Letchworth State Park, Friends of

The Friends of Letchworth State Park is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit corporation chartered under New York State law. Our mission is the preservation, conservation, development, and interpretation of Letchworth State Park. Letchworth State Park, often called the Grand Canyon of the East, is located south of Rochester and east of Buffalo, easily accessible via Rte. 390. It encompasses 14,000 acres of spectacular scenery, three major waterfalls, diverse history, varied ecology, and provides a wide variety of recreational opportunities. There are acres of mixed woods, fields, ponds, wetlands, and the largest river gorge east of the Mississippi. All of this traversed by over 60 miles of trails and dotted with cabins, campsites, and lodges as well as the Glen Iris Inn for visitors who want fine dining and historic lodging. Since the inception of the Friends of Letchworth in 2000, members have worked in collaboration with Letchworth Park personnel to complete a multitude of projects to maintain and preserve the park and its history. The projects include trail maintenance as well as extensive historic restoration of Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) contributions to the park. To date, we have restored and preserved 2 CCC-built stone chimneys, a lean to on the rim of the Genesee River gorge, and 39 CCC-built stone tables at the Parade Grounds, Wolf Creek, Tea Table, and Eddy’s picnic areas. Our organization also funded the building of the Clan Trail between the museum and the Council Grounds and the creation of the CCC Legacy Pathway through Letchworth. Our volunteers also work to enhance the park visitor’s experience by sponsoring and co-sponsoring park events like the First Day Hike, I Love My Park Day, the Teddy Bear Picnic, the Stewards of Letchworth Day, Maple Syrup Weekends, the Balloon Rally, etc. Friend’s volunteers work year-round to maintain and improve Letchworth’s status as one of the very best state parks in the nation. We are currently securing funding from private donors as well as state-funded grants for projects to historically restore 23 stone tables at the Upper Falls picnic area, to provide ADA compliant accessibility for three shelters and one restroom, and to create a video library of Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) life and culture as shared by the Haudenosaunee themselves. All these projects, especially historic restoration, are costly. Our volunteers are effective fund raisers, receiving more than 50% of the monies spent to achieve our mission from private donations. Your contribution will greatly help to preserve and enhance Letchworth Park as a national treasure for generations to come.

We focus on: The Environment, Education

Where we are: Livingston, Wyoming