The Park
William Pryor Letchworth entered business at the age of 15 in Auburn in 1848, working as a clerk in the saddlery and hardware trade. He soon shifted to the iron products business and was successful enough to retire at the age of 48. But he did not stop working. He became an advocate for epileptic and poor children from his post on the New York State Board of Charities, agitating tirelessly for their treatment, often with his own money. He first bought land on the Genesee River in 1859 when he started to build his Glen Iris Estate with the help of famous landscape artist William Webster. When development of the Genesee River loomed in 1906, Letchworth scrapped plans for Glen Iris to be converted into an orphanage after his death and gave it to the State of New York instead to preserve the lands forever. A year later, and three years before William Letchworth’s death, his 1,000 acres became one of the cornerstones of the New York state park system.
The Walks
The “Grand Canyon of the East” covers more than 14,000 acres and serves up about 70 miles of trails, many of the multi-use variety. Most folks, however, don’t explore much beyond the three major waterfalls at the park hub so you will have no trouble slipping away into the woods with your dog in relative solitude. If you can, bring your dog to the Gorge Trail early in the morning before the crowds arrive to gape at the hydrospectaculars and admire the stone bridges and stairways created by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression. Good places to sneak away with your dog are behind the museum, highlighted by the Mary Jemison Trail, and in the northern area of the park near the campground off Schenck Road with its gorge overlooks.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: A combination of flagstone and natural dirt paths.
Workout For Your Dog - Full days possible.
Swimming - There are some side streams in the park for refreshing splashing.
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are welcome to hike and camp but are not allowed in any park building, cabin area or swimming pool area.
Something Extra
In 1743 Mary Jemison was born aboard ship, bound for the New World. Her family settled near modern-day Gettysburg on the American frontier. In 1758, in the early days of the French and Indian War, the Jemison farm was raided by French and Shawnee warriors. The raiders headed west and soon killed everyone in her family except Mary. In Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh) she was sold to Seneca Indians and renamed Dehgewanus. She lived among the Senecas, married and was led back to her husband’s homeland on the Genessee River, walking 700 miles with a young son on her back. She arrived but without her husband, who fell ill and died. She would live in the valley another 70 years until the “Old White Woman of the Genesee” died in 1833 on the Buffalo Creek Reservation. Two generations later her grandchildren appealed to William Letchworth to have here remains moved to her one-time land here. He obliged, and Mary Jemison came home. You can see her grave, topped by a statue dedicated in 1910, behind the Glen Iris Inn.
Phone - (585) 493-3600
Admission Fee - Vehicle entrance fee May to November
Directions - Castile; From I-390 take Exit 7 to the park off Route 36.
