New York Fountain Erupts into Giant Ice Volcano
There is a winter spectacle that rivals almost anything I've ever seen. Check out the growing ice volcano that you can find at Letchworth State Park just about four short hours away from the Capital Region.
The ice volcano is really a fountain that was built outside the former home of businessman William Pryor Letchworth in 1860. The fountain is gravity-fed and was designed by a local landscape architect. A natural spring feeds the fountain through a pipe and the natural pressure of the water through the pipe causes the geyser to spew almost 50 feet in the air. It's really an amazing bit of engineering. There isn't a pump of any kind that is pressurizing the water.
So, during the winter the fountain continues to spray water 50 feet into the air and as the temperature drops, it begins to freeze. Layer after layer the ice volcano builds until it reaches heights of 20 to 50 feet. The pictures are amazing, but I'm sure they don't do it justice. So plan your trip to Letchworth State Park to get a glimpse of the giant ice volcano before the weather gets warmer and the ice volcano disappears for the season.
Here's a great video explaining how the ice volcano forms and a little history lesson about the fountain.
During the winter social media feeds are full of really cool pictures of the Letchworth State Park ice volcano. Here are a few of my favorites.
The famous ‘ice volcano’ next to the Glen Iris in Letchworth State Park continues to grow! ❄❤❄
Experience this...
Posted by Wyoming County NY Tourism on Saturday, February 20, 2021
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