4 New York State Parks to Add to Your Bucket List
I know your go-to thoughts of New York include New York City or Niagara Falls, and while those are a trip worth taking, don’t forget about the other parts of the state!
With over 180 state parks to choose from in Upstate New York, it can be hard to decide on where to start. The state is also split into 12 different regions, most notably the Finger Lakes, Niagara, Adirondack, and of course NYC/Long Island. Upstate New York is basically anywhere in the state that isn’t New York City! Upstate consists of canyons, gorges, waterfalls, beaches, rivers, mountains, forests, lakes, farmland, and more.
The following parks are some of my favorite in the state, though they’re all worth visiting at some point. Enjoy!
View of Middle Falls from Inspiration Point
Letchworth State Park
Letchworth State Park is located in the Genesee Region of Northwestern New York roughly 35 miles of Rochester. The park is nicknamed the “Grand Canyon of the East” due to the stunning gorge that dominates the park, with cliffs in some areas as high as 600 feet. Along with lush forests, the roaring Genesee River that goes through the gorge provides stunning overlooks and three main waterfalls; upper, lower, and middle falls (although there are more hidden waterfalls throughout the park).
In the 1850s, the land was suffering from the effects of lumbering, until Philanthropist William Pryor Letchworth purchased the land in 1859 and hired local residents to help clear the debris so that nature could return to how it should be. Letchworth donated his 1,000-acre estate in 1907 so that there could be a park in its place and would grow to become over 14,500 acres today.
Located near Middle Falls you’ll find the Glen Iris Inn. The name comes from “Glen Iris” after the Greek Goddess of Rainbows. The Senecas call that area Seh-ga-hun-da, or the Vale of Three Falls. William Pryor also fell in love with the view when he first saw it in 1858.
Letchworth was named the Best State Park in the Nation in 2015 and the Best Attraction in the State of New York in 2017.
View of Great Bend from the Archery Field
Top Sites to See & Do
Inspiration Point Overlook: Provides stunning views of the Gorge and Middle Falls. The view was also enjoyed by Seneca Indians and by Mary Jemison (the white woman of the Genesee).
Upper Falls: With the Portage Bridge crossing over the 70-foot tall waterfall, this is the most photographed spot in the park. The waterfall is a deep horseshoe shape with Nunda Sandstone at the top along with some concrete (seen in low water) to help slow erosion.
Middle Falls: A short distance from Upper Falls and the parking lot. This waterfall is about 107 feet high and 285 feet wide. The Seneca Indians called it Ska-ga-dee and believed the sun would pause there in the middle of the day to enjoy the view. At the base of the falls, there’s actually a hole in the cliff wall known as “Devil’s Oven” but it’s inaccessible. Middle Falls rarely changes due to its hard, resistant sandstones.
Cathedral & Table Rocks / Lower Falls: A fairly short hike and 127 steps will lead you to these stunning spots. Lower Falls is constantly changing due to the softer shales. The harder caprock of this falls is known as Table Rock and it forms dozens of other waterfalls on the tributaries throughout the park.
Archery Field Overlook: Offers an amazing view of the Great Bend Gorge. This is an excellent spot for viewing wildlife such as Bald Eagles and Red-tailed Hawks.
Balloons Over Letchworth: Provides an opportunity to get in a hot air balloon over the area.
Gardeau Overlook: Another amazing overlook. You can see where Mary Jemison, the "White Woman of the Genesee" once lived.
Hogsback Overlook: Offers stunning views of the Genesee River Valley.
Mount Morris Dam: Built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 1940s to help reduce the flooding on the lower Genesee River.
Where to Stay
Glen Iris Inn: A former country estate overlooking Middle Falls that was turned into an Inn in 1914.
State Park Cabins & Campground: The park offers roughly 81 cabins and 257 campsites open year-round.
There are some other places to stay around the park in nearby cities as well.
Need to Know
The entrance fee to the park is $10 per vehicle collected from early May to the end of October.
There are six entrances to the park, but the entrances on the east and west sides don’t connect within the park so keep that in mind when planning your trip. The Westside entrances are the recommended ones to use to reach popular destinations.
When to visit
Any time of the year would be great to visit here, but I recommend the fall time. Some of the most stunning views are located in Letchworth, from the overlooks to the fall colors surrounding waterfalls. Being such a popular park, the summertime here would not be enjoyable unless you came very early in the morning.
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Stairs along the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail
Watkins Glen State Park
Dubbed New York State’s flagship park as well as the most famous park in the Finger Lakes Region, Watkins Glen is by far one of the most beautiful places you’ll visit in the state. Within the park’s ravine, you’ll find tumbling waterfalls, quiet pools, towering cliffs, and charming stone bridges.
The rock in the gorge is about 380 million years old; you can even see the ripples of the ancient sea that was once here along the path of the Gorge trail. Glen Creek has spent thousands of years slicing through these rocks to create the beauty you see today.
Before becoming a park, the Watkins Family purchased the land in 1794, and later Samual Watkins had a flour mill at the entrance to the gorge in the 1830s. Samual also established the town of Jefferson in 1842 but it was later renamed Watkins Glen in his honor.
It then opened as a scenic tourist attraction resort in the summer of 1863 by Morvalden Ells, a local newspaper owner, and the landowner. It transferred ownership over the years before the NY State Parks department in the region took control in 1924. A lot of the stonework in the park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps between 1935 and 1941; they actually arrived just days before the Great Flood of July 1935. The flood brought eleven inches of rain in just two days and the debris ravaged the trail and changed the contour of the gorge, it also affected the village nearby.
Watkins Glen came in third for the Best State Park in the United States in 2015.
Rainbow Falls
Top Sites to See & Do
Gorge Trail: This 1.5-mile one-way trail will lead you past 19 waterfalls and stunning cliffs. Be prepared for a lot of climbing (there’s roughly 800 steps!)
Be on the lookout for the Cavern and Central Cascades, Rainbow Falls, Spiral Gorge, and more!
Explore the Village of Watkins Glen
>> Related: Hiking the Watkins Glen Gorge Trail <<
Where to Stay
State Park Campground & Cabins: The park offers about 279 campsites and 9 cabins you can stay at.
The Village of Watkins Glen has a variety of Bed & Breakfasts, hotels, rentals, and more.
Need to Know
The park’s entrance fee is $8 per vehicle collected from May to October; this fee only applies to the parking lots so you could find free parking in the Village of Watkins Glen and walk over to the park.
The park is open year-round, but the Gorge Trail is open seasonally.
Pets are not allowed on the Gorge Trail but they are allowed on the Rim Trail.
The Gorge Trail is weather dependent so call the park office at 607-535-4511 before heading out if you’re unsure.
There are guided tours of the Gorge Trail from late June to early September.
There is a shuttle that runs on weekends during the busy season that takes visitors between the Upper Entrance and the Main Entrance. The cost is only $5.
When to visit
I would recommend the spring or fall time. Since this is an area with numerous waterfalls, the springtime would allow you to see the falls really flowing. But in the fall, the gorge and its waterfalls are accented by the stunning fall colors. Being such a popular park, the summertime here would not be enjoyable unless you came very early in the morning.
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View of Taughannock Falls from the overlook
Taughannock Falls State Park
Taughannock Falls, pronounced “Tuh-Gan-Uck,” is a stunning 215-foot waterfall (33 feet taller than Niagara Falls) located in the Finger Lakes Region and is the tallest single-drop waterfall in the northeastern United States. The walls of the gorge soar more than 400 feet on both sides of the falls. The water flows from Taughannock Creek over to Cayuga Lake. The gorge itself is absolutely beautiful, with evergreen, needle-leafed conifers on one side and broad-leafed, deciduous trees on the other. But beware, the waterfall erodes the shale quicker than the sandstone which creates an overhang; and occasionally some of the sandstone will break free and crash into the water below (so stay away from the base of the falls).
The rocks around the gorge were created 380 million years ago when the Acadian Mountains eroded, but it wasn’t until the last 10,000 years that Taughannock Falls eroded less than a mile back from the edge of Cayuga Lake.
According to legend, the Cayuga Indians (one of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee or “Iroquois” in New York) had a small village on Taughannock Point. The falls were supposedly named after an invading Delaware tribe chief who was killed and had his body thrown over the falls. In the Algonquin language, Taughannock means “full of trees.”
Fun fact: The Cayugas had sided with the British during the Revolutionary War and had managed to avoid detection here from General John Sullivan, but they still fled shortly after.
View of the gorge leading up to the falls
Top Sites to See & Do
Falls Overlook: A stunning view of the falls that require no hiking and is located right next to the visitor center. The overlook was first developed in 1850 when J.S. Halsey built a hotel there. Originally named the “Cataract Hotel” before being renamed to “The Taughannock House” in 1866. The hotel was prosperous and was advertised as being accessible from all parts of the country. Decades and a couple of owners later, the hotel burned to the ground in the early 1920s before being purchased by the Finger Lakes State Park Commission.
Gorge Trail: This 0.75-mile trail allows you to walk through the 400-foot deep gorge where you can view the sandstone, shale, and limestone walls.
Cayuga Lake: Offers swimming, a beach, a playground, boating, and fishing. Also a great spot for sunsets and rises.
North & South Rim trails: These trails connect for about 3 miles along the rim of the gorge offering more great views of the park.
Where to Stay
State Park Campground & Cabins: The park offers 16 cabins and 68 campsites for you to choose from just down the road from the falls.
The nearby town of Ithaca has many options for you to stay at.
>> Related: Tips For Your First Solo Female Camping Trip <<
Need to Know
The park entrance fee is $8 per vehicle; collected from late April to late October on varying hours and days. Visit the park’s website for more information.
When to visit
As with most parks with waterfalls, spring and fall tend to be the best time to visit to see the falls flowing or surrounded by stunning fall colors. Wintertime here also allows you to see the falls and the gorge frozen for ethereal beauty.
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Lucifer Falls from the Gorge trail
Robert H. Treman State Park
Another Finger Lakes Region park that is breathtaking and highly under-appreciated. Robert H. Treman State Park has many similarities with Watkins Glen, from the gorge to the waterfalls.
The park was originally named the Enfield Glen Reservation, but would later be renamed after Robert H. Treman, who was born into an influential Ithaca, NY family in 1858. Over the years, he worked for his family’s businesses which included a hardware place and iron foundry, with controlling interests in other local businesses. The family later acquired land around what is now Buttermilk Falls State Park. Treman went on to be part of other businesses before becoming the director of the NY Federal Reserve Bank for 18 years. Treman was a trustee of Cornell University in Ithaca and worked to improve the area. During World War 1, Treman continued acquiring properties in the area and eventually donated most of it to the state to create two state parks. He served as Chairman of the Finger Lakes Commission for 13 years before passing away in 1937.
Along the trails, you’ll come across 12 waterfalls stemming from Enfield Creek, each beautiful in their own ways. The park is actually split into two parts: upper and lower, with the creek flowing from the meadows of the upper park and plunging through a narrow, rugged gorge before heading through the wide, wooded canyon of the lower park.
Views of the gorge
Top Sites to See & Do
Lower Falls: Here you can swim in a stream-fed pool below this amazing waterfall.
Lucifer Falls: The highlight of the park; this beautiful waterfall cascades down the rocks for 115 feet and can be viewed from both the Rim and Gorge trails.
Old Mill: In the 1800s this mill was part of the bustling agricultural hamlet of Enfield Falls and used to grind wheat from the power the water harnessed. Now you can explore the interior to check out the history. There’s also a small waterfall behind the mill you can see from the parking lot.
Devil’s Kitchen: This beautiful waterfall can be found along the Gorge trail.
Gorge Trail: A stunning 2.12-mile trail leads you through the narrow, rocky gorge where you’ll find many waterfalls.
Rim Trail: This 2.09-mile hike will lead you through thick forests high above the gorge with views of Lucifer Falls and the wooded canyon.
>> Related: Hiking As A Solo Female: 5 Tips <<
Where to Stay
State Park Campground & Cabins: The park offers 14 cabins and 70 campsites.
The nearby town of Ithaca has many options for you to stay at.
Need to Know
The park entrance fee is $8 and is collected from early April to the end of November.
When to visit
Definitely the spring or fall like the other parks. The waterfalls might be flowing better in the spring but this park is beyond beautiful in the fall.
Also Nearby
