Best NY state parks | US travel with us!

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.

This small New York State Park in Wolcott could be easily overlooked. Depending on when and where you go, one could potentially think they have seen it all in an hour, but I want to persuade you to spend a whole day here. Like with people, first impressions aren’t always accurate. This park might seem like it is just a pretty picnic spot on the edges of Lake Ontario but look deeper with me as I show you the many facets of this park that are revealed as the sun’s position changes across the sky.

There are two entrances to the park. The main entrance featured in the first photo is located off Gardener Road. The image above is at lake level from a lesser-used entrance with its own small parking lot off of East Bay Rd. If you can, arrive at this parking area with the rising sun and you will be treated to an otherworldly landscape. On the morning I first explored this park, the shore was shrouded with fog as I began my walk along the lake.

Early morning on the shore of Lake Ontario

The shoreline is just steps from the small parking area off East Bay Road. To the right, when facing the lake, is private property but by turning left one can enter the park and walk its mile-long stretch of shore.

A first look at the bluffs through the fog.

The most notable features of Chimney Bluffs State Park are the large drumlins along the water. This drumlin field contains large spires made from gravel, sand, and clay deposited after the last glaciers retreated.

A cairn and heron at the water’s edge and then the heron takes flight.

I was alone with the water and the wildlife as I walked along the shore. It was very peaceful. Before long many of the drumlins came into view through the fog.

I walked along for almost a mile before the number of fallen trees influenced my decision to turn around before I reached the opposite park boundary. It was very clear that the shoreline is always changing and eroding. Returning to this spot in another year might yield a very different scene. So I enjoyed this moment of Lake Ontario shore as I made my way back the way I came while the sun slowly burned off the fog.

After my solitary walk, it was time to get my family up so they could see it too. We started at the main entrance off Gardener Road. Here there was a nice overlook of the lake and some trails through the woods. There were also restrooms. The Bluff trail with views of the chimney bluffs has been closed in recent years due to erosion and its impact on safety. So after exploring here awhile we left to access the shoreline from the other parking area off of East Bay Road.

Views of Lake Ontario and some of the nature trails in the park.

Back along the shore, we enjoyed a picnic lunch and strolls along the water’s edge.

The chimney bluffs were much less ominous in full sunlight. It was a gorgeous May day with a bright blue sky and wispy clouds. The shore was a peaceful place to sit and read a book. The rocks were smooth and varied in color. They were perfect for building or skipping or collecting. We stayed all day.

I promised to show you all facets of this park’s personality and the grand finale is definitely revealed at sunset. I know there are plenty of great places to catch a Lake Ontario sunset but this was the perfect icing on a perfect day. I hope you are able to take the time to enjoy this park as throughly as we did.