Letchworth State Park

Letchworth State Park, Archery Field Overlook, Fall 2018

With leaf-peeping season right around the corner, I thought now would be a good time to create a post on Letchworth State Park, one of the northeast's top fall foliage destinations.

The mighty Genesee River, which flows northward from Pennsylvania to Lake Ontario, bisects Letchworth into two halves. The western half is well-maintained and touristy, and has a $10 entrance fee between early-May and late-October. The eastern half is generally more peaceful, less-crowded, and free year-round. I would recommend the western side for first-time visitors and the eastern side for those looking for something off the beaten path away from the tourist hordes. Both sides offer superb views of the river, waterfalls, and cliffs.

The Letchworth Trail, a branch of the Finger Lakes Trail, runs approximately 24 miles through the eastern side of the park -- from Mount Morris Dam on the northern end to Portageville on the southern end. Both ends of the Letchworth Trail are very scenic, while the middle section is relatively lackluster. To get the best bang for your hiking buck, I would forgo hiking the entire Letchworth Trail and instead do separate dayhikes of the northern end (from the Mount Morris Dam entrance to the first lean-to shelter) and the southern end (from the Portageville entrance to the Parade Grounds Picnic Area, or vice-versa). With the time saved, you could hike other trails on the eastern side of the park, such as 6A that crosses the river near the Lower Falls and 10A that goes down to the river. This page has links to detailed trail maps showing 6A, 10A, the FLT, and all of the other main trails in the park.

Letchworth offers unique experiences in different seasons. In the wintertime, an ice volcano wooes visitors who brave the cold. I'm hoping to see this spectacle at least once before I move out west. The melting snow of spring provides ideal viewing conditions for the dozens of waterfalls in the park. Summer is a good time for exploration down by the river -- just bring your bug spray! And autumn's leaf-changing splendor is something that should be on everyone's bucket list.

Anyone looking to visit Letchworth in the near future can view foliage maps here and here.

Now for a visual tour of both sides of the park...

WESTERN SIDE - POPULAR VIEWING AREAS












EASTERN SIDE - SOUTHERN END












EASTERN SIDE - NORTHERN END












EASTERN SIDE - NORTH OF MAIN WATERFALLS












EAST MEETS WEST - BRIDGE ACROSS RIVER










Links to photo galleries from past Letchworth trips:
FALL 2018 | FALL 2019 | SUMMER 2020 | SUMMER 2021