Best Glamping near Perry, NY

Not technically in the Finger Lakes but still one of the most beautiful parts of Western New York State. Splurge and eat at the Glen Iris Inn! Great for cycling and hiking but no swimming. I love taking visitors here in all seasons but in autumn it is exceptional. I’ve stayed in a few tent sites and all are wooded and pretty private with your standard basic amenities. This is a popular park so make reservations.

I went to college right near Letchworth State Park so I spent many wonderful weekends there! There is a reason why they call it the Grand Canyon of the East. Not only can you check out the beautiful waterfalls, but there are also many awesome trails, rivers, and caves to check out. When I would camp, we would rent a camp site with our tent but, you could camp with your RV or even rent a cabin. Ive gone every month of the year, but these pictures were from my birthday in January. Letchworth is one of the best parks in New York state and a definite must see!

Letchworth State Park is known as the Grand Canyon of the East and is located in Mt. Morris New York. My husband and I visited regularly when we lived near Rochester, NY. The park is stunning and is fit for camping whether you’re in a tent, RV or choosing to rent a gorgeous cabin. There are many walking and hiking trails for adventurers of all types. Make sure you bring your camera as the views are all photo worthy. The camping price is right due to the fact that the park is run by the state. A great place to stay especially in the Summer!!

In most states, those without falls like Niagara, this state park would be the pride of the land. With three serious drops in as many miles, the Genesse River winds it’s way through what locals call the “Grand Canyon of the East.” Many states try to make such claims, but this might be the closest any come to actually living up to such. It is stunning! 

Along the river this park gives the motorist the distinct feel that she is on a parkway, not unlike Shenendoah, or Blue Ridge. Every few miles the winding pavement breaks out onto a few of the ridges and valley below, before ducking back into the forest of Western New York.

The campground, which is about 15 miles from the major falls area, offers what many come to expect from state parks. There are a wide variety of campsites, all reservable online, which can accommodate lots of different types of camping, large RV’s, small tents, and everything in between. Most, if not all, campsites offer electrical and water is available close by.

The bathrooms are practically luxurious by most camping standards, with single-use restroom/ showers available at all hours. The camp store offered a few grocery items, along with cold drinks, firewood and ice in addition to laundry facilities. Within a short walk were many hiking trails, an old-school fitness path, and a stellar playground where anyone under 9 years of age should get a great workout. 

But let’s be honest, we’re not coming here for the campground, it’s the rest of the park that makes the drive worth it. So, check it out and get to know this stunning place first hand and be sure to bring a picnic basket.

We loved our stay at the "Grand Canyon of the East!" This is a gorgeous forested campground with many things to occupy your time! They unfortunately had trail #7 and the upper falls closed for repairs, but we did trail #1 to see the gorge and lower and middle falls. One night we treated ourselves to a dinner at the Glen Iris Inn - food was ok, but we just enjoyed being out on the porch, listening to the falls and drinking some good wine. They have flights of local Finger Lakes wineries too. There are no water hookups. We didn't bother to fill up our tank, just used the shower house and water faucets located throughout each loop. Shower houses were ok - not the best, but worked just fine. We were happy with our decision as the dumping station had 3 stalls and there was a long line backed up to dump early Sunday. The town of Perry was maybe a 5 min drive away and there was a small grocery there with just about everything you would need. We didn't get one, but you can order pizzas there and they cook in about 10 min if you would need a quick dinner. There is no wood for sale at the campground, but there are several farmers with stands on the way in or in Perry the grocery and gas station sold bundles too. We were able to work just fine with our weboost set up, otherwise we had spotty coverage with about 1 bar on AT&T and Verizon and no real ability to create hotspots. We also want to give a huge shoutout to the staff, as we really needed to stay one more day to be able to make it to our next reservation and the entire campground was booked. They were so kind to open up an "administrative site" for us to stay at. Each loop has different types of sites, so tents are mixed in with rigs. 800 was pretty flat, but when we switched to 500 we saw some pretty gnarly leveling setups that made us cringe. Luckily we were able to safely level out at our site.

**Ranger Review: Men’s Rebel Stretch Shell Jacket at Letchworth State Park **

CampgroundReview: 

I’ve visited Letchworth State Park, known as the Grand Canyon of the East, in the winter and the summer, but this is the first time in autumn and the first time camping. Although this very large state park is starkly beautiful, the campground is not as nice as other New York state parks we have recently been to. We were in the 600 loop, the farthest from the camp office and closest to the Genesee River (although we could not see it from our site). The sites on the outside of the 600 loop were larger and more private; most of them were pie-shaped and had many trees that provided ample separation. The sites on the inside of the loop were much smaller and less private. The bathrooms were reasonable but dated. The showers did not look very inviting and although I did not use them, I overheard someone comment they were the worst showers they had ever experienced! 

I highly recommend the free tour of the Mt. Morris Dam on the other side of the river from the campground. The tour is interesting and lasts approximately one hour. Offered at 2 pm in the offseason and twice per day during the summer.

It rained almost the entire time we were there, so we didn’t take any long hikes. We did a short hike to the Lower Falls. The footbridge was closed for repairs when we were there. The Middle Falls and Upper Falls can be seen with very short walks. There is also a restaurant in the park which was ok but not fantastic

.……………………………………..

Product Review: 

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, we tested the Men’s Rebel Stretch Shell Jacket by Red Ledge. The price of this jacket is much less than many other available brands, so we were interested in checking it out and ordered one for my husband. 

Positives: 

• Affordable price 

• Workmanship appears to be solid and of good quality. 

• Seams are all sealed. Feels comfortable, although the material has a slightly rubbery feel 

• Water beads up very well 

• The waist is adjustable. 

Negatives: 

• The hood adjustment is a bit awkward 
• There are no zippered air vents at the armpits 
• The front Rapid entry zip pockets are designed to protect your cell phone from rain, but it makes it slightly awkward for slipping your hands in. 
• Ordered size large because the sleeve length on the XL would have been too long, but this did not leave a lot of room for layering. 

Bottom line: 

Although it is well made and a good value for the price, it is not as functional as my husband would have liked.

Highly recommend going to the middle falls at night to see them lit up (when driving watch out for bears, deer, and raccoons). Many opportunities to hike as long or as little as you want, or just drive through and stop at the many viewpoints. The park has several spots to grab a bite to eat, and just outside the park is small town convenient for whatever you may need.

What an impressive, pristine, and maintained park and campground. A good trail system, plenty of overlooks, good facilities, restaurants and shops. It’s one of the better parks I’ve visited. Campground is standard but elevated by its context

My son and I have a new favorite campground.  We absolutely fell in love with this park.  I find it odd that even though I grew up only an hour away, we never camped there.  Big mistake!  There are many trails to hike on and beautiful views of the gorge and river.  You have to drive to many of the places but it's worth it.  There are many souvenir and snack stands as well as a pool (again, you have to drive to them).  The camp store is small but well stocked with a laundry attached. Some loops allow pets and others don't.  If you want to bring your pet, please check to make sure you reserve a pet-friendly loop. Unfortunately for us, it rained the entire time we were there so we never got to walk the trails or use the pool.  Keep an eye out for other activities.  There are balloon rides, craft shows, etc. that happen throughout the summer. With so much to do in the park, you don't really need to leave but nearby is the Arcade and Attica Railroad.  It's a nice little ride through the countryside.  There is also a small dam that you can visit (we missed out this last time).  I highly recommend visiting.

So Letchworth State Park is beautiful. It's also tremendous, 18 miles long covering the east and west side of the Geneseo River. There is over 100 miles of trails intersecting the park. The campground itself is made up of loops with only electrical hookups , no water or sewer connections , just water spiquets positioned throughout the loop and 1common bathroom in each loop. There is no wifi in any of the camping areas so if you are dependant on it for any reason this is not the place for you. Only at certain points in the park will you get a signal

Letchworth is a huge park with many beautiful views of the river gorge. There’s plenty of hiking trails. We even managed to find a trail with a tiny waterfall and an area for the kids to splash around in the water. We were hoping that the huge pool would be open that is outside the far end of the park but it was closed due to Covid. So, we were pretty bummed over that. Instead we visited an overlook of the dam near by.

What a beautiful park. Go river rafting! Only drag is the mixed rv and tent sites.

Letchworth SP, the Grand Canyon of the East. No kidding! WOW, trail #1 was the connector trail between lower, middle and upper falls. It parallels the road with lots of overlooks. But still a lovely walk.  There were plenty of other trails elsewhere in the park. This park is rather large, but beautiful. Our campsite was loop 700, #717, in the dog friendly area. Plenty of privacy between campsites, electric plug ins, with potable water accessible every 3 sites .  Beautiful setting. Campstore had plenty of wood. Enough connectivity for texts and calls.

This park is absolutely breathtaking and is one of my absolute favorite places on the east coast. The camping is all right; it's mixed tent and rv, but the cabins are great and they're a pretty good deal. Many feature heating and are available even in colder months. Camping isn't too expensive and the facilities are well-maintained.

Wandering around the gorge is so beautiful and relaxing the views and sights inside the park are amazing, it's almost like another world at times. Sites were nice, the area we were in was a little too open for our liking, but in a park with this kind of scenery it was fine because we didn't spend a lot of time at the camper. We can't wait to get back and wander done more!

My husband and I just got our first camping setup (tent). Letchworth was a wonderful first experience together. The campground can be almost 15 miles from the entrance of the park at points, but we just asked someone at the visitors center and found it easily after that. The restrooms are all well kept regardless of being updated or not and the campground as a whole is very quiet. There are very active raccoons and skunks that have been pretty domesticated, so putting away food is very very important. The skunks also are not easily startled. The only downside was a large group of young guys that were being really loud and obnoxious well into quiet hours our last night, but it was nothing my pair of earplugs couldn’t fix. Also probably wouldn’t have even heard them if we were in a camper rather than a tent. Overall, it was exactly what we wanted and needed. We will absolutely be back!

Letchworth State Park is beautiful with so many hiking trails and the beautiful waterfalls that are such a big part of this place. The Glen Iris House is the perfect place to dine outside on the veranda for a decadent treat of delicious food snd atmosphere. The park and campground are clean, the sites fairly well spaced, free showers, and electric hookups. We loved it!

Letchworth State Park Campground sites are spacious and mostly private. Really quiet and peaceful. Bathrooms were well maintained and very clean. '

The 3 falls are beautiful. Lots of hiking and scenic sites. Museum within the park and lots of history to learn about.

Letchworth is absolutely stunning. The views are beautiful, however the scenic areas are at least a 10 minute drive from the campground. The park is massive.

There is a huge variation in site sizes. We lucked out and got a large site with privacy and an area for the kids to run around, however the site directly across from us was little more than the gravel pad and fire pit. Some of the sites are right on top of each other. Great for group camping, not so much if you want any privacy.

Only two out of the 8 loops (200 and 700 loops) have updated bathrooms (single toilet with handheld showers in half of the bathrooms). The others loops have older facilities with three traditional toilet stalls and two showers.

We loved our site but would’ve preferred to stay in a loop with the updated bath houses as we have younger children and a tent trailer.

All sites have electricity. Some loops are pet friendly, some are pet free. The camp store has a good selection of necessities, albeit expensive for discount brands. The pool is 4-5 miles down the road from the camping area.

Would absolutely camp here again.

Very nice park and campground just a little muddy and bit expensive ($ 75 for two nights) But the waterfalls and the views make it worth it. Also tried the rafting experience and it was a lot of fun. Would recommend for sure.

The campgrounds are conveniently located inside the Park so easy to get to the amazing falls towards the south as well as the dam in the north. We were in loop 300 which does not allow pets. Decent bathhouses right opposite our site. Our site was a gravel drive with a grassy area containing the picnic table and fire ring. Unfortunately due to rain the day before the grass was extremely muddy which make it hard to get to the fire ring. There was also white a lot of noise from adjacent sites, we could hear everyone's conversations and screaming kids. There was a laundry facility but no dishwashing.

Camp ground very nice with well taken care of rest room. The view just outside of the camp ground is amazing.

Loved our experience here.

The campground is very clean. Our site wasn’t the greatest (#811) as it was narrow and outside our RV door was a steep drop off making it impossible to use our awning for a seating area. We had 3 days of rain which did add to the issues…the area was muddy so keep that in mind. Power was stable. No water at the site but there are spigots around the loops. The bathrooms are older in this loop but adequate. Cell coverage was great in the morning but by 3pm each day it was saturated somehow.

The park itself is beautiful. Plenty of hiking. I only wish they had a bike lane along the main road. Will definitely go back.

A must place to visit with, many, many activities and facilities, and then, the views, those are the cherry on top, you won’t be disappointed, but, you may regret no going.

love this place. never super packed and always cleaned up and looking nice!

We stayed in Loop 700.  New bathhouse which was immaculate.  You have your own shower, own bathroom facility.  Spacious and clean.  Each loop has their own bathhouse.  We had electric with a water spigot right at the end of our site. 

Sites were a bit tight to get into, and some not very level.  I could see where if it rains, this campground would be a mudhole.  Lots (and I mean lots) of gnats/mosquitos, but somehow we weren't bitten.  

Those "negatives" are FAR outweighed by what you get at this park.  It's just simply stunning.  The woman who works in the camp store (one of the best ones we've seen at any campground) told us to head to Middle Falls at night because they light it up.  It's just gorgeous. 

We spent the next day traveling to pull overs, checking out the park from top to bottom, eating lunch at Glen Iris Inn, and just sitting in awe of Upper Falls.  It truly is an amazing state park.  

Clean, workers are friendly and helpful.  Again…just be aware of the bugs.