Genesee River through Letchworth Park

I was planning on going to Letchworth this Sunday to Kayak however I spoke with a freind of mine who informed me you need a permit to paddle in the gorge. Does anyone know if that is the case?

If so where can I get said permit and does anyone know what time the park/park office opens; because I would like to go first thing in the morning?

upstatehead has done the gorge before so I hope he can help. I have never heard of needing a permit but then again I have never been there for kayaking.

Here is their number.
Letchworth State Park
1 Letchworth State Park
Castile, New York 14427
(585) 493-3600

Come on....actually calling and asking. That would make WAY too much sense. That's what we have this forum for. Ha Ha Ha

Thanks for the Help.

I called and spoke with a very nice lady and she informed me that YOU NEED A PERMIT. There is no additional fee associated with the permit (Outside of the $6.00 per car to get into the park). However, office does not open until 8:30am (7 days a week).

I have done this paddle many times, it is one of my faves. Yes, you do need a permit. You only need (1) that lasts the entrire season though, so save the copy they give you if you plan on returning (they will asign a number to you). Be aware, the portages can be almost a mile to get to the water, and to return your boat to your car, so be prepared (kayak cart works best, but I carry mine and my girlfriends- it makes for a nice sore back the next day!). You will want to put in at Lee's Landing, which is a little downstream from Lower Falls. For a 2-3 hour trip, you will take out at St. Helena's (there is a sign on the left hand side), and again, its a long walk back to the car, but well worth it). You can keep going, but the next pull-out is the Mt. Morris dam (roughly a 5 hr trip total), the take out can be treachorous here if we've had a lot of rain. You also have to leave your car on the other side of the river at the dam visitor center. I usually scope it out when I'm leaving my car there to find a good exit and mark it on my GPS. The water has been fast and high this year, so be prepared and do not attempt this trip if you are a novice. You can keep an eye on water levels at this website: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/rt put the pointer over the circle that says "Genesee River at Portageville", and scroll down that page to look at gage height. It seems to be down the last few days. For your first trip I would recommend going when its no more that 9 ft. Anything over 10 is high and moving very fast in some parts. 12' is nuts (but fun!) I love it, but people that go with me tend to get a little intimidated. Be safe and wear your PDF, even a helmet isnt a bad idea here. Also, when the water is high, a spray skirt will keep you from having to stop every 1/4 mile to bilge out your boat. **Most important with this trip**- you have to call a ranger and check in when you are putting in. Its just a machine, but they do check it and you need to leave info such as number of people and their permit #'s, your put-in location and your intended destination, and the related times. Our cell phone reception sucks down there, but we just have a prepaid. You also must call when you get off the river to let them know you're done. If you don't, there will be search and rescue sent out, and some mad park rangers (trust me, from my 1st experience!) If you want to know anything else, or want a partner in crime, let me know!

Awesome post upstate. I will definatly be doing this next year.

Cool. If you're down for this year, let me know. I'm probably making another 2-3 trips before fall. I'll give you a little heads up when I know dates! Peace bro!

Thank you very much for the information. Espically the web site. A guage reading has not been taken however the only piece of information given was "flood stage 19.0ft" Last time I checked 19 ft was a lot higher than 9 ft so I think we might sit this one out.

Still looking for some place to go in the Brockport area on Sunday morning. Any ideas?

You're welcome. As far as that website goes, when I said "its down", I meant the gage reading, not the water level. I assure you that the water is no where near 19' right now. For some reason the gage height hasnt registered for the last week or so (I check it almost daily) Call the office at Letchworth and see if they know. I would guess that the water is somewhere around 9' right now. As far as a nice paddle around Brockport (I am in Spencerport), the canal is nice and easy and close by, albeit a little boring. There is a nice widewater on the canal about half-way between Brockport and Spencerport that is nice, it is on Lyell St. near Adams Basin. Here is a map, you'll see the wide water to the right of the page---> http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=LYELL+ST.+SPENCERPORT+NY&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us&ei=wGGFSt-QC4OItgfaoJn7BQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1
There is a small launch on the east side on the water, the fishing is decent, and its a cool place to tool around. Black Creek in Churchville is nice as well. ---> http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=LYELL+ST.+SPENCERPORT+NY&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us&ei=wGGFSt-QC4OItgfaoJn7BQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1
Have a great paddle!

Your too good to me....

I called the park office and they informed me that it is a 10.16 ft and falling (10:05am 8/14/05). I am not sure how "fast" it falls and perhaps that a question I should have asked. I would assume that by Sunday morning it would be close to 9ish feet.

Would you please be kind enough post the map o Black Creek in Churchville again. Both links were the same
(Lyell St. near Adams Basin). I would look it up but being from Buffalo I have no clue about that area.

Thank you so much for all of your help.

Oops! Ok, here it is. --> http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=black%20creek%20churchville%20ny&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl
There is a small park (Churchville Park?) that has some good put-in spots. When looking at the map its the small road off of Kendall Rd. that is just West of North Main St. (shown in the green area of the golf course). You can head east from there (in the water, I mean), and you'll cross under the bridge at North Main St., and continue around "the loop" until you come to the dam (on the map its the wider area of water that is just Northeast of the center of Churchville). There will be a small public park on the west side of the dam. Its usually pretty shallow all through there, but it can be great birdwatching, and good fishing there as well. I havent ventured too far west, but know it can be done for around a mile or so. Have fun!

If you're looking for places to paddle around Churchville, you can always check out Oatka Creek - say at Oatka park in Scottsville.

Below is a link to the Oatka Creek part of American Whitewater - but this link is for the part in Leroy. But, AW gives great info on USGS guages, directions, put-ins, take-outs, directions, hazards, descriptions, etc...

AW lobbies to protect our waterways!

Oatka Creek