Great hike, even in the snow. Lovely and scenic and a fairly easy hike. Well marked path.read more

The parking lot can be a battle to squeeze into spots and can end up waiting for a spot. The spots…read morein the front do have a steep drop off from the pavement. The path starts off great running over and along the river with nothing but beautiful wildlife around you. It then begins to get steep and bit dangerous if you head the left route but forced to walk through the cold clean water if you head right. So water shoes are STRONGLY recommended here and still can be dangerous. The 1st waterfall is impressive and peaceful with the crashing waters. We sadly didn't see the 2nd waterfall because it didn't look safe enough to walk on the slippery rocks. It's a nice hike if you're prepared for the time and get here early in the day.

I visited here recently and even though the main waterfall was closed due to falling rocks, it was…read morestill 100% worth the trip. We were able to see the medium and smaller waterfalls and I was blown away by how beautiful it was. There are incredible views everywhere you turn with tons of photo spots and scenic overlooks. The trails are really well maintained and were a good easy hike. I also love how much there is to do here beyond just hiking. There are biking trails, horseback riding, and even skiing in the winter. It feels like a park you could come back to in every season and have a completely different experience. There is also a welcome center with a small gift shop and a nature center. You could easily spend a whole day here. I loved it!

If you haven't been to Letchworth State, fix that. It feels like it's out in the middle of nowhere,…read morebut it is worth the drive no matter where you are coming from. This park is great in every season, and we are lucky to have it here. Most people show up for the waterfalls and the views of the gorge. They deserve the hype. The scenery alone is worth the price of admission and a solid chunk of your day. If you stop there, you are missing out. Dig deeper. Come in the winter and see the ice volcano. It feels like something too cool for WNY. Stop by during the hot air balloon festival in the summer and watch the sky fill with color over the gorge. Get off the rim trail and explore the trails that go through the woods. Make time for the less populated side of the park. Fewer people, more natural trails, and no admission fee. It has a completely different vibe and is perfect if you want something a little more peaceful.

This hike is on State land across from hemlock lake. Small dirt parking area leads to a beautiful…read morenature trail along the creek. The water fall is not far and has a nice little swimming hole perfect for kids. Slippery rocks and can be buggy especially after a rain.

After hiking in Stony Brook Park, we had a bit of energy left, so stopped for a quick 0.5 mile…read moreout-and-back hike to see the beautiful waterfalls that are in Reynolds Gully. Fairly easy, but some climbing and stooping (that yoga will pay off for your flexibility to scoot under a fallen tree!) toward the end .... but sooooooooo worth it! Rocks can be a little slippery, but worth it to get a little dirty, in order to be awed by nature! GPS/Locations: Waterfall: (N 42.66758 / W 77.58907) Parking: (N 42.66833 / W 77.59166) Directions: Located on the south-east end of Hemlock Lake, on the east side of Rt. 15A. Take I-390 south to Rush and follow 15A south along Hemlock Lake. After passing Johnson Hill Road, Reynold's Gully will be a mile down on your left. Parking: Park in the small dirt area near the gully. Space for a few cars.

We were the only ones there so parking was easy. There are only about 4-5 actual parking spaces but…read morecars can also park along the right hand side of the road. The rocks in some area in the creek are tough so water shoes or crocs are recommended. There is a ton of flat spaces though once past the rocks and it's really awesome to just play there on the edge of it with the current pushing you along to the deeper side.

It's a cute little park that's known for the large dam. It offers beautiful views and a nice quiet…read moreatmosphere. Trout fishermen love it here during the spring and fall months best known for trout fishing. People will pile ontop of eachother while casting. It's also a nice park for a quick hike or picnic with the family! There are two parking lots, one on each side of the creek but please be mindful of where you are walking/fishing. There are lots of posted signs for private property.

Quaint little town in upstate NY which we drove through on our way to Buffalo after I ran a Tough…read moreMudder up there. It's ripped from the pages of the old Saturday Evening Post. American flags, rocking chairs on porches, apple pie. As a rain storm was approaching we parked and decide to wait it out by getting some lunch at the terrific Questa Lasagna. As the rain let up and the sun came back out we dropped in for some tea and snacks at the wonderful Jane's Pantry. The town was also the one time home of Francis Bellamy, who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance. He was born here, and there is a plaque by the house and mentions throughout the town too.

This is a super cute and somewhat forgotten small town in NY State. Its on the border of…read moreLetchworth Park, so gets lots of passing through traffic. With basically one main street and then a cross street with a little commerce on it, you can easily see the whole commercial area quickly. Or you can stroll along the street and you'll find a few cute mom and pop food options, some antique stores, a few smaller stores with hiking gear and the like, a small movie theater and of course some gas stations and municipal buildings as well. There is one chain hotel, and perhaps some AirBnB places in town too. A few chain restaurants too. Its a very nice town. Ive been passing through since the 1990s and its coming back to life these days. Fresh paint, some redone homes, more people in the streets. Little history - Named after Robert Morris, one of the backers of the American Revolution.

We were looking for a somewhat short, easy hike on a chilly, windy day, and found Indian Fort…read moreNature Preserve online. It's part of the Genesee Valley Conservancy and they're working on some native plant restoration here which is always great to see. This is a small, no-frills park with room for a few cars to park in a gravel lot near the trailhead. The trails are nicely marked with colored blazes on the trees; pairing that with the PDF map downloaded to a phone made navigation easy. We walked the red trail to the river; it was an easy hike with no major areas of rocks or tree roots, making this a good choice for less sure-footed walkers/hkers. The red trail is an out and back ending at the river. There is river access at that endpoint and it is very worthwhile to go down to spend some time on the shore. The views were beautiful. We came back on the yellow trail which included views of two gorges; one on each side of a wide ridge. We also saw the giant oak marked on the map which was truly impressive and saw the falls which were just a trickle in late September. We cut back over to the red trail on a side trail rather than connect via the blue trail as there was a short section on blue that was too tricky for one person in our group. Yellow was very easy and the connection back to red was as well. Wildflowers were still beautiful in early fall. Heads up that there are no facilities here, so plan ahead!

This hike is located in the High Tor Wildlife Management area. There are two ways to enjoy this…read morehike. One entrance is a signed parking lot by route 245 the trail is mainly a creek bed. You follow the trail and you can climb up the falls l, but they are slippery and there are no ropes anymore. The second entrance is in for of 245 a small pull off with a small management sign and you can see the gate down a dirt road. There is a parking lot, or you can just park off the road if you don't have a vehicle that can make it down the road. You will start in the woods and follow the trees marked with yellow and blue. It goes right and switch backs around to a bridge. Now you can cross the bridge and take that trail or you can follow the creek bed to a falls with a small pool. Again very steep and slippery be careful. I would not suggest this hike for small children. Love this hike, but it is hard. It was also very buggy. Lots of salamanders, millipedes, and beautiful falls.

Letchworth State Park is fantastic. It is also located on a large gorge, so it takes about 30…read moreminutes to get from one side of the park to the other. We entered through this Mount Morris side, which is where the campground and dam are located. There are some very nice views of the gorge from here. The famous views of the magnificent falls are located on the other side, near Letchworth's old estate, so we hopped back in the car and drove across to the other side before making the return journey in this direction.

Easily the most beautiful state park I've ever been to…read more Absolutely stunning - from beginning to end. If you want some awesome hikes, this place is for you. If you want some good old fashioned car tourism, where you drive, and then see an incredible vista, this place is also for you. I'd love to go back.

Stopped in to check the state park out. We thought they had camping but it was discovered they do…read morenot. Strictly boat launch and day visits. Beautiful views though. The water was gorgeous.

The weekend before last, we took an impromptu leaf-peep drive to the Southern Tier. We haven't been…read moreto Silver Lake before, and decided to make this our destination to enjoy the scenic autumn lake. Silver Lake State Park itself is pretty small, and consists of a large parking area, a boat launch, a public restroom, a small playground, a small pavilion, and about a dozen or so picnic areas, each with a table, grill, and firepit. There is a small dock, I'm guessing for kayakers to use, which we sat on to enjoy the lake breezes; it was a very warm fall 85-degree day when we visited, so this was nice. Silver Lake itself is bigger than I thought it would be, probably a decent, roomy lake if you are a boater, maybe comparable to one of the smaller Finger Lakes. We didn't fish this day, but there were several fisherpeople along the shores too, still with plenty of room to spread out. One thing lacking from this park is any nature trails. We walked the perimeter of the picnic areas, and didn't find any trailheads. Since one of our favorite things to do as a fam' is what we call "adventure walks" through the woods, no trails here was a let-down. The main draw is really the boat launch, or if you want to picnic with lake views. Admission was $6, paid at a self-service terminal when you come in. Since they did have an open public bathroom facility (that was pretty clean), this was fair. If you're in the Silver Lake area looking for a picnic, fishing, and/or kayaking/boating spot, Silver Lake State Park will probably suit you well.

All 5 stars are for the amazing views afforded by "The Jump-off"…read more This is a great place to stop to take in some views if you're driving through the area!

This is a nice park with relaxing wooded trails. There are a couple of pretty easy ones if anyone…read morein your group has some challenges with hiking vs. walking on level pavement. The green and purple trails were marked "easy" and they were truly easy with only a few areas with tree roots. There's a nice viewpoint which is reachable via an ADA accessible trail. The picnic area is really nice with lots of covered as well as sunny tables. It is free to get in. The only challenge we found here is that restrooms are very limited. There is one building in the middle of the open area with campsites, but not even a port o pot or pit toilet anywhere else, Anyway, definitely a nice park if you're in the area!