Letchworth State Park
Distance From Rochester: 40 miles one way (45mins-1hr)
If you’re from Rochester, you’ve probably been to Letchworth State Park many times. It was one of the first adventures I ever went on when I first moved to Rochester. Even though some of the locals are probably familiar with Letchworth, it’s still an amazing trip to take! The drive down is beautiful and the views when you get there are well worth it!
There’s ample hiking trails as well as easy walk up viewpoints so it’s great for people that love to hike as well as people who just want to see the waterfalls. High Falls is probably the most popular waterfall at Letchworth. If you’re lucky you might be able to catch a rainbow in the mist!
I believe it is a $10 entrance fee for the park, but only during business hours and the busy season.
Ithaca Waterfalls
Distance From Rochester: 90 miles one way (1.5-2hrs)
I won’t rant too long about Ithaca and allll of the waterfalls there because I’ve already made a short blog with more details about the waterfalls!
It’s seriously such an amazing place with so many waterfalls and is a must-visit! Leave early in the day so you can maximize your daylight and do as many trails as you can!
Click below for more on Ithaca!
Watkins Glen ( & Havanna Glen )
Distance From Rochester: 80 miles one way (1.5-2hrs)
Watkins Glen Gorge Trail is a beautiful hike and has many small waterfalls! It’s pretty easy and is mostly stairs or straight paths. It can get super busy in the summer with tourists though so make sure you’re either prepared for that or go at a time that it is less likely to be busy.
The most popular is Rainbow Falls which you only have to hike for about 10 minutes to get to. It is hard to get a picture when it’s super busy without a lot of people in the background.
I also wanted to touch on Havana Glen which is about a 15-minute drive from the gorge. It is much more low key and out of the way than the gorge. There were only about 15 people there while we were there. It’s great if you actually want to get in the water and relax after a hike!
Grimes Glen Park
Distance From Rochester: 45 miles (45mins-1hr)
Grimes Glen is a GEM! It’s pretty low key and wasn’t busy AT ALL. We were 1 of 3 groups on the trail when we did it, and it was so peaceful and beautiful.
Make sure you bring your bug spray because you can walk through the water for some of the trail (or a roundabout way on the land) and the bugs near the water are a bit cumbersome. If you have water shoes it would be beneficial, but I just hiked through the water in my old sneakers that I don’t mind getting a little wet and muddy.
There are 3 waterfalls on the trail and the one at the end is definitely worth making it to. I think it took us about an hour (stopping a lot for pictures) to make it to the last waterfall on the trail.
Niagara Falls (Canadian and American Sides)
Distance From Rochester: 80 miles one way (1.5-2hrs)
So many people say that Niagara Falls is overrated, but they’re lying, it’s awesome. It never gets old for me. Almost every time we are on our way back from Toronto we at least drive by it or stop and stroll.
The Canadian side falls are definitely a better view and they also have all of the more touristy things like lots of restaurants, a Ferris wheel, and attractions. If you’re going to go to the falls you definitely need to cross the border to see both sides. The light show at night is particularly beautiful from the Canadian side, but I’m biased because I love Canada.
On the other side, the American side falls have a really pretty skyline view, and you can still see the falls of course. They also have a skywalk where you can pay a couple of dollars, I think it was $2 last time I did it a couple of years ago, where you can walk out and look more directly at the falls from the American side.
I know that there are so many waterfalls in New York State ( we are sooo lucky!), but I wanted to pick out some of my favorite day trips to do specifically for some of the best waterfalls! Let me know if you end up visiting any of these places, keep in mind social distancing, and send me pictures if you do!
Day Trip to Ithaca. Waterfalls, hiking, and ice cream.