It’s about an hour from Buffalo. As for tame, in August it will be drier, and yes, tame. I was told that sometimes if it’s a dry summer there isn’t enough water for rapids, and they do inner tubes instead. We were lucky enough to have a nice ride, but it was nothing too taxing. I think the most was class 2 rapids, maybe a “light” 3.

HI - I got your voicemail as well and will be calling you momentarily to answer all your questions.

The most pleasurable journey through the Letchworth Gorge is definitely during the spring when the water is higher from winter runoff.

Thank you for your interest in our river trips at Letchworth State Park. All of our trips are guided but there is not a guide in every raft (the river doesn't require it.) However, as a general anyone who makes a reservation and specifically requests a guide in his/her raft gets one, the guides have to ride with someone and most people are fine without. Your entire party is welcome to participate. The Genesee is a class I/II river which is at the milder end of the spectrum (class V / VI is the roughest). We are solely dependent on rain to keep the river running so I would only be guessing at this point how the Genesee would be flowing in July. We could be rafting, the river could be too low to raft but we are able to travel the gorge using our inflatable sit on top kayaks, or it could be so low we aren't running at all. You can monitor the current river levels via a link found on the home page of our website or by contacting me directly. For people that enjoy the outdoors, a trip through the gorge at Letchworth State Park is certainly a memorable experience. My suggestion would be to make a reservation a week or so before you intend to visit the area and inquire about the river conditions at that time. I should have a pretty good idea by then what you can expect. Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions you may have.