The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: March fifteenth, descending Letchworth's grand gorge.

Though dwarfed by mighty Niagara 60 miles to the northwest, the falls of the Genesee River are a place of inspiration and legend. Thundering down over 500 feet in three, sweeping steep steps, the river has gouged a 17 mile-long gorge out of the high plateau of Western New York. This sheer-walled, shale and sandstone chasm is often called "Grand Canyon of the East."

Seneca Indians believed the sun lingered over their wild gorge to admire its beauty. Among their legends is Mon a sha sha, the young bride who leapt into the falls with her infant to avoid capture. Their spirits still roam the forests along the gorge as white-tailed deer. There's Mary Jemison, an early settler who was kidnapped by Indians at age 15. She married a Seneca, raised her children, and lived at the falls for 70 years.

And in 1858, a rainbow arching over the falls caught the eye and captured the spirit of William Pryor Letchworth, a wealthy industrialist and early conservationist from nearby Buffalo. He bought thousands of clear-cut acres surrounding the falls and had them re-planted in native woods. Glen Iris was the name he gave to the sprawling summer home he had built above the upper falls.

When he died, Letchworth left his Genesee estate to the people of New York, and it's grown into a 14,000 acre state park that bears his name. Its 70 miles of trails offer superb hiking, biking and this time of year, cross country skiing. There is camping and cabins to rent, and Letchworth's home has become a charming restaurant and inn.

FMI For Letchworth Park information call 716-493-3600 or http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks.