Upstate NY’s ‘Grand Canyon of the East’ named among best state parks in U.S.

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"Letchworth State Park is Upstate New York at its most unforgettably beautiful and epic best.

Nicknamed the “Grand Canyon of the East”, Letchworth is full of towering cliffs, roaring waterfalls and lush forests. The sprawling park in Western New York is bisected by the Genesee River, which tumbles over three major waterfalls sandwiched between cliffs that climb as high as 600 feet, according to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

And now, the already beloved park can add another accolade to its lengthy resume: Letchworth has been named one of the 10 best state parks in the United States.

Letchworth was the only New York park to make the ranking by Time Out, an international travel website. The list started with Amelia Island State Park in Florida and ended with Big Bend Ranch State Park in Texas.

What landed Letchworth a spot on the short list of top state parks?

“This Western New York state park provides a lot of versatility,” Time Out wrote in its review.

Letchworth is so big that it has six main entrances — including four on the west side of the park, where visitors have access to the Humphrey Nature Center, the historic Glen Iris Inn and Letchworth’s main waterfall draws: the Upper, Middle and Lower falls, according to Wyoming County Tourism.

The park offers many flavors of outdoor excursions, ranging from guided hikes and kayaking to hot air balloon rides over the gorge.

Letchworth also has an inclusive, engaging Autism Nature Trail — the first in the nation.

The park with its home base in Castille has earned plenty of recognition.

Last year, Outside magazine named Letchworth as one of the 14 best state parks for hiking in the United States. It has also been named the best state park in the nation by USA Today’s 10Best."

Source: https://www.newyorkupstate.com/trave...rks-in-us.html