of fun. We stayed at Darien Lake State Park as we
were not able to book a site at Letchworth. First
I must say that we in Ontario don't know what
amazing camping facilities we have here until
you travel elsewhere. Our sites are far superior
than what we saw in New York State.
The trip down was 3 hours and the border
crossing was a breeze. We spent Saturday,
Sunday & Monday at Letchworth Park.
On Saturday we entered the park from the
southern entrance at Portageville and started
working our way north. There were many stairs
and hills to climb down and up to get to the best
viewing areas. Our legs were going to get lots of
exercise this week-end. We visited two of the Falls
areas, Inspiration Point and the Visitors Center.
On Sunday we traveled back to the park and
entered through the Castile Entrance to the park.
On the 40 min. drive to the park I started feeling
unwell and as the day progressed things just got
worse. Duncan started feeling sick but was not
as bad as I was. We think it was the eggs we had
for breakfast but are not sure. I tried my best to
see what we could but my body was in slow gear
and I was running on empty as I was not eating.
We toured around the camping facilities
and visited the most eastern parts of the
park which included Gardeau Overlook, the
Hogs-Back area and both sides of the Mount
Morris Dam area. Neither one of us had much
supper that evening and I sat wrapped in a
blanket at the campfire on this hot summer
night. It was an earlier than normal bedtime
for me.
Monday morning brought some relief but my stomach
was still feeling nauseated. We headed back through the
countryside to see the Lower Falls area on our last day
at Letchworth. The drive to and from the park was like
taking a roller coaster ride in slow motion. You would
climb a hill only to travel back down to the bottom and
into a small town or village and then climb back up again.
The views along the way were well enjoyed. Upon entering
the park we spotted a deer in the woods enjoying a late
morning treat. We hiked to the Lower Falls and explored
this area for a few hours. There were 172 stairs we had to
climb down to get to the bottom of the first section. The
view was breathtaking. To get to the Lower Footbridge
there were more stairs and pathways. It was well worth
the journey. Lets just say the trip back up was going to be
longer than the trip down. We stopped for a bite to eat
and did some more exploring before taking a longer scenic
route back to Darien Lake State Park. We enjoyed a long
campfire that evening and a good night sleep.
Monday we had to be off our site by 11 am so we headed
back to Canada but not before I had some time to shop
in Buffalo. I spent a mere $13.00. I guess I was not
feeling up to shopping. I would love to return to
Leatchworth Park in the fall. There are more than
60 miles of trails we still have to explore and it
would be breathtaking in its fall colors.
A small sample of the 330 photos I took
Come join us as we explore a small portion
of Letchworth State Park.
A train was just starting to cross the tressel
as we started our descent to the Upper Falls.
The pathway down to the Upper Falls.
One of the many stone bridges in the park.
Erosion of the Genesee River wall below
the Upper Falls
The Upper Falls with all of the mist in the left
of the photo. It felt nice on a hot day.
The Upper Falls with a view of the train tressel
from the north ridge.
This is a small waterfall by the
Glen Iris Inn. Duncan could get
up close to this one!!!
This is the former home of Wm. Letchworth.
It is now the Glen Iris Inn. We had a great
lunch here on Saturday and the view was
breathtaking. There are several rooms here
if you want to stay in the park.
Middle Falls from the upper ridge in front of
the Glen Iris Inn.
Middle Falls from the midway point on the ridge.
Viewing the Middle Falls from the lower
north side.
The Letchworth Museum at the Middle Falls.
You can rent this Stone House situated
across from Inspiration Point.
The patterns in the bark on some
of the trees were amazing.
Looking west from Inspiration
Point towards the Middle Falls.
One of the many stairways that
were built during the depression
to give men work for $1.oo a day.
Looking west from Big Bend. In photos on
display the jut in the middle looked like an
island during flooding in 1992.
Mount Morris Dry Dam at the east end of
Leatchworth Park looking south. The Dam
is used to hold water back only if there is a
threat of flooding down stream.
"The Pyramids of Letchworth"
Looking into the Gorge from the south side
at the Mount Morris Visitors Centre. During
the flooding in 1992 the water almost
overflowed the top of the dam.
Lower Falls from above on the north side.
Some of the vegetation on the north side of
the gorge at the Lower Falls.
There was much more plant growth
on the south side of the cliffs in this
area due to all the moisture seeping
through the cliffs.
Moss and plant life on the southern side of
the Genesee River.
Looking up river from the south side of the
Lower Falls. I crossed the foot bridge and
climbed up the southern side of the river.
The suns reflection from the Genesee River
on the underside of the Foot Bridge.
A view from the north side of the Lower Falls
and the scenery looking down stream.
The Lower Falls. Duncan was having a heart
attack as I was out on the ledge taking
pictures at this angle so I could capture the
rainbow from the spray. Don't worry it was not
as scary as it looks. I'm not that brave!!!
This stone barn was just outside of the town
of Attica.
A view of the countryside as we drove from
Darien Lake State Park to Letchworth State
Park.
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