Letchworth State Park

by Susan

Since I am from New York (the state, not the city – Rochester, to be specific), people around here sometime ask me how different it is living here. I tell them actually much of it remains the same – we had humid summers there, with lots of trees and rolling hills too. But there is one attraction in particular that New York has which sets it apart from anything I have seen around here in my mind.

Located south of Rochester is Letchworth State Park, The Grand Canyon of the East. The park covers 14, 350 acres along the Genesee River, with entrances in five different towns. The cliffs in the park are almost 600 feet high and were created by the river’s path.

You will hear the roar of the falls (not quite like Niagara Falls), beginning with Lower Falls. Middle Falls has a 107-foot drop, and Upper Falls has the famous High Bridge that still carries rail traffic.

The Glen Iris Inn and Restaurant is located near Middle Falls and offers fine dining and guest rooms with a country inn feeling. The option of getting back to nature is also available, if you are someone who likes to sleep in cabins or campsites. I prefer the Inn.

There are plenty of activities for the outdoor enthusiast. You can start out with a beautiful hike on one of the many hiking trails in the park. There are beautiful overlooks throughout the park with picnic facilities. Maybe you are of a more daring nature and would like to go for a hot air balloon ride or do a little whitewater rafting (the Genesee River is a Class II-III). If either of those is too daring, maybe you would enjoy the wonderful canoeing or kayaking. For the die-hard outdoor enthusiasts who prefer being chilled to the bone, you might be interested in cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, skating or snowmobiling in the winter.

I can honestly say that while I do enjoy much of what I have seen and done in the Triangle, there simply is nothing that can quite match the beauty and majesty of Letchworth State Park. That goes for most places outside the Triangle as well. I am heading with my husband back up that way soon for a while – hopefully we (or maybe just me) will have time to visit it again, even if only for a few hours, for it remains a special place within my heart.

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