Letchworth State Park is a New York State Park located in Livingston County and Wyoming County in the western part of the State of New York. The park is roughly long, following the course of the Genesee River as it flows north through a deep gorge and over several large waterfalls. It is located southwest of Rochester and southeast of Buffalo, and spans portions of the Livingston County towns of Leicester, Mount Morris and Portage, as well as the Wyoming County towns of Castile and Genesee Falls. In 1859, Buffalo industrialist William Pryor Letchworth (1823–1910) began purchasing land near the Middle Falls, and started construction of his Glen Iris Estate. In 1906 he bequeathed the estate to New York, which soon after became the core of the newly created Letchworth State Park. The park prominently features three large waterfallsthe Upper, Middle, and Lower Fallson the Genesee River, which flows within a deep gorge that winds through the park. The rock walls of the gorge, which rise up to in places, prompted the area's reputation as the "Grand Canyon of the East". Features and activities Park entrances are located near Mount Morris, Perry, Castile and Portageville. A paved two or three-lane road follows the west side of the gorge, allowing many scenic viewpoints for the geologic features. The park includes pavilions, picnic tables, playgrounds, of hiking trails, two large swimming pools, cabins, campsites for tents, trailer sites with dumping stations, and horse-riding trails. Activities within the park include hiking, biking, fishing, whitewater rafting and kayaking, geocaching, and hunting (wild turkey and deer when in season). During the winter, the park facilitates snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snow tubing, and horse-drawn sleighs. Hot air ballooning is available at the park, weather permitting. In 2015, Letchworth State Park won [[USA Today|USA Today'''s]] Reader's Choice competition as the best state park in the United States. In 2020 the park topped a similar list. Waterfalls and geology Within the park, there are three large waterfalls on the Genesee River and as many as 50 waterfalls found on tributaries that flow into it; the deep gorge formed by the river, with rock walls rising up to in places and which narrow to across above the middle of the three falls, prompted the area's reputation as the "Grand Canyon of the East". The three major waterfalls — called the Upper, Middle, and Lower Falls — are located in Portage