Castille, N.Y. — You don’t need to venture to the West to see a grand canyon.
Upstate New York boasts a stunning, larger-than-life chasm: Letchworth State Park, the glorious “Grand Canyon of the East”.
At a whopping 14,427 acres, Letchworth spans two Western New York counties and over 17 miles of the Genesee River. The surreally beautiful park features three big waterfalls with simple names as its centerpiece, with about 50 smaller, bonus falls as cascading adornments.
There’s a reason Letchworth was recently named one of the 10 best state parks in the United States: The park offers endless adventures — from hikes along trails brimming with history and unforgettable views to hot air balloon rides over the breathtaking gorge.
But with so much to explore, where should visitors start?
Here are five ways to spend a weekend in and around Letchworth State Park.
Take a miniature road trip through the Grand Canyon of the East
It is impossible to see all of Letchworth in just one day.
The park offers 66 miles of trails, a formidable distance for even the most experienced hikers and bikers. Letchworth is so big that it has six main entrances — four on the west side of the park and two on the east.
So for travelers hoping to see as much of the park as possible in one trip, here’s a solution to the big-park problem: Take a miniature road trip through Letchworth.
Enter Letchworth at Portageville, the entrance near the southern tip of Letchworth, and drive onto Park Road — a twisting, two-lane road that runs from the bottom to the top of the park. Park at the first parking lot, lace up your hiking boots and walk down the Gorge Trail to see Upper Falls in its misty glory.
Hop back into your car and drive the short distance to park by the William Pryor Letchworth Museum. From there, two short hikes await: One takes you to Council Grounds, home to a longhouse built by the Seneca Nation in the 1700s and the gravesite of Mary Jemison, a woman who was captured as a child and adopted into the Seneca Nation. The other takes visitors to Middle Falls, a waterfall with Niagara Falls vibes, and the gorgeous Glen Iris Inn, a restaurant and hotel that was the historic home of William Pryor Letchworth, the businessman who donated his estate for the park.
Then, jump back into your car and drive to the parking lot by the Humphrey Nature Center — arguably one of the most quiet spots at buzzy Letchworth. The lot is a short walk from the nation’s first Autism Nature Trail, a sensory-friendly paradise tucked into the peaceful woods.
As you head out of Letchworth, pull over to gaze at (and snap photos of) the Snake Hill and Great Bend overlooks, both of which offer great views of the deep canyon and the winding Genesee River. Make a final stop at the northern tip of the park to check out Mount Morris Dam and grab an ice cream cone from Dam Overlook Cafe & Gift Shop.
When you’re done, look back at the Instagram-worthy photos you grabbed at Letchworth...and plan to visit Lower Falls, the footbridge, Hogsback and more on your next trip to the park.
Grab lunch and groceries at Butter Meat Co.
A small meat market in Perry, a small village just 6 minutes away from Letchworth State Park, has become a big foodie destination.
Butter Meat Co. is a gourmet grocery store and cafe on Perry’s shop-lined Main Street. It is making headlines, including one in The New York Times, for its eco-friendly approach to meat: The company harvests meat from retired dairy cows instead of grain-fed beef cattle, the typical practice in the United States.
When mature dairy cows are allowed to graze after their milking days end, the fat that would usually be reserved for milk returns to the muscles — making for rich, tender, fatty meat, according to The New York Times. Butter Meat Co.’s meat is sourced from retired cows at Har-Go Farms, a multi-generational family dairy farm in nearby Pavilion.
On your visit to the Letchworth area, grab lunch and BBQ supplies at the trendy shop. Order a BLT croissant sandwich and savor the taste of Butter Meat Co.’s perfectly spiced summer sausage while sitting at an umbrella-covered table in front of the store. Then, pop back inside to buy a steak to grill for dinner.
And yes, the rumors are true: A steak from Butter Meat’s dairy cows makes for a life-changing, mouth-watering meal.
Spend a night at the unique Silverlaken Estate
Looking for a good place to spend the night during a trip to Letchworth? Try Silverlaken Estate, the coolest campground you’ve never heard of.
Housed on the southwestern side of Silver Lake, Silverlaken is made of unique stays ranging from tiny houses and luxury canvas cabins to retro campers and tents on docks. The campground is on a stretch of tree-dotted land on the shore of the quiet lake.
It also makes for a great base camp for Letchworth-bound adventures: Silverlaken is just a 15-minute drive from the park’s Perry, Castille and Portageville entrances.
The estate was started by the Trabers, a family that ran one of the area’s large mills, in the mid-1800s, according to Silverlaken. But after World War I, the lakeside property switched hands and eventually fell into shambled disrepair.
Then, the Bellamy family bought the dilapidated estate in 2016 and brought the property back to life. The family opened Silverlaken in the summer of 2020 and has been adding quirky units ever since.
On your stay at Silverlaken, opt to stay in one of the dock tents equipped with queen-sized beds and hanging fans.
Grill steaks from Butter Meat Co. on Silverlaken’s propane grill and settle into Adirondack chairs by the lake to enjoy dinner. Go paddling on the lake at sunset on one of the campground’s boats and end the night with campfire s’mores provided by the hosts.
Then, settle down for a peaceful sleep disturbed only by chirping crickets — knowing you’ll wake up to a beautiful sunrise on the lake just outside your tent window.
Search for Perry’s Sea Serpent
There’s a monster in Western New York and it lives in Silver Lake.
At least, that’s the story a hotelier forged in July 1855 in a desperate ploy to bring visitors to the quiet lake. And now, over 160 years later, the sea serpent A.B. Walker and his pals built to drum up tourism has become the mascot of Perry and Silver Lake.
Walker and his friends spent weeks crafting a sea serpent out of wire, canvas and paint, Wyoming County Tourism wrote in a history of the famous monster — a creature based on a legend with roots in Seneca Nation lore. When the monster they created was complete, the businessman and his conspirators hid in a shack on the shore of the lake and unveiled the serpent to an unsuspecting group of fishermen.
The crew used bellows to fill the serpent with air — allowing the monster’s head and body to rise about 8 feet out of Silver Lake, Wyoming County Tourism wrote. The frightened fishermen fled, bringing the tale about the terrifying sea serpent back to shore.
Walker’s goal to bring people to Silver Lake worked. Tourists (including a harpoon-wielding man) flooded Silver Lake and Perry hoping to catch sight of the beast, the tourism bureau wrote. But after two years, the hoax unraveled when Walker Hotel caught fire and firemen found the sea serpent’s hand-crafted remains in the attic.
Over a century and a half later, iterations of the sea serpent can be found throughout Perry and Silver Lake. That bounty of monster iconography makes for a great activity: a scavenger hunt.
There are hundreds of “small homages” to the sea serpent throughout Perry and Silver Lake, Explore Genesee Valley said. How many can you find on your visit to the Letchworth area?
(The steel serpent statue, housed on the sidewalk at Main and Lake streets in Perry, and the water-spouting monster at the village’s splash pad are two of our favorites.)
Go kayaking on Silver Lake
The jaw-dropping beauty of Letchworth brings a singular drawback: The most stunning parts of the park are often crowded with visitors.
Luckily, an easy respite from the bustle of the park awaits just a few miles away on Silver Lake.
Recharge from busy Letchworth with a kayaking adventure. (If you don’t have a boat, rentals are available from Silver Lake Marine or Paddle.Sail.Smile. Visitors with boats can launch at Silver Lake State Park on the lake’s southern tip.)
Considered New York’s westernmost Finger Lake by many, Silver Lake was carved into the landscape thousands of years ago by retreating glaciers. It has a 7.4-mile shoreline, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, and a maximum depth of 37 feet.
The relatively small lake feels serene, even on busy days when the water is dotted with speed boats and Jet Skis. It is a popular place for anglers and boaters alike.
End your trip to the Letchworth area by kayaking on the southern end of Silver Lake, a gorgeous stretch of water lined by magazine-worth camps and home to freshwater birds. If you’re lucky, a heron will follow you from a distance — flying from dock to dock like a shaggy, regal sentinal.
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