Letchworth Park Spring Hike

I received a GoPro from my family and am enjoying its simple interface, and how easy it is to edit. Charlie offered a Letchworth explore, so naturally I engineered a “hike or die” for a sunny spring day.

This hike is seven miles long, starting at the south end of the park and heading north. We left bikes at the end of the hike to get back to our cars. The views from the edge remain lovely the entire hike, and the craftsmanship of WPA stone fences, picnic tables and bridges inspires the challenging walking path.

Buttermilk Falls — See Why Ithaca is Gorges

When tourists come to upstate New York and want to see the unique geological wonders carved out by the glaciers, they usually head to well-known Watkins Glen. However, there are several other gorgeous gorges — one of them right outside of Ithaca, known as Buttermilk Falls State Park.

Braddock Bay — Kayaker’s Delight

It’s hot, really hot, where can you go to cool off when it is miserably hot?

Braddock Bay.

“The Braddock Bay Fish and Wildlife Management Area is a shallow water bay-marsh complex existing in five units along the Lake Ontario shoreline ranging from two to six miles west of Rochester. ”

“Braddock Bay is renowned for being an excellent bird-watching location, as raptors and other birds congregate when migrating north in Spring.”  — Wikipedia

Cool Great lakes breezes, alongside gorgeous wetlands loaded with wildlife makes for an awesome adventure on a hot summer day.

Locations where you can launch your kayak along the edge of the bay

I put my kayak in furthest north and explored right out onto the lake. If you put in further downstream you can travel way back into the wetlands, full of Herons, Kingfishers, Puddle ducks, particularly mallards, blue-winged teal and wood ducks all nest in this area.

Beautiful spots to kayak

Shy herons

Great Blues

Perfect haven for wildlife

Finger Lakes Find: Discovering Beechwood State Park

The state bought the land from the Girl Scouts for $600,000 in 1996. Unfortunately, before the State could upgrade and open the newly acquired park, a budget crisis got in the way. The park’s purpose became a manageable “preserve” and it opened with no improvements in 1999.

The park contains 250 acres of pine and hemlock groves, wooded hills and marshy ravines, plus over 1,500 ft. of pebbled Lake Ontario shoreline with access to the west side of Maxwell Bay.

Forever Wild: Finger Lakes National Forest

At the highest spot between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes is a patchwork of 16,212 acres, known as the Finger Lakes National Forest. This area was all farm land 100 years ago and was then bought back by the government early in the 20th century, who returned it into forests and pasture land.

Filmore Glen, Moravia’s Treasure

The Finger Lakes region has several awesome parks with waterfalls. Little-known Filmore Glen is another example of the beautiful work of the glaciers that passed through 10,000 years ago and left us the “gorgology” the makes the Finger Lakes region so special. The park has five waterfalls, several miles of great trails and 60 campsites plus a natural stream-fed swimming hole.

Abraham Lincoln Park — Hidden Gem on Irondequoit Bay

A “diamond in the rough” might be used to describe our 16th president, as well as this lovely gem of a park along the bay. Not only are the trails fun to hike, the views they provide are wonderful and the stream bed I explored was full of colorful gems.