We love to visit our state parks. And one of our favorite parks to visit is Letchworth State Park. I think in the last several years it has become an annual visit to the park at least once a year.

One of the reasons we love Letchworth State Park is that it is a huge park with lots of space. And that makes it a great place for us to visit with our dogs. Our dogs love a variety of interactions and they can get everything they need and want here.

The busiest and most popular area of the park is often the upper falls area. In this region of the park you can view the huge upper and middle falls as the Gennesee River as it flows over the cliffs in the gorge. Our dogs are pretty friendly with people, sometimes too friendly and wanting to get in everyone’s business.

When the dogs are getting a little too nosey and wanting to force everyone to pet them there is plenty of space to move off of the main trail. There are large fields to relax under. We often find a tree to sit under and relax. We actually have a favorite spot we like to rest and relax with our dogs under a tree near the stone wall near the entry way to that part of the park.

Usually after visiting the upper falls region we move down to the lower falls area. The lower falls area is probably the second busiest part of the park. But there is also plenty of space here to find your own secluded little spot.

There are two different places you can view the lower falls from. One requires traversing down then back up a large number of stairs. We don’t usually take this option when we have our dogs. Especially since our Bernese Mountain Dog, Colton, does not usually like stairs. Although he mysteriously will climb many more stairs than he will at home. He refuses to go up and down our one set of stairs at home.

On this trip Colton climbed one set of stairs then decided he didn’t want to go up the next set of stairs. So we did not view the lower falls on this trip. Instead we found a nice spot off the main trail, sat and relaxed at one of the beautiful stone tables in that part of the park.

As we drive back up the park road there are many places to stop and take in the beautiful views of the gorge and the river flowing through it far below. One of our favorite spots to relax is the Archery Fields area of the park. On one side to the road you have the trail that follows near to the gorge and allows for expansive views. On the other side of the road there is a large field with picnic tables and grills for picnics. And there is also a small grove of large trees. This is usually where we pick out a shady spot to put down a blanket and relax.

As we relaxed the weather started to get interesting. The clouds got thicker and darker. The wind started to pick up. It wasn’t a particularly warm day and the gusty winds were making it actually chilly. (I would give anything for that right now. As I write this we are in the middle of a heat wave with temps well above average in the 90’s and severe heat warnings for the general public.) Then it began to rain a little so we quickly packed up and moved on.

As we made our way back up the park road, either we outpaced the movement of the incoming storm or it simply had stopped raining. So we stoped at a few more scenic viewing areas from along the gorge. But eventually the storm moved in at full force and we fled home in the rain. But it was another fun and beautiful day at Letchworth State Park.

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