Letchworth State Park and its many waterfalls are wonderful outdoor destinations all year round with the majority of visitors coming in the fall when the deciduous trees lining the gorge burst with colors. In winter, the attraction was in the opposite. Upper Falls turned into a frozen white winter wonderland with ice all around featuring very picturesque textures with hints of green showing through. The whole scene was very inviting like the waterfall was an entrance to an ice castle. Out of the three major waterfalls, all frozen and all beautiful, I liked the Upper Falls the most. Maybe the iconic Portageville Bridge had something to do with it, maybe not. But the bridge was what had me searching the internet later and finding out this bridge I learned to take for granted did not have much life left!

The Portageville Bridge is operated by Norfolk Southern Corporation (Norfolk Southern Railway Southern Tier Line). The original timber bridge across the Genesee River was built by the Erie Railroad and opened in 1852. It was about 800 feet long and stood 234 feet above the river below. It was in operation for 23 years until it burned down in May 1875, fire being set by embers from a passing train. In July of the same year, the iron made replacement was completed. Yes, just two months and some days after the fire! In 1903, the iron bridge underwent a superstructure rehabilitation. With regular maintenance it remained the same till today.

Portageville Bridge Project: “The purpose of the Project is to address the existing deficiencies at the Portageville Bridge on the Southern Tier rail freight route across the Genesee River by providing a modern rail crossing of the Genesee River at its current location that is capable of carrying current industry standard freight rail loads, to the greatest degree possible meeting Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Class 4 speeds, while …

Letchworth Upper Falls is one of the three major waterfalls right on the Genesee River as it flows through Letchworth State Park, and one of many waterfalls in the park. The waterfall is 71” high.

Letchworth State Park is about 35 miles south of Rochester, NY and 60 miles from Buffalo, NY. It is along the Genesee River and follows it for about 17 miles. The park is most known for its three major waterfalls - Lower Falls, Middle Falls, and Upper Falls. However, there are many additional waterfalls on the Genesee River tributaries that are well worth exploring, especially for those who have visited the major and most obvious points of interest.

Genesee River flows from Gold, PA into the Port of Rochester, NY on Lake Ontario. It's one of a few rivers in the United States that flows from south to north. There is an interesting debate over the true headwaters but it seems the consensus is that it is on the Hosley Farm now owned by Slaybaughs. The runner up seems to be John Torok's spring.

References: Portageville Bridge Project, The Design of the New Portageville Bridge, NS - Portage Bridge, Time to replace?