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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

So we were going through a drive in Letchworth Park on Victoria Day weekend, and we decided to stop…read morehere for lunch. The pool was closed, and the picnic area in general was completely deserted (I suppose, understandable since it was a week before Memorial Day and the official start to the season.) There was a little bit of construction going on with the playground, but we basically had this area to ourselves. Lots of picnic tables and grills, this really is a nice area to stop. There are several reserveable large pavilions, which have more closed rooms as well as large grill areas, the kind of place you could hold a pretty gigantic picnic. There's also a park police station here. Seems like a great place to spend more time during the season.

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!

I love running here! The loop is about 1/2 a mile, but there are plenty of trails in the woods as…read morewell. Great little spot that is not very popular or crowded. Just have to work around the geese.

This is a great park with some nice elevated walkways however, the majority are stone and will be…read moreflooded after any rain. I naively came after a storm this morning and all of the trails were very wet and/or muddy. My feet are soaked leaving but I still had a good time. I saw a lot of birds including a green heron, an osprey, a bluebird, and a pair of immature trumpeter swans.

Beautiful, peaceful smaller park few picnic benches ; small walking trail. Located in downtown…read moreHolley, NY past their Public Works. Perfect place to enjoy nature, walk, fish or journal.

This is a tough one. Do I keep the knowledge to myself or not? But the right thing to do is to…read moreshare, and Holley Falls Park is worth sharing. If I could summarize the experience at Holley Falls in one word, this would be it: carpooling. Yes, there are a few spots at the base of the waterfall, but they fill up fast. If you're going with others, make sure you share a ride because if you don't, you'll be using valuable hiking time trying to find somewhere to park. I can't even imagine how crowded it can get if someone's having a party or any kind of event. Since you're next to the canal, and the waterfall is basically runoff, get ready for muddy trails. I didn't get stuck or too muddy, but I can imagine it being worse after a rainy day. It's not the worst uphill hike I've ever been on, but it's a good workout nonetheless. You can get pretty close to the falls from some spots on the trail. If you're like me and afraid of getting too close, you still get a good view from further back. There's spots for fishing, plenty of spots for just sitting around, and an overall sense that the park is well maintained. I'll happily return to Holley for a visit to the falls again. It's easy to get to from Rochester and the fresh air is worth the drive. Just make sure you share a ride if you can, you don't want your amazing day eaten up by looking for a parking spot!