 quintessential places to visit in New York City’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Ricketts Glen State Park, PA’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Beaufort, NC’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Vernon, NJ’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Harrisburg, PA’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Montreal, Canada’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area, Wake Forest, NC’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 parks to visit in Bogue Banks, North Carolina’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Niagara Falls State Park’.

Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Claysburg, PA’.


Please check out our YouTube channel ‘Wandering Money Pig’ showcasing our travels and our Pomeranian dog! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3kl9f4W9sfNG5h1l-x6nHw



Popular posts from this blog

AirBNB horror story: How we got a refund from AirBNB due to a noisy neighbor…

Image
  Letchworth State Park, NY My wife and I (and our Pomeranian Toby) have been slow traveling since our early retirement last August.  We rely on AirBnB or Vrbo when we travel, and this past April was no exception. We chose a monthly rental via AirBNB in the month of April, in a town called Claysburg, Pennsylvania.  The rental was a studio unit that has a bed, a futon, full kitchen and a private bath. On the day of our arrival (April 1st), we were greeted by snow falling at the condo.  It was a beautiful sight to behold! We checked in with no problems and slowly settled in.  The next three days were uneventful.  We did our usual unpacking, then we went shopping for food from a nearby supermarket the following day.  We enjoyed the sights nearby and were having a good time at a new location. By Monday of the following week, our luck had changed for the worse.  The neighbor upstairs did what sounded like to us, either deep cleaning and renovating! We heard loud music blasting, while heavy
Read more

Review of Vdara Hotel, Las Vegas, NV (Nevada): Pros and Cons

Image
  Vdara Hotel, Las Vegas (entrance area) My wife and I had visited Las Vegas on numerous occasions.  I had visited five times while my wife had visited three times, up until the last trip.  When we decided to go on a vacation, we again decided Las Vegas was the right destination for the both of us. Las Vegas is a desert oasis that is home to nearly 2.7 million people.  Over 45 million visitors have stopped over at Las Vegas in 2019.  It is the most exciting city west of New York City, and it certainly earns its moniker of ‘Entertainment Capital of the World’! I started going to Las Vegas in 2001 when COMDEX trade shows were still being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center.  This was right after 9/11 happened. COMDEX was held in November of that same year. I remember going to the airport with trepidation and worry.  New York City was still reeling from the aftermath of 9/11.  There were still cleanups going around downtown Manhattan.   From our apartment building in Queens, NY, we co
Read more

Review of Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area, Wake Forest, North Carolina

Image
  Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area, Wake Forest, NC After my wife and I sold our home at the end of August 2020, we headed down to Wake Forest, North Carolina.  This would mark the beginning of our early retirement.  We wanted to spend time with my brother in law and his family, who we haven’t seen in over a year.  It was during this visit that we discovered this fantastic recreation area. Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area is a man made reservoir located in the upper portion of the Neuse River Basin, nestled near North Carolina’s bustling Triangle Area.  The reservoir covers nearly 12,500 acres of water and is surrounded by 25,500 acres of public land.   The lake stretches 22 miles upstream to the confluence of three rivers: Eno, Flat, and Little Rivers. Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area boasts hiking trails, fishing, water sports, biking, wildlife viewing, etc. See my notes below when visiting the Recreation Area: The main entrance to the Recreation Area is accessible from the Falls of Neuse
Read more