I used to live a mile from the park, and during that time I hiked just about every trail in the park. I didn't do much biking, but as was mentioned, there are some restrictions on some of the trails. Trail #1 is the trail along the rim of the gorge. If you like a long, multi-faceted view of the gorge, it is a nice hike. It's several miles long. I would recommend entering it at the St. Helena overlook and walking all the way down to the Glen Iris Inn at the Middle Falls. It would be best if you had two vehicles and could leave one down there at that end of the trail.
If you like more private, wilderness-y hiking, drive over to the east side of the river and hike any of the trails over there. The Letchworth Branch of the FLT (Finger Lakes Trail) goes pretty much the whole length of the park over on that side of the river, and almost no one goes there. About half way there is a lean-to where you can overnight if you are backpacking. I think the whole trail is about 23 miles, so overnighting is a good idea if you want to do the whole thing. There is no RV camping on that side of the park.
If you are planning to enter the park from the south end, at Portageville, be aware that about a month ago when I was last there, the park road was closed from the Middle Falls to the Portageville entrance. You would have to enter at Castile. Most of the really tourist-y things in the park are clustered around that southern part of the park. As was mentioned, the campground is several miles north. If you are entering the park at that southern area, stop in at the visitors' center before you go north to set up in the campground. You can get a lot of park information including park maps and a nice little booklet showing all the hiking trails.
The reason there is no canoeing from the campground is that the campground is about 500 vertical feet above the river at that point.
Please, please be aware of and obey all posted signs about where you are allowed to be and where you are not allowed to be. This past weekend there was a tragedy in the park because a family ignored signs telling them to stay out of the river. A number of people were swept over the lower falls because they were swimming and wading in the river. At least one child lost his life.
If you'd like more detail and information about the whole area, PM me with some specific questions and I'll give you some more tips. It's a great area to visit!
-Speak
It's just Mrs. SpeakEasy and me now (empty-nesters). But we can choose from among 7 grandchildren to drag along with us!
2014 F-150 Super Crew Short Bed 3.5L Ecoboost
2014 Flagstaff Micro Lite 23LB