Once or twice an year, my family and I would make the 5-plus hours drive for a short sojourn at our relative's place in upper New York state. Our usual itinerary: home->customs at Niagara->Waterloo Premium Outlet Mall->my relative's. It's a relatively easy and straightforward route that we've done for years.
This time, I decided to shake things up a bit (what can I say? I'm a maverick) - a detour to Letchworth State Park.
It was a risky move - an unfamiliar driving route, 6-plus hours with just me and my mom in the car, no buffer. This "#1 State Park as voted by Reader's Digest" had better be well worth it.
We left the house under the cover of darkness (5:30 am, only half an hour behind schedule - a rare event).
Crazy? Mayhaps.
For those of you rolling your eyes (you know exactly who you are), there IS logic behind the madness.
Customs went as smoothly as can be - I always find the US Customs Agents to be overtly intimidating. And even though there's no reasonable cause for it, crazy "what-ifs" scenarios that usually end with wrongful imprisonment still run through my head whenever I pass through the US Customs.
My truthful answer to the question frequented by schoolchildren and politicians alike - "What makes America great?" The National and State Parks.
It's not just the land or the natural wonders, but the infrastructure within the parks. If you have ever visited a National/State Park in the States, I think you'll agree (even Ken Burns agree).
A lot of the park lands were donated by wealthy industrialists of the Gilded Age, which is flabbergasting when you consider the size of the lands and their probable worth today.
Letchworth State Park was, of course, built upon a donation by a guy named Letchworth (William Pryor Letchworth, to be exact). Also known as the "Grand Canyon of the East", the park is about the size of Manhattan.
Given our limited time, we focused primarily on the more scenic south end - where the waterfalls are (my obsession with falling water lives on).
It had rained the night before so the trail paths were pretty mud-tastic. But as you can seen, a good portion of the trail is stone-paved, which seems to be a common feature in the New York state parks I've visited, but a vast departure from the Ontario provincial park, which tend to learn towards the more natural wood chip-covered paths. A lot of effort and money went into these parks' infrastructure - to have these stone facilities (paths, washrooms, even picnic tables...) Extremely impressive.
On the way into the park, the ranger had mentioned an arts and crafts show happening in the park. We didn't think much of it until a nice lady we met in the park mentioned it as a must-go event.
It was on our way anyways, so we thought we'd stop by and check it out this "quaint" (my words) show. Umm... yeah, I honestly didn't think there would be so many people and cars. We were lucky and managed to get a spot within 10 minutes of walking to the fairgrounds. Many many others were not so lucky and had to park five huge lots over.
There were just so many artists and vendors - I think we managed to walk through about 1/4-1/8 before leaving - lots of paintings, jewelries, and woodworking. There was a fantastic handcrafted wooden ride-on airplane (oh, I wish I had a photo) that any kid would be lucky (and would have to have extremely wealthy parents) to own.
This time, I decided to shake things up a bit (what can I say? I'm a maverick) - a detour to Letchworth State Park.
It was a risky move - an unfamiliar driving route, 6-plus hours with just me and my mom in the car, no buffer. This "#1 State Park as voted by Reader's Digest" had better be well worth it.
We left the house under the cover of darkness (5:30 am, only half an hour behind schedule - a rare event).Crazy? Mayhaps.
For those of you rolling your eyes (you know exactly who you are), there IS logic behind the madness.
Customs went as smoothly as can be - I always find the US Customs Agents to be overtly intimidating. And even though there's no reasonable cause for it, crazy "what-ifs" scenarios that usually end with wrongful imprisonment still run through my head whenever I pass through the US Customs.
My truthful answer to the question frequented by schoolchildren and politicians alike - "What makes America great?" The National and State Parks.
It's not just the land or the natural wonders, but the infrastructure within the parks. If you have ever visited a National/State Park in the States, I think you'll agree (even Ken Burns agree).
A lot of the park lands were donated by wealthy industrialists of the Gilded Age, which is flabbergasting when you consider the size of the lands and their probable worth today.
Letchworth State Park was, of course, built upon a donation by a guy named Letchworth (William Pryor Letchworth, to be exact). Also known as the "Grand Canyon of the East", the park is about the size of Manhattan.
Given our limited time, we focused primarily on the more scenic south end - where the waterfalls are (my obsession with falling water lives on).
A little early for the full glory of the autumn foliage, but look at that view.
The Genesee (Tuscarora for "beautiful open valley") river runs through the park. 
More views of the canyon
Our drive+hike started with the Lower Falls, seen here.
It had rained the night before so the trail paths were pretty mud-tastic. But as you can seen, a good portion of the trail is stone-paved, which seems to be a common feature in the New York state parks I've visited, but a vast departure from the Ontario provincial park, which tend to learn towards the more natural wood chip-covered paths. A lot of effort and money went into these parks' infrastructure - to have these stone facilities (paths, washrooms, even picnic tables...) Extremely impressive.
The view of the Lower Falls from the platform
One of the random "scenic stops" - basically whenever we see a congregation of parked cars, we stop too. Eight times out of ten, this herd mentality works in our favour. This was definitely one of those times.
This vantage point offered a perfect view of the Middle Falls.
Known as "Ska-ga-dee" to the Seneca tribe, it is deemed the most beautiful of the three falls. Its name literally means "made the sun stop at mid-day".
Double rainbow at the Middle Falls
The Middle Falls (pictured) and likely due to its proximity, the Upper Falls, were very popular and much more easily accessible than the Lower Falls. There's also a restaurant/inn, Glen Iris Inn, within walking distance. I think the Middle Falls would have been better appreciated from the riverbank, but unfortunately no one is allowed down there due to safety concerns.
Personally, I like the view of the Upper Falls better.
We then proceeded to drive along the length of the park, planning to exit through its northeast corner. Some more photos from random stops along the way.
It was on our way anyways, so we thought we'd stop by and check it out this "quaint" (my words) show. Umm... yeah, I honestly didn't think there would be so many people and cars. We were lucky and managed to get a spot within 10 minutes of walking to the fairgrounds. Many many others were not so lucky and had to park five huge lots over.
There were just so many artists and vendors - I think we managed to walk through about 1/4-1/8 before leaving - lots of paintings, jewelries, and woodworking. There was a fantastic handcrafted wooden ride-on airplane (oh, I wish I had a photo) that any kid would be lucky (and would have to have extremely wealthy parents) to own.
If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend Letchworth State Park. Those people at the Reader's Digest know what they're talking about!
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