{letchwork state park}

I have a list a mile long of places in the area we want to visit.  Every time I meet someone new, they add to my list, telling me I just " have to" visit here...or there.  I love it!  One of the places that has come up time and time again is Letchworth State Park. It's referred to as the "Grand Canyon of the East", and is open year round for everything from camping to hiking to cross country skiing to ice skating!  One of the highlights though, is during the fall, with all of the magnificent colors painting the trees. We knew we had to visit there at least once before the season was over, and last weekend we finally got the chance.

It's only about an hour away, so we packed a picnic lunch, and headed out!  There are three different waterfalls there, and we stopped at several overlook areas to get different vantage points before stopping at our hiking trail.  It was seriously breathtaking, and it's one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  We found the perfect spot for our lunch, and after we ate, the kids played on a playground nearby, and then climbed the big hill next to it.  In the winter it's a sledding hill, and the rest of the year its perfect for playing on.  We must have spent two hours there, up and down, running and rolling, racing and laughing.

We finally dragged everyone away, and went to a hiking trail that would take us to the lower falls.  It was just starting to get dark, with the most gorgeous sunset.  It was Columbus Day weekend, and there were quite a few campers off the trail, with bright campfires that smelled SO good. It's one of my most favorite smells, ever.  The kids were delighted to be running, and I was soaking in their excitement and the absolute beauty that surrounded me.  I wished we could have been camping too, because I didn't want to leave.  We hiked down to the falls and then back up again, much faster than I would have, but since it was getting dark, we didn't have a lot of time.

When it was time to go, no one wanted to leave, but we promised that it wouldn't be too long before we were back!  It's just gone up the list as one of our favorite places!