Letchworth Waterfalls

Three of the Genesee River's six major waterfalls are located in Letchworth State Park (the rest are in the city of Rochester). The Genesee River is one of the few major rivers in the US that flows north. It starts near Gold, PA, near the headwaters of the Susquehanna and Ohio, and flows northward across New York state, emptying into Lake Ontario at Rochester.

Of the three falls in the park, the Middle Falls are the highest and most impressive. The Upper Falls are notable for the railroad trestle, and the Lower Falls (shown above) for the nearby flume, footbridge, and Cathederal Rock.

Upper Falls

We start out close to the Upper Falls, on the west side of the river. Some of the nicest views are a short distance from the lower parking lot. If you look very closely at the left picture, you may notice some people out on the riverbank on the east side. You can get there by entering the the east side of the park, and taking trail 7. We'll work our way over there shortly.

Upper Falls: West View	Upper Falls: Closeup

Here are two views from straight ahead. The first is taken from the riverbed. The second is taken a bit closer from the bank. People sometimes wonder whether you can walk on the trestle, and whether it is in use. It certainly is in use. I've often seen trains on it. In fact, some pictures I took a little earlier that day include a train. As you will notice, there are some people out on the trestle in this photo. Although walking on the trestle is prohibited, there is a convenient walkway (doubly convenient if a train comes when you are out there!).

Upper Falls and Trestle: Riverbed View	Upper Falls and Trestle

Finally, we head for the other side via the trestle. The first picture is a downstream view from the trestle. The last picture in this set was taken from one of the concrete supports for the trestle, looking down at the falls from the east.

View from Trestle	Upper Falls: East View

Genesee Falls in Letchworth

Upper Falls