Letchworth State Park, NY

The next stop on our tour of NY state was Letchworth State Park. Known as the “Grand Canyon of the East” and earning a #1 spot on one list of top state parks in the country, we figured that we needed to visit. We continue to be very impressed with NY State Parks and this one almost feels like a National Park. Also, in addition to all the usual amenities, you can white water raft or take a hot air balloon ride inside the park.

Letchworth is located amidst western NY farmland about an hour east of Buffalo and an hour south of Rochester. The canyon is 17 miles long and up to 600ft deep. It is carved by the Genesee River as it flows north from a hilltop in Pennsylvania towards its mouth in Rochester and emptying into Lake Ontario.

Within Letchworth, the Genesee River tumbles over 3 waterfalls, all at the southern end of the gorge. They can be viewed from overlooks along either the Park Rd or hiking the Gorge Trail.

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This park is the legacy of William Pryor Letchworth, a businessman from Buffalo, who donated his land and home to New York for others to enjoy. His former home is now an inn and restaurant that overlooks Middle Falls. There is also a museum housing his personal collection, mostly artifacts from the native Senaca People.

The campground was also large and nice, even for state park standards. Walking every loop was nearly 4 miles, which we opted to do most afternoons.

Next, we head north to our last stop in NY, the Thousand Islands region.