NEW YORK: LETCHWORTH STATE PARK

July 27, 2021

When we travel in the United States, I am always surprised by how many truly incredible places there are that I have never heard of. I know our country is vast in comparison to many countries of the world (we are the fourth largest geographically, or the third if you count our overseas territories), so why should I be surprised? And yet it happens all the time.

We hit two such spots in a row on this trip, Letchworth State Park and Watkins Glen. I'll start with Letchworth State Park, located between the Alleghany foothills and the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York and known as the Grand Canyon of the East. (Note: We also traveled to the "Grand Canyon of Texas" earlier in the year, Palo Duro State Park.) I was surprised to learn that Letchworth State Park is "America's #1 State Park," at least according to a public poll. Why hadn't I ever heard of it?

Of course, it took about two seconds for these two to find a ginormous puffball, the first of many great fungi discoveries.

Letchworth State Park is famous for its series of three falls, creatively named Upper Falls, Middle Falls, and Lower Falls.

The park is named after American businessman and humanitarian William Pryor Letchworth (1823-1910), who in 1859 purchased a large tract of land around the gorge created by the Genesee River. In 1906 he bequeathed what had become a 1000-acre estate to New York State. It was eventually joined to other lands to form the current 14,427-acre state park.

We started at the Middle Falls, the largest of the three cascades at 107 feet tall and 285 feet wide.

It was a good day for rainbows.

 

The park has several places that are perfect for a "Kodak moment." 

Deep vertical walls have been carved out by the Genesee River just below the Middle Falls.

The Middle Falls are at the bottom of the photo, and in the distance under the bridge, we could see the Upper Falls. (We visited them last.)

The dampness from waterfall spray creates a perfect environment for mushrooms.

The mushrooms weren't the only interesting flora. There were many beautiful things to admire along the trails.

I like the trend of installing dedicatory benches at places good forcontemplating one's surroundings. This one has a plaque that reads, "In honor of my loving wife, Deborah Plath, please sit and enjoy the surroundings."

Perched on the bench was a framed poem called "The Willow." I assume the author, Alan Plath, was Deborah's husband. I think the tribute to her is very touching. She sounds like someone I would have liked to know.

She gently sways in the light breeze off the water

Moving side to side, navigating the challenges of life

Her roots are strong with a tenacity to survive

She is soft and pliant on the inside

Shielding us with her long arching branches

Keeping us from pain and sorrow

Her interlacing roots protect all she cares for

Establishing a foundation of love that never erodes

Her joy spreads widely throughout her family and friends

She enables growth of all that come in touch with her

Our Mom, our Nana, our Sister, our Daughter, our Friend, our Wife

She is our Willow

Alan R. Plath 2016

Time to continue on. Of course we chose the 127-step trail rather than the "Easy View" of the Lower Falls:

It is mind-boggling that visitors have to be told these things:

What goes down must come back up:

The 70-foot-tall Lower Falls appear around a bend in the river. Their size and shape change constantly with the erosion of the softer rock. 

The glossy water downstream belies the force of the falls.

The trail crosses the river via this beautiful stone bridge. I wonder if it was built by the CCC? It has that look.

The trail hugs the cliff at the side of the river, and walking there means getting at least a little wet.

The next photo was taken from further down river, looking back at the Lower Falls beyond the bridge. Isn't it gorgeous, especially for a place you've never heard of? It might be Shangri-La!

The 127 stairs were not nearly as fun to ascend as they were to descend.

At the top of the stairs I spotted a swallowtail butterfly . . .

. . . a l-o-n-g dragonfly . . . 

. . . what I think is a clouded yellow butterfly . . .

. . . and a purple thistle, which always makes me think of Scotland, where it is the national flower.

We did check out the Lower Falls from the "easy" lookout. The curvy edge is more apparent from this angle and worth a look.

A bathroom stop revealed another sign that Stated The Obvious. Are the visitors to this park especially stupid? Who has to be told how to wash their hands?

Our last stop was the Upper Falls, also taking a plunge of about 70 feet, and with a steel bridge 200 feet overhead.

Seen from downstream, the horseshoe shape of the falls causes part of it to be obscured.

Nevertheless, the bridge and falls make this another a great place for a few Kodak Moments.

Another bench was placed "In memory of Brent D. Arcangel" and is inscribed with the counsel: "Life's path is short--let love be your guide."

On the way back to the car, I was stopped in my tracks by this strange tree. It looks like something from a sci-fi movie, something that might suddenly start talking or throwing nuts at you or using its branches to grab your hair. Nature is so wonderfully varied, isn't it?

Speaking of nature's wonders, this was the day's haul. 

We had a tiny kitchenette in our hotel room, in which our personal chefs transformed the foraged goods into amazing mushroom tacos.

We dined al fresco on a picnic table in back of our hotel--a memorable meal worthy of the most discerning palate.