New York State Parks offer everything from hiking and fishing; to boating, picnicking, and swimming; to star gazing and exploring at one of the State’s many day-use areas. Below are 10 locations to help plan your next unforgettable adventure.
Crown Point Campground
Crown Point Public Campground rests over battlefields and fort locations dating back to 1775. Visitors are able to view remnants of structures and sites throughout the grounds. The lighthouse, rebuilt in 1911-1912 and positioned on the campground shore, overlooks the 281,600-acre Lake Champlain. Positioned so that it is majestically overlooking Lake Champlain and neighboring Vermont, the Crown Point bridge looms on the northern most shore of this campground and is one of the few bridges connecting New York State and Vermont. The entire Crown Point Reservation, including all 49 acres of the campground, are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and have been designated by the United States Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark.
Buttermilk Falls State Park
Buttermilk Falls State Park is named for the foaming cascade created by Buttermilk Creek as it flows down the steep valley side toward Cayuga Lake. Visitors enjoy views of magnificent waterfalls while hiking the gorge and rim trails, and camping by the wooded glens. The upper park offers additional hiking trails through woodlands and around a small lake, as well as areas to picnic or play a ball game. The campground, stream-fed swimming area, playground, and playing fields are located at the lower entrance. The park also features 14 non-electric rustic cabins that sleep four.
Tioga Point Campground
This campground is located in the central portion of the Adirondack Park, on a 90-acre lake and offers secluded, wooded sites. Hiking, fishing and picnicking are some of the activities campers can enjoy while at this facility. The Adirondack Park Visitor Interpretive Center at Newcomb and the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake are a short drive and feature the history of the Adirondack Mountains.
Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park
Perched atop a hill, Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park provides spectacular views. Nearly two-thirds of the park is blanketed by a forest of hardwoods intermixed with smaller areas of conifer plantation. The remainder of this 200-acre property is occupied by gently rolling meadowlands and two ponds. The park is a short drive from Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Farmers’ Museum and the Fenimore Art Museum. In addition to year-round cottages, on-site facilities include a picnic area, playground, and the Sunset Pavilion picnic shelter. The park also features an extensive network of hiking trails and a woodland stream. Winter activities include cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Little Pond Campground
Little Pond is a quiet, picturesque campground which offers a leisurely hiking trail around a 13-acre pond and the opportunity to venture along trails leading to the ruins of an old farm or enjoy breathtaking views atop the Touchmenot Mountains. The beach, boat rentals, and Junior Naturalist Program offers fun for all the primitive campers. Remote sites are also available on the back side of the pond. Little Pond is located minutes from Beaverkill, a world-renowned fly-fishing stream.
Long Point State Park
Long Point State Park is in a remote area in the Thousand Islands region, offering a peaceful and relaxing camping experience. Situated on a peninsula facing Chaumont Bay on Lake Ontario, the property is small and almost completely surrounded by water with great views from anywhere in the park. Campsites are fairly open and grass covered with scattered trees, a playground, and picnic areas.
Taylor Pond Campground
Taylor Pond can be found in the back woods on a dirt road, and miles from the public mainstream. Fishermen and naturalists come from miles away to spend vacations in a lean-to, a designated open site on the back part of the pond, or the mainland campground. Canoes and rowboats can be rented at the boat launch site at the caretaker’s residence.
Max V. Shaul State Park
The best kept secret in Schoharie County, Max V. Shaul State Park offers patrons a quiet camping experience with wooded tent and trailer sites. Campers can fish the Schoharie Creek, hike on the park’s nature trail, or enjoy the shady picnic grounds, open playing fields and playground. Campers at Max V. Shaul may also visit Mine Kill State Park just nine miles south on Route 30. Mine Kill offers free access to additional recreation, including an Olympic-sized swimming pool, playgrounds, the 80-foot Mine Kill Falls, hiking and biking trails, and boating on the Blenheim-Gilboa Reservoir.
Frontier Town
Frontier Town Campground, Equestrian, and Day Use Area is located on 91 acres on the shores of the Schroon River. Located in the heart of the Adirondacks, the Gateway site once hosted the Frontier Town theme park. For more than 40 years, Frontier Town, a Wild West theme park, was a destination for families from across the country. Visitors traveled back into living history visiting the hearths and homes of a pioneer village, enjoying a rodeo and finding themselves in the midst of a hold-up by outlaws on horseback. New York State and the Open Space Institute, working in collaboration with five neighboring Adirondack towns, created a blueprint for a new recreation hub that would improve local amenities, expand access, and draw increased visitors to this part of the Park.
Taconic State Park
Taconic State Park is located along 16 miles of the Taconic Mountain Range, sharing a border with Massachusetts and Connecticut. There are two camping areas, Copake Falls in the north and Rudd Pond at the southern end of the park, both with swimming and fishing areas within walking distance. Bike or stroll along the Harlem Valley Rail Trail or hike to Bash Bish Falls in Massachusetts or the South Taconic Trail up to Brace Mountain, the highest point in Dutchess County. Visit the Copake Iron Works Museum and learn about an industrial site established in 1845. The park offers tent and trailer camping, as well as seasonal and year-round cabins and cottages.
Book Copake Falls or Rudd Pond
Are you ready for your next adventure? Plan your camping trip!