Letchworth State Park

By Jen.

Dates: 10/18/2020

When we had passed through New York on the way to Maine, I discovered this beautiful state park while trying to look for campsites. It had beautiful pictures in Google Maps, so I quickly added it to my places to visit. It did not disappoint. 

We were up early enough to watch the sun rise over the park, which ironically meant that we didn’t have to pay the entrance/parking fee.

The upper falls.

 

The middle falls are the tallest falls in the park.

 

This area was fairly ripe with fall colors as well.

A stone bridge to cross the gorge.

The lower falls. 

Hogsback Overlook

  

We drove from one end to the other that day, and greatly enjoyed the sights. I am very glad I saw this state park on the map.

Midstate New York

Dates: 10/16/2020 to 10/17/2020

New York is a large state by New England standards, and has a good bit to offer travelers.   Passing through the Finger Lakes region was as scenic as upstate. 

Our next planned stop was Watkins Glenn SP.  When driving past, this park is little more than a cleft in a hill, with a modest stream exiting.  A bit more investigation reveals some excellent walking.

 

 

 

 

 

With a bit of persistence, good remote camps can be found.  This one is Ossian State Forest.

 

Next stop, West!

Upstate NY

By Jen.

Dates: 10/13/2020 - 10/15/2020

When we lived in Charlotte, I would have Jonathan drive me to the airport, where I would catch the free shuttle to the AA Flight Training Center, which was just across the street from work. It was often quicker than trying to drive myself through Charlotte traffic. As I was a regular customer, I got to know two of the shuttle drivers pretty well. The morning guy retired to Charlotte from upstate New York, and he loved it here. However, he did mention how beautiful it was up north, including mentioning the area around Whiteface mountain as being gorgeous. So, I put it on my “Places to Visit” map, and we made our way there after Vermont.

On the day we started off into the heart of upstate NY, it was rainy. But it felt a bit mystical with the fall colors and low-lying clouds.

Upon arriving in the Whiteface Mountain area, we started planning what we would do. Figured we should try and drive to the top, and then right before we got to the road, we discovered it was an expensive toll road. With the weather, we decided we should wait until clears.

So we continued driving and found a place to camp.

 

Jones Pond.

Check out the beautiful trunks! Maroon vs mint green!

 

Found out that there was a Lake Placid to which we could walk. With fond memories of watching the horror movie with my family, I knew we had to stop. 

No monster crocodile in sight! Also felt too cold for them.

That might be Whiteface Mountain there in the background.

 

Looking for other things to do, we thought maybe a bog would be interesting, so we made our way to Bloomingdale Bog. 

We found evidence of beavers and the old railway.

 

 

Next up was The Flume. The colors! I love fall colors!

 

 

 

 

 

There was a decent amount of distance between this POI and the next, so we started our way south. Upon trying to find our next campsite, I found a slew of campsites in a place called “Moose River Plains.” I was intrigued, so took a slight detour to go through there. I am glad we did. We checked out the Lost Ponds trail, and Helldiver Pond.

Somebody had just celebrated the season.

More evidence of beavers at Lost Ponds.

Check out how close this tree is to falling into the water!

A grouse!

Our next campsite at Brown Tract Pond.

[We are way behind in posts, so... Happy Easter!]