We’ve just left home for our big summer trip. In this first leg, we stop in New York and explore Letchworth State Park and Mount Morris Dam. Read on for two campground reviews and the must-see parts of the best state park in the country.
Table of Contents
Where We Stayed
Fredericksburg/Washington D.C. South KOA
Fredericksburg/Washington D.C. South KOA seems to be our go-to stop when we’re on a long trip north and leave our house in the afternoon. We stopped here a few weeks ago on our way to New Jersey and D.C. (you can read about that trip here), but we arrived after dark and didn’t get a good look at things. This time, we arrived about an hour earlier and were able to have a look around and get some photos.
| Campground Name | Fredericksburg/Washington D.C. South KOA |
| Location | Fredericksburg, VA |
| Dates | May 22-23, 2025 |
| Site Number | Site 15 |
| Site Surface/Type | gravel, pull-through |
| Hook-ups | full hookups |
| Cost | $98.04 per night (including taxes and fees) |
| Water Pressure | 50 psi |
| Voltage | 120-125 V |
| Verizon Speed Test | 324 Mbps down; 29 Mbps up |
| T-Mobile Speed Test | 37 Mbps down; 1.23 Mbps up |
| Campground WiFi | 23 Mbps down; 58 Mbps up |
This is actually a really cute campground. They have a pool and a small playground, as well as a pond for fishing.
The dog park is pretty small. It gets the job done for off-leash potty breaks, but, unless you have a very small dog, I wouldn’t consider it an option for running around, playing, or getting actual exercise.
Many of the sites look like they’d get pretty decent shade, though we’ve never been here long enough to confirm.
The Ridge Campground
Mt Morris, New York is a small town south of Rochester. Just 20 minutes from the Perry Entrance to Letchworth State Park, The Ridge Campground served as the perfect base camp for a few days exploring the park.
There was a mix of long- and short-term campers. Overall, the campground was a really busy place. I don’t think there was a single empty site. Not only were the sites full, but people were always out and about. Kids rode bikes and fished at the pond. Adults sat in chairs around campfires or walked dogs.
| Campground Name | The Ridge Campground |
| Location | Mt Morris, NY |
| Dates | May 23-26, 2025 |
| Site Number | Site X5 |
| Site Surface/Type | gravel, pull-in |
| Hook-ups | full hookups |
| Cost | $84.67 per night (including taxes and fees) |
| Water Pressure | 30-60 psi |
| Voltage | 115-120 V |
| Verizon Speed Test | 131 Mbps down; 5 Mbps up |
| T-Mobile Speed Test | 553 Mbps down; 15 Mbps up |
Memorial Day Weekend at the Campground
The Ridge Campground has a pretty cool tradition for Memorial Day weekend. For many years now, there’s a police dog demonstration, a visit from a fire truck, and a Life Flight helicopter landing in the front field. This year, the helicopter landing was postponed until Sunday due to weather, and the police dog demonstration was canceled. We were out when the fire truck arrived, but we did get to see the helicopter landing. They answered questions and let the kids sit inside. It was kind of cool to be so close when it was landing and taking off.
Our Campsite
Site X5 seems like the kind of site some will love and others will hate. It’s right at the entrance to the campground. The registration building is in front of it; the pool and jumping pillow are behind it. You can be sitting at the picnic table and watching the action on the jumping pillow. If you have kids, it doesn’t get any easier than that. But if you want quiet…I would recommend another site. Because it’s right on the main road in/out of the campground, there’s lots of traffic in front.
Also of note, this is our first pull-in site. As far as we can tell, it isn’t marked as such on the campground map, so it was a surprise to us. They’ve had some decent rain here recently, so the ground is very soft. We needed the four-wheel drive to get everything in place. We also needed a plank under the tongue jack because the blocks were sinking into the soft gravel of the site.
What We Did
Letchworth State Park
Letchworth State Park, in Castile, NY, was just voted the best state park in the nation by USA Today. (You can find the whole list here. Just driving through the park will have you in agreement before you’re out of the car. The views are stunning, and they only get better once you’re parked and hiking.
We first visited Letchworth in August 2022 and happened to be in the right place at the right time to see a hot air balloon come over a bridge and down the falls in front of us. We didn’t see any on this trip, but if you can determine when a balloon tour will be in the area, it’s worth trying to be nearby.
Check out our interactive map. It might help when referencing important locations in Letchworth. You can find the map here.
Letchworth State Park Travel Tip
Parking is $10 per vehicle. When we arrived around 8:30, the gate arm was raised. We stopped at the pay station anyway and learned it’s only collected from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In the morning, we parked at Eddy’s Parking and hiked along Trail #1 to Humphrey’s Overlook.
If you’re traveling with kids, it’s worth noting that Eddy’s Parking has a decent playground. Also, just a short hike away is the Wolf Creek Picnic Area, with picnic tables, grills, water fountains, and restrooms (actual flushing toilets, not just vault toilets).
There are a lot of stairs on some of the trails. They’re doable, but it’s something to be aware of.
Here are some obligatory “good tree” photos. Corona included for scale for the first tree.
We went back to the RV for lunch and a short break. In the afternoon, we drove back to Letchworth and parked in the large parking lot slightly north of St. Helena’s Picnic Shelter. We took Trail #13 down to the Genesee River.
Aiken thoroughly enjoyed it.
Next, we drove south and parked in the large lot by the Lower Falls Trailhead. We walked past the Footbridge Nature Shoppe and the Letchworth Lower Falls Playground.
Then we took the stairs to the left of the sign for the Lower Falls Trail. If you are not in reasonable physical shape, I would not advise taking this trail. There are a lot of stairs (the sign in the photo below says 127 of them). Down isn’t so bad, but it’s a lot coming back up.
Letchworth with Kids Travel Tip
The Lower Falls Playground looked pretty impressive! If they need a break from hiking, it’s worth a look. It’s right by the Footbridge Nature Shop where you can buy drinks and snacks.
After the stairs, keep an eye out for a trail off to the left. If I remember correctly, it was a sharp turn. That trail takes you down to the pedestrian bridge across the river.
This are several wildlife crossings built into the road throughout Letchworth (at least I assume that’s what they are).
Humphrey Nature Center
The Humphrey Nature Center is worth a stop. They have lots of different educational exhibits, but my favorite was the one that talked about how to identify different trees based on the bark.
Mount Morris Dam Tour
Did you know you can take a tour of the Mount Morris Dam? Even better: it’s practically free. Tickets were $1 each when we went, and it was easy to reserve a spot online. We only found out about it because of a sign pinned up outside one of the restrooms in the park. We are so happy we decided to give it a try.
The tour was an hour long. There was about one mile of walking. There is a steep hill to walk down (and later up) but no stairs. Pictures aren’t allowed inside the dam, but the tour does go inside, and you can take as many photos as you like when outside.
Letchworth/Mount Morris Dam Tip
We were very surprised to find not only picnic tables but also a pretty decent playground and several hiking trails on the grounds of the Mount Morris Dam. As far as we can tell, all of that is free to use. If you are traveling with little kids, that could be a great place to have a picnic lunch and get some energy out (whether you take a tour of the dam or not).
I think the highlight for me was the wildlife sightings! I did not expect to see any wildlife here. Our tour guide pointed out a few fox dens and said she has seen foxes and kits on the property. Then, when we were walking on the walking at the top of the dam, we saw a fox on the dry, upstream side.
Also of note, there are several walking trails on the property. They might be a good option if you’re looking to do some hiking.
Where We Ate
High Banks Tavern
High Banks Tavern was a 19-minute drive from the campground. We each got a burger, and they were delicious. My only complaint is the fries. Burgers come with chips. Fries are a $3.25 upgrade, which seems like a lot to me. Because of that, Jesse got fries and I stuck with chips. After tasting the fries, I’m so glad I didn’t get them. I don’t know if they were stale or just not cooked well, but they weren’t very good. I’m glad we didn’t pay the money to both get them. Other than that, the experience was positive. The burgers were good, and our server was friendly and attentive. We would come back.
Two burgers, one with fries and a fountain drink (the other water and chips), came out to $39.66 Canadian (including tax).
Wildlife
While driving to Letchworth one morning we saw a bald eagle in a field. We stopped to watch him since he was on the ground, but he flew off soon after we stopped.
We also saw many many turkey vultures, both at the dam and in Letchworth.
This is a heron on the downstream side of the dam.
More Photos
Happy travels!
