Our Great Canadian Road Trip: Letchworth State Park

Being that Summer is halfway over, we wanted to venture out to the rest of New York state and beyond to see the beautiful green nature, before it cools down for Fall and the leaves fall!  So a road trip  we embarked on!!  We planned a 4 night and 5 day road trip traveling through the top half of New York state into Canada, and ending at Canada's "Paris": Montreal.  I love planning our trips and mapping out interesting sights to see, and for this trip, we received lots of good recommendations and I think we had the perfect and breathtaking combination of wilderness, water, city lights, and culture! 

We began our Great Canadian Road Trip the day after my birthday, and drove only 1.5 hours northeast to Letchworth State Park..... the 1st destination of our adventure.   Letchworth is referred to as the "Grand Canyon of the East" because of its steep cliffs, gorge, and the river that runs through it.  Its obviously not as big as the real Grand Canyon, but just as majestic and different in the nature.  It was so green, so many forests, view points, and 3 different waterfalls!!! WOW!  I even want to say it was prettier than Niagara Falls..... the environment and nature was so peaceful.  The grounds of the state park were also perfectly maintained with nice picnic areas, modern public restrooms, multiple playgrounds and nature trails, a couple restaurants, swimming pools, and various campgrounds and rentals.  We spent half the day hiking to all 3 waterfalls, playing at one of the playgrounds, and having a delicious and fancy dinner at the Glen Iris Inn (a historic hotel overlooking the middle falls).  The nature was so breathtaking and serene, and especially since this state park is only 1 1/2 hour away from home, I DEFINITELY see us camping here with the boys in the future!  When the boys are old enough, I would love to throw our bikes on the car, and spend a few days camping, bike riding, and hiking here!  The best part is that there is no cell reception, LOL, the perfect escape from civilization!  

We discover the lower falls..... the FIRST waterfalls!!! 

The middle falls..... the SECOND waterfalls!  These were right across from the Glen Iris Hotel.

and finally, the Upper falls.... the final waterfalls:

Glen Iris Inn for dinner and drinks before driving 40 minutes to our Holiday Inn Suites, our first night's accommodations.  For the first time for this family of 4, we had a regular hotel room (meaning just ONE room.... versus bedroom and separate sitting area).  Oh, it was tight, and that also meant we all had to go to bed at the same time (which was around 10pm).  Brad and I decided that we would trade off sharing a bed with Taji (while Jax slept in the pack n' play we brought along with us) in our 2 queen   hotel room.  The first night was rough for Brad, while Taji rehearsed his kung fu skills in his sleep!  The boys favorites from our Day 1: seeing waterfalls, climbing the stairs and trails, playing at the playground, and giggling themselves to sleep at the hotel.