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Letchworth State Park is one of the crown jewels of the park system and has been voted the country’s best state park. It beckons visitors year-round but there is no better time to visit than October when the hillsides and forests are ablaze with color.
The park is named after William Pryor Letchworth, a Buffalo industrialist and ardent conservationist who rescued and preserved the area. He would be proud that his park and other state parks remained open throughout the pandemic, offering visitors an escape, outdoor adventures, nature therapy and the park’s unique beauty.
It is an easy 90-minute drive southeast of Buffalo. Be sure to arrive early because capacity is limited, and some parking areas may fill up.
Dubbed the “Grand Canyon of the East” it is considered one of the most scenically magnificent areas in the East. It is here that the Genesee River runs fast and deep between towering rock walls, forming a 17-mile gorge with three major waterfalls. There are 66 miles of hiking trails throughout the more than 14,000-acre park.
Letchworth first spotted the area while returning from a trip to New York on the Erie Railway in 1858. A newsboy came through the cars with handbills touting an upcoming bridge as “the longest and highest wooden bridge in the United States, if not in the world and one of the grandest views on the Western continent.”
He reportedly was overcome by the scene as a perfect rainbow arched over the waterfall. Letchworth saw the beauty in spite of lumber operations that had scarred the riverbanks and all but devastated the area.
He soon set about buying a large house he had seen near the gorge and as much land as he could. Letchworth liked the word “iris,” a synonym for rainbow and named his estate Glen Iris. He transformed the landscape into a place of unspoiled beauty. Thanks to him, nearly every species of North American tree is growing in the park.
He shared the beauty of Glen Iris with family, friends, and the public who journeyed here by train. During the summer, he brought children from Buffalo orphanages for two week stays in the fresh air.
Letchworth deeded his land and home to the state in 1906, four years before he died at his beloved home. In 2006, the park celebrated its centennial.
The $2 million Lower Falls Recreation Area opened in July and is the park’s newest attraction. Look for the signs to the Lower Falls and Adventure Calls. Construction involved the removal of an unused swimming pool and restoration of a historic bathhouse that is used by the whitewater rafting concessionaire, Adventure Calls Outfitters. It provides table games, badminton and pickle ball courts, bocce and shuffleboard, as well as a fitness loop.
The rafting and kayaking adventures are dependent upon rainfall to keep the Genesee River at a sufficient level. Check to see if excursions are operating before you go because of our dry summer. There were a number of days in August when trips were canceled.
The $6.75 million Humphrey Nature Center opened in 2016 and is another must-see for visitors. This 5,000 square foot educational facility focuses on sustainability and environmental education. It includes meeting space, classrooms, a butterfly garden and interactive exhibits that promote activity within the park.
We arrived just as Mike Landowski, a park staffer, released some monarch butterflies that had been raised inside. They seemed happy in the garden and even posed for photos.
Earlier, he had led a walking tour of the old growth forest in the park.
“Our programs are limited this year but still have a variety of walking tours and other programs,” he explained. “Visitors should be sure to go on the website and make a reservation for a program before coming to the park.”
He also said that children are encouraged to become New York State Junior Naturalists by completing an activity booklet. They are available in the Nature Center where badges are awarded for completion of the activities.
An exciting new project will break ground this fall just behind the Nature Center. It is the mile-long Autism Nature Trail, the first of its kind in the country and the world. After six years of planning and fund-raising, volunteers are thrilled that the innovative project is slated for completion by next spring.
“This is designed for everyone because it will be ADA compliant as well as wheelchair and walker friendly,” explained Loren Penman, one of three co-chairs of the project. “The state agreed to provide the space, but all the funding is coming from private resources. We have already raised $2.6 million toward a total goal of $3.7 million that will provide an endowment for ongoing maintenance and programming.”
This will be much more than a trail. There will be a Trailhead Pavilion that will mark the entrance and exit with orientation materials. There will be eight stations along the trail with activities using natural materials. At the Sensory Station there will be a collection of leaves, moss, acorns, pinecones, bark, vines, seed pods, even animal fur and fossils that will be available for close-up inspection.
At the end of the trail the Celebration Station encourages visitors to express their thoughts and feelings about the trail by writing or drawing.
Letchworth retired early from business and became devoted to social reform, focusing his efforts on the poor, juvenile delinquents, prisoners, epileptics, the blind and mentally ill.
“We think that Letchworth would be proud of this newest development in his park,” Penman said.
He also was determined to preserve the region’s rich Native American lore. In 1871 he relocated the last remaining Genesee Valley Seneca council house near Glen Iris. Letchworth conducted the Last Council of the Genesee to rededicate the Council House on Oct. 1, 1872. It was the first in 70 years and none has been held since.
Spectators included former president Millard Fillmore and a descendant of the famed Native American leader, Red Jacket. The Native Americans surprised Letchworth by adopting him into the Seneca Nation, their highest honor. They named him Hai-wa-ye-is-ta, “the man who always does the right thing.”
Letchworth had the remains of Mary Jemison, the legendary White Woman of the Genesee moved from a cemetery in Buffalo to the council house grounds. As a young girl she had been kidnapped by a Shawnee war party and was later adopted by the Senecas. She lived out her long life as a Seneca in the shadow of the gorge.
Letchworth had a statue erected marking Jemison’s final resting place. Her cabin, the council house, and statue are near the Glen Iris. Just behind the inn is a small stone museum with exhibits telling his story and the natural history of the area. There is also an exhibit honoring the more 3,000 Civilian Conservation Corps members who lived at the park during the depression and built the roads, stone walls, trails, and stone picnic tables.
It is often possible to see the rainbow that enchanted Letchworth just beyond Middle Falls. The Falls are in front of the inn. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served here on the wide porch, the lush lawn, and inside. There is also a casual restaurant at the Lower Falls and picnic tables are everywhere. Rooms are available upstairs. Rooms in the inn are often booked a year or two in advance for fall weekends. The Glen Iris Inn, Letchworth’s home, has been operating as a country inn since 1914.
Travel Tip of the Month: For information on the park go to parks.ny.gov or call 585-493-3600. Campsites, cabins and houses need to be booked in advance and some are open year-round. For the Autism Nature Trail go to autismnaturetrail.com.
The Glen Iris Inn is open through the end of October. Visit glenirisinn.com or call 585-493-2622. For information on rafting and kayaking visit adventure-calls.com or call 888-270-2410. Balloons over Letchworth (balloonsoverletchworth.com or 585-493-3340) offers a breathtaking view of the park in a hot air balloon but at press time they could not launch balloons from the park because of state COVID restrictions. However, they are operating from the nearby National Warplane Museum in Geneseo.
Deborah Williams is a veteran travel writer who lives in Holland, NY. Her work has appeared in national and international publications and she is the recipient of the Society of American Travel Writers Lowell Thomas Gold Travel Writing Award.