Letchworth Letterbox

Placed by: JeLyBean
20 October 2002
Livingston County, Mt Morris to Portageville, NY
Terrain: Moderate - Quite a few stairs, some trails can be very muddy
Clues: Easy

Looking for a waterfall? Here's a few...

Letchworth State Park stretches between the towns of Mt Morris and
Portageville, with park entrances near the towns of Mt Morris,
Portageville, Castile, and Perry. Some entrances are closed during some
seasons, so check with the park before you go; the visitor's center can be
reached at 585.493.3600. There is an entrance fee, currently $5 per car.
Letchworth contains 14,350 acres surrounding the Genesee River Gorge,
where the river plunges over three waterfalls, the tallest of which is 107
feet high. There are many activities to enjoy here, so plan on spending
some time. The gorge is most beautiful in the fall, though also the most
crowded. Since Letchworth is a popular destination, I tried to place this
letterbox a bit away from the main crowd, but it's not far off the trail,
so please take care that no one sees you when removing the box, and please
hide the box well when replacing it.

Reach Letchworth State Park by taking exit 5, 6 or 7 from I-390. The box
is near the lower falls at the south end of the park, but you can pick he
entrance most convenient to you. Ask for a trail map at the park entrance,
the map in the brochure they hand you is not a very good one. Follow the
main park road to the spur for the lower falls, and park in the parking lot
near campsite B and the Footbridge Nature Shop.

Proceeding on foot, follow the signs to the trail for the lower
falls/footbridge. Descend 127 stairs to the river's edge and follow the
path to the footbridge. Be careful, this area may be very muddy. Along
here, you can see a wonderful view of the lower falls, and feel the falls'
mist. Walk across the footbridge to the east side of the river, and head
up the stairs on the other side.

At the top of the stairs, the trail branches to the left and right, choose
the left. You'll actually see two trails here; choose the leftmost one
that winds closest to the edge of the gorge. Shortly, you'll see a few
chain link fences at the edge of the gorge. At the third of these will be
a small brook that tumbles down the hill in miniature imitation of the
grand waterfalls further south - there's even a miniature footbridge.
Follow the path as it curves upstream and cross over the brook via the
stone bridge.

Shortly after this, the path curves away from the brook, heading nearly due
south up a flight of stairs. Stand at this spot at the base of the stairs.
At 204 degrees, you'll see a boulder jutting from the riverbank, only six
or seven paces off the path. Under this boulder, covered with leaves, is a
smaller rock that hides the final waterfall.