No. 2 of 8 · Castile, New York
Genesee gorge camping weekend near Castile: two nights reserved within a short drive of the falls
from $280 for two people, $140 per person, two nights near Castile, campground charges inside, taxes on top
The closest of the deep gorges to the office, and the one most people in Rochester have seen once and meant to see properly. A Genesee gorge camping weekend near Castile gives you two nights on the west side of a river that drops over three waterfalls on its upper reach and then runs for miles between walls of layered shale and sandstone.
- Where
- Castile, Wyoming County
- Nights
- two
- Season priced
- May to Oct
- Depth, rim to stream
- about 450 feet
- Stream level
- about 650 feet above sea level
- Drive from the office
- about 1 hour 15 minutes, 54 miles
- Ways to sleep
- tent, cabin, inn
The Genesee, 450 feet down
Dark: the Genesee River gorge, read along a 2,600-meter line. Pale: the other seven, same scale. Source for Castile: USGS 3DEP, 10-meter.
We measured the gorge east of Castile, where the river swings in a wide bend: the floor sits about 450 feet below the lower rim, and the valley is wide, more than half a mile across at half its depth. Upstream toward Portageville the walls close in and the falls begin; downstream they open toward the flatter Genesee Valley farmland.
Tents, cabins and rooms on the Castile side
Castile, Perry and the hamlets along the west side have glamping resorts and campground resorts within a few minutes of the gorge entrances, and several small country inns. Driving from the office takes about 1 hour 15 minutes, which makes a Friday evening start realistic.
| Way to sleep | How the figure is made | From |
|---|---|---|
| Platform tent | two nights at $150 a night, $35 campground charge inside | from $340 for two $170 per person |
| Campground cabin | two nights at $125 a night, $25 campground charge inside | from $280 for two $140 per person |
| Inn room | two nights at $195 a night, no added charge | from $390 for two $195 per person |
Totals are rounded up to the next ten dollars.
Inside the Castile figure for two
- Two nights for two near Castile, at the campground or inn you choose
- Linen, cleaning, first firewood: the Castile campground charge, if any
- A written quote for the Genesee River gorge
Outside the Castile figure
- New York sales tax and the county occupancy tax, which the Castile campground or inn adds
- The drive of about 54 miles each way, fuel and parking
- Meals in Castile, unless breakfast comes with the inn
- Entry to the Genesee River gorge, wherever a gate charges it
May through October
The campgrounds open in May, while the falls still run high after the spring melt, and close at the end of October after the color. Midsummer weekends are the busiest; the weeknights in early June and late September are the quiet ones and the figures on this page are set from them.
Settled at confirmation in Castile
The campground confirms the exact tent or cabin, its check-in hour and how far it is from the nearest gorge entrance. Entry to the gorge itself is charged by the state at the gate and is not part of our figure. Dates and availability can move the figure for the Genesee River gorge; the written confirmation from the campground or inn is what you pay.
Shallower next: Niagara gorge weekend in Lewiston. One deeper: Pine Creek Gorge fall camping trip.
Dates for the Genesee River gorge
The form takes gorge requests 24/7. Written replies land before 5:30 p.m. Eastern on the next business day; phone answers run +1 (585) 663-2741, Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Time.