First day hike starts January 1
Winter is here so let your outdoor fun begin in Letchworth State Park. A variety of activities, programs and family oriented adventures provide great options to stay busy in the great winter wonderland outside your front door.
First Day Hikes on January 1 every year has been a state-wide event that encourages starting the year off right with an active and informative day of hiking. Letchworth has four guided hikes planned including a hike designed especially for families with young children, a Winter Wander to Ponds hike, an exotic tree hike and a Great Bend Gorge hike. All hikes begin with a 12:30 p.m. registration at The Humphrey Nature Center and participants in the hikes will receive a state parks souvenir on a first-come, first-serve basis and refreshments are served after the hikes.
The Genesee Valley Greenway State Park also offers three different hikes along the Greenway including starting points in Belfast, Mount Morris and Scottsville. New addition to New York State’s First Day Hikes this year is that all participants can enter to win an Annual Empire State Parks Pass for 2018.
With the First Day hike under your belt you can move onto the multitude of other hikes, lectures and programs offerred throughout the winter season in Letchworth. “The Genesee Naturalist” is a quarterly publication of the park that details all hikes and programs offerred through the seasons. The winter edition provides information about “winter wonder” hikes with a park naturalist and cross country ski nature hikes and showshoe walks. There are family nature walks and as winter breaks, hikes for signs of spring are planned.
The parks’ Winter Lecture Series brings guest speakers to the park every Sunday at 1:30 p.m. from January through March. Twelve topics ranging from the Seneca Army Depot’s White Deer to All About Bluebirds, Life in a Seneca Longhouse and what you need to know about the Giant Hogweed are both educational and enlightening. Lectures are held at the new Humphrey Nature Center in the park.
All programming in the park is free and open to the public. The best entrance for all park activities is through the Castile entrance. The main park road from Perry to Castile is closed until spring.
For more information, details and to request a copy of “The Genesee Naturalist” call the park directly at 585 493-3600. All park events, hikes and lectures are listed at www.parks.ny.gov/parks/79
