Discover the most magical spots to pitch your tent or park your rig on your next Letchworth State Park adventure.
This New York gem offers waterfalls, cliffs, and winter activities.
Letchworth’s glacier-carved landscapes have earned the park the moniker of “Grand Canyon of the East.” Nowadays, instead of ice, the Genesee River runs through the canyon spaces, shouldered by lush forests. Visitors have 66 miles of hiking trails to enjoy, as well as trails for horseback riding, biking, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing. Letchworth’s conference and nature center offers outdoor, history, and performing arts programs, plus guided walks, tours, and a summer lecture series. After a day’s worth of hiking to the three major waterfalls that lie between cliffs of up to 600 feet in height, campers can rest up at one of Letchworth State Park Campground’s 270 campsites (or 81 comfortable cabins).
For waterfall chasing and wildlife watching, a visit during the late summer or early spring is ideal. On the other hand, the fall season promises picture-perfect views as the leaves burst into color. Winter has a different appeal and the park offers such winter activities as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, tubing, sledding, and snowmobiling—trails right outside the park’s Maplewood Lodge and nearby Highbanks Camping Ground are part of the New York state snowmobile trail system.