It’s been a minute since our last post, but on a recent trip to see friends in Ohio we stopped at Letchworth State Park in New York on our return trip home, and wow, what a find!

Like all state parks, this 14,000-acre park, located east of Buffalo, south of Rochester, and a bit west of the Finger Lakes, has a history.  With the Genesee (meaning Beautiful Valley) River running through a steep gorge, this park abounds with beauty. It feels in many ways more like a small national park than a state park, in the spirit of Custer or FDR State Parks.

Not unusually, I had never heard of this state park but my trusty navigator, Karen “Galileo” Slowsky knew of it and directed us there.

Once the home of the Seneca native peoples, the westward pioneering of the US and the creation of the canal and rail systems brought industrial growth to the area, most notably lumbering and potash.  The falls (there are three) were harnessed by mills and while serving a purpose, the original beauty of the area was damaged.

For a short period of time during the 1800’s, the river was diverted to create the Genesee Valley Canal to transport lumber and other products, but like most canals of the period they were quickly replaced with rail systems.

In the mid 1850’s a wealthy industrialist (William Pryor Letchworth) saw the raw beauty of the area and by 1859 acquired the first purchase of several in the area to create his Glen Iris Estate and start to restore the beauty of the area.

Today, the park, with the Genesee River running from south to north towards Lake Ontario, begins around Portageville and heads up to Mount Morris, on 14,000 acres that encompasses both sides of the Genesee River.

There is camping within the park, with at least some sites with electricity, and our campsite was spacious and relatively private.

Since we were there for a limited time and the temperatures were a bit warm, we did not take the time to enjoy the many trails through the park, but on a future trip clearly, we would.

Until next time, get out and travel, and visit this park if you can – it is beautiful!