Best State Park 2015 in the USA Today 10Best State Park Readers’ Choice Awards! That is pretty high praise. I am fortunate that this park in Castile, New York is less than a two hour drive from my home, so I have visited it more times than I can remember. It is gorgeous in any season, but a recent winter trip was absolutely magical.
The southernmost entrance was closed, so we entered the park on the western side at the Castile entrance. Once in we took the park road heading south and made our first stop at Archery Field Overlook. This overlook had nice views of the gorge and the Genesee River.
The next stop along the Park Road was Inspiration Point. Here you can see both the middle and upper falls in the distance. The snow-covered trees made me think we were in Narnia and the kids broke into a spontaneous snowball fight while I took photos of the gorge.
I have been reflecting a lot on perseverance lately. There is no doubt that the water flowing over the falls is powerful, but from this vantage point, it is clear that it is not just the power of the water but the perseverance that has carved through this gorge over the years. It was a beautiful sight and a beautiful reminder of what continually moving forward does for us over time.
Once home again, I was eager to compare my photos of this trip with photos of the falls at other times of the year. It is no wonder that this is an award winning park, the scenery is delightful any time of year.
After Inspiration Point, the next stop was the main parking area of Middle Falls. In the summer, there are lot’s of people here, but on this winter’s day, we were almost all alone.
The upper falls view point is just a short walk along the Genesee River from middle falls.
What a study in contrasts! There is a third waterfall, lower falls. It was not accessible on our last two trips, but hopefully the trail will be open again soon. More information can be found on the NYS parks website.
If you are traveling across Western New York, I hope you get the chance to stop at Letchworth State Park. It is picnic perfect in any season.
