Letchworth State Park is located in New York State approximately an hour and 15 minutes from Buffalo. I do list Letchworth on my What To Do In Buffalo and Niagara Falls even though it is much closer to Rochester, and on the cusp of the Finger Lakes in the Genesee Valley.
Hubby and I decided to go leaf-peeping last Saturday. The I Love NY Leaf Peepers Chart listed the Letchworth State Park as near-peak, so we decided it would be a great weekend for color.
We entered at the Portageville Entrance. The fee for our car was $8, and Max was allowed in as long as he stayed on a 6′ leash outside the car. Mr. Max was in dog-heaven inside Letchworth! There were a ton of well behaved pooches there on Saturday, along with er, Max.
According to the Letchworth State Park website, these are the park specifics:
Letchworth State Park, with some of the most magnificent scenery in the United States, comprises 14,350 acres along the Genesee River. Within the park, the river roars over three major waterfalls, one of which is 107 feet high. The cliffs, created by the river’s path over thousands of years, approach 600 feet.
Our drive-in last Saturday was a little soupy. We were concerned at how foggy Letchworth would be!
Where clear, the drive-in offered some beautiful scenery.
After paying our fee, we parked and headed over to the train trestle and upper falls. Hubby and Max had to wait for me while I got my camera gear situated.
We met a gentleman who told us the trestle is unsafe and slated to come down.
I took plenty of pictures while able to preserve for the future…
Including this picture from quite a distance away!
This is the view from near the trestle.
Hubby and Max took off ahead of me a bit to check out the scenery. Hubby didn’t think that it was worth going down very far. The steps were wet, leaf covered and more suited to a mountain goat than an old lady like me. I highly recommend you bring a walking stick with you to Letchworth. I was able to go up the stairs in less than half the time it took me to go down them because it was easy to see where the steps formed going up. Going down was a bit dicey, especially since I had my camera. If I had had a walking stick, I’d have used that to feel for the edges of each stair.
At one point some kind 20-something-kid said to me, “These stairs are really kicking my ass, how about you!?” And then he proceeded to bound down the next bunch of steps and was out of sight in under a minute. Still, it was the thought that counts.
I was very glad I made the trek down the stairs, however, because I got to see the beautiful Upper Falls up close and unobstructed by leaves, trees and brush.
This was the view when I turned away from the falls.
On the way down (and up) this was a little brook that led to the gorge.
This was the road leading to the middle falls.
Because there were a bazillion cars at the visitor bureau parking lot leaving no room for us, I took pictures of the middle falls from quite a distance away.
This picture shows the upper and middle falls, as well as the train trestle.
The middle falls and a bit of the gorge.
A bit further down the road we pulled over again for more pictures of the gorge.
Some turkey vultures were flying around in the gorge.
Hubby took several photos of falling leaves.
More of the scenic view. Truly beautiful!
If you go to Letchworth this upcoming weekend not only can you enjoy the craft fair, you will probably see the leaves at peak or as near-too peak as possible without actually being there.
Letchworth is just another one of the many reasons why I consider New York State to be one of the Top 3 Most Beautiful States!
Helpful Links:
● What To Do In Buffalo and Niagara Falls
● Letchworth State Park
● Disclosure: the links in this post may be affiliate links.
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Tamona Valentine says
Oh we won’t see anything like this unless we look at the ground out here lol! These are some breathtaking photos!
Ann says
Thanks Tamona!
Ann
Stephanie B says
I have lived in WNY my entire life and have never been to Letchworth before 🙁 I will have to make it a point to get out there either in the next few weeks or next year. My husband and son would love the hike too. Thanks for the pictures, they are awesome!
Ann says
Stephanie I haven’t hiked there since I was a kid, but the Letchworth link in the post show all the trails. Have a great time!
Ann
Renae says
Beautiful pictures Ann! We are not at peak here in Virginia. The leaves just started to change so I think we have another week or two!
Ann says
Thanks Renae!
We are off to Niagara Falls this weekend, but my area is no where near peak…. still hoping for color! Hubby was driving by there today and said it was beautiful.
Ann
KimH says
Gorgeous photos Ann! You’ve come a long way baby! 😉 Thanks for sharing this gorgeous scenery with us.. Sometimes those foggy pictures turn out to be the very best! I loved them!
I believe this is the area a friend of mine from Rochester told me that I MUST go see.. It looks like something I would adore.. and something M’honey would suffer to make me happy. 😛 If I could ever get him there, anyways. 😉
Ann says
Thanks Kim! I am now in the market for a 400mm and having sticker shock. 😉 But I want to photograph the whales from our window in Florida, so I’ll probably pay up.
It is lovely, Kim. You can go to the Glen Iris Inn for lunch, hike, or have a picnic.
Ann
KimH says
I hear ya Ann on that sticker shock! I paid about $1800 for my telephoto lens and it wasnt even close to the highest end out there.. but it is an IS (image stabilazation) lens and I was doing a lot of Live Band Photography in dark bars/venues so it was a necessity for me.
You might shop your nearest camera shop and see if they have any that someone traded in when they wanted to trade up! I got a nice camera once like that. They’ll also let you put a lens to your camera to see if its the right feel or weight and take a few pictures to see if its what you want. Just let them know up front that you’re in the market & you want to try out different lenses.
Ann says
I think the cheapest Canon with a stabilizer is $1700. We found a compatible Sigma (with stellar reviews on bhphotovideo.com) for $750. The difference is the weight… 3.04# vs 3.86#. But since I can set up a tripod I’m not sure if that weight difference makes is much of an issue. My hands are huge too, so I don’t think it is that big a difference for handheld either. But, as you said, I need to get my butt to the local camera store to check them out in person.
Ann
Skirnir Hamilton says
What beautiful photos. I wish I could say we had colors like that here. Right now we have a tiny bit of color only and as it is my first fall here, I am not sure how much color this area gets. I had assumed it would be fairly nice color, as it is such a natural area, and because I hear people going to Gatlinburg and other areas in TN for color. But local residents seem to be telling me that their isn’t much color here in the fall, which is going to be such a dissappointment for me, as fall is my favorite season.
Ann says
I hope you get color down there, Skirnir. I do so love fall leave changing!
And thanks for the compliment!
Ann