New York State Park Road Trip

Time for another road trip! In August of 2021, I road-tripped across the United States. My friend and I rented an RV from Cruise America and set out from Vegas. I'll maybe write about that trip at another time as this road trip is focused on New York State. As a resident of the lower Hudson Valley, I have New York City as my backyard and have spent a lot of time exploring the 'big apple." I was fortunate enough to attend two private universities in NYC, Fordham University and New York University where I got my MA in Environment Conservation Education. Needless to say, I love spending time in the great outdoors and spent much time studying it. Despite living in NYS for 28 years I feel as if I haven't spent much time exploring it. The state itself is 34.9 million acres and is the 27th largest state covering 1.44% of the United States. New York has an extensive ecosystem made up of many different biomes, many of which this road trip explores. Originally the focus of this road trip was waterfalls and blue waters. Being that New York is made up of many forests, rivers, mountains, and lakes it makes sense to that advantage of the spectacular views. We did this trip in the summer but would be beautiful during the fall foliage.

Along the way of planning this trip, I learned a lot about the history of NYS, including the impact of the glaciers. Much of New York is shaped around the glaciers giving us many of these beautiful state parks. As much as I wanted to visit museums local shops and landmarks this trip didn't leave much time for window shopping in town. Each day was spent driving and stopping to hike with quick coffee and bathroom breaks in between. About 3 hours were allotted for each park. For some parks, this was more than enough time, while for others it felt like we just scraped the surface. I wanted to keep driving times under 3 hours so factors of driving times, sunlight, and park proximity played a major role in this planning. If you are planning to do this during a different season sunset time is a major factor. New York State park trails are open to dust to dawn. Be sure to check the times along the way.

Unlike my last road trip, this time around we opted for an electric vehicle, the Tesla Model 3 (long-range). Something about using an electric vehicle to camp made it feel more sustainable. Stops to charge were planned into the trip, which benefited us by providing time to eat in the car, use the bathroom, etc. We also slept in the car using camp mode. Even though I love nature, I like modern amenities as well. Car camping was nice as we had a controlled climate, phone chargers, and could watch TV on the screen. Again, that's my preference and one could easily choose to include camping reservations instead. Space wise we had enough room to sleep, around the size of a queen bed, and packed light enough to keep most of our bags on the floor of the back seats. Tesla Tip: use your frunk (front trunk) for shoes and wet items! This is will help keep smell the cabin of the car odor free!

Ok, let's get into the details...

5 days road trip, 4 nights

2 camping sites, 2 Airbnb's

11 state parks

Most parks have a fee to park between 5 and 10 dollars. While some of the parks have other entrances that do not have a few buying an empire pass may be a smart move. We paid at most of the parks and halfway through wished we had bought a pass.

Packing:

Bring the necessities for your comfort and season.

If you are going in warm weather water shoes are a great item to bring. Bathing suit is optional.

Dry snacks! This was important to us as we are snackers. I do not suggest chocolate as it will melt in the car. And please most importantly get yourself some water.

Route and Parks:

As a prelude to our trip, we hiked a Hi Tor State Park. This park is in our (Rockland) county and is literally in my friend’s backyard. It only made sense for us to give it a go. Being that this road trip is mostly a loop you can pretty much start from anywhere. This is the route that made sense for me.

Left view from the top of the Long Path Trail at Hi Tor overlooking Haverstraw NY

Right view from the top of Long Path Trail overlooking the Hudson River south

“Rough” Itinerary:

Day 1:

-8 am leave to Minnewaska, hike 3 hours

-leave around noon, drive 3 hours to Buttermilk Falls, hike 3 hours

-drive to the charger and get dinner in Ithaca

-head to Watkins Glen / Corning KOA Resort basic campsite

Day 2:

-wake up at 8 am, leave by 9 am, hike for 3 hours at Watkins Glen

-drive 1.5 hours to Letchworth State Park, hike 3 hours

-drive 1.5 hours to Niagara Falls State Park for sunset arrive, stay for 2 hours

- drive to buffalo charge and stay the night at airbnb

Day 3:

wake up 8 am, drive 2.5 hours to Chimney Bluffs hike for 3 hours

-drive 1 hour 15 minutes to Green Lakes hike and eat (4 hours)

-drive 1 hour 45 minutes to Wellesley Island, charge on the way and stay the night at boat airbnb

Day 4

-hike the area of Wellesley/ Alexandria bay 3 hours in the morning

-drive 3.5 hours to Wilmington KOA Wilmington / North Pole KOA Holiday

-explore the area for the evening, High Falls Gorge and Split Rocks Falls

Day 5:

-wake up 8 am, drive next to Saratoga Spa, hang out for an hour or two

-drive half an hour to Pebbles Island and explore for a couple of hours

-drive 1.5 to the Walkway Over The Hudson and get dinner in the area

-drive an hour home

I call it a rough itinerary because our real-life time did not match what I had originally planned for us. Realistically we are not early risers and I should have been more mindful. But it worked out for us just fine, the whole 3-hour thing was a great move in my opinion and we got to all the parks we had hoped to. I won't be going into too much detail about each park as there are many blogs and websites which already go into great detail about each trail. I will link the ones I used when appropriate. All NYS parks are carry-in and carry-out, so please bring your garbage back with you.

Minnewaska State Park

Kicking off the road trip is Minnewaska State Park. About an hour from home we drove northwest to a park I have heard so many good things about. The parking lot was big and had some bathrooms. There aren't any garbage cans other than in the stalls. The weather was overcast and we were already behind on time so we decided not to stay the full 3 hours being it was the closest to home. With the waterfall in mind, we hiked the Awosting Falls Carriage Road. Along the way, we saw a hummingbird feeding off some cardinal plants in a creek. It was a little magical moment. The hike down to the falls was a gravel path with a moderate incline. The falls were dry with the exception of a slight trickle. I had overheard some people saying the local area was experiencing a drought, which my county had also just declared so it makes sense. With that being said we headed back to the car and onto our next destination.

More Information:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-york/lake-minnewaska-awosting-falls

Left: Awosting Falls CarriageTrail Middle: The Falls Right: Alexander's Cafe

The drive from Minnewaska to Buttermilk Falls was about 3 hours and we took a charger break before heading to the second park in Binghamton. We got sandwiches from Alexander’s Cafe and hung out for a little while before hitting the road again.

Buttermilk Falls State Park:

Our second destination was Buttermilk State Park. I was pretty excited to come here because I have heard about it a few times from friends while explaining how to get to our local Buttermilk Falls. How ironic right? Now I can say I've been to both.

As soon as we pulled up we brought the rain with us, which almost deterred us from going into the park. But it was kind of like going to a water park on an overcast day, it wasn't crowded and we were already prepared to take the chance of getting wet, so why not! The "big" falls were right at the parking lot and there was a swimming area here which was closed during our visit. We went up the Gorge Trail which was all staircases along gorges and it was GORGE-ous. We hiked all the way up to the lake and took the Rim Trail back down. I really enjoyed this park, although it is not as easy hike by any means. I was definitely feeling my knees on the way back down.

More Information: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/buttermilkfalls/details.aspx

Left: Waterfall near the parking lot with swimming area

Middle: Waterfall along the Gorge Trail

Right: View of the Lake Treman

We went into Ithaca to charge and went into the Trader Joe's for some drinks to pass the time.

The sun was setting at this point and we still had to get to our lodging destination. Rather than eating in Ithaca, we ate in Watkins Glen. We got into town late and were able to place an order at Landon's Pub and Pizza before it closed. Standard bar food and nice service. The town was cute and we drove through it in the morning before arriving at the park.

We spent the night at the Watkins Glen KOA. For those who aren't familiar with KOAs, they are basically RV parks with different lodging options such as campsites, cabins, and RV hookups. For this trip, a basic campsite was perfect. Each KOA usually has something unique to it, kind of like a little Easter egg. This was one of the best I've stayed at. They offer many things to entertain such as an indoor pool and outdoor pool, waterslide, fitness center, and, jumping pads. Definitely a fun place. The bathrooms were all clean and the general store had coffee!

Left: Campsite Right: Jumping Pad and Climbing Tower with Waterslide

Day 2:

Watkins Glen State Park:

Without knowing we were in Watkins Glen during a car race weekend. Not only is Watkins Glen near Lake Seneca but it is also home to a raceway. The main entrance to the park is at the bottom of the falls which is in town. The south entrance is where we entered from and there was plenty of parking. The park offered a cash-only shuttle between the three lots, the third being the north at the top. We hiked the Gorge Trail and were immersed in beauty. The weather was beautiful and the park was packed. Dogs are not allowed on the Gorge Trail but there were other dog friendly trails. We took the shuttle back down after our hike. At the north entrance, there was a little ice cream shop and they sold local NY products as a nice little touch. The Rainbow Falls was beautiful but I wasn't able to see the rainbow which happens when the light hits the water at just the right angle, but regardless this park was well worth the hike up the 832 stairs.

Left: View along the Gorge Trail Right: View of Rainbow Falls

Letchworth State Park:

Where do I even begin? This is the park I want to come back to the most to hike and actually camp. The main trail is 7 miles one way, which is deserving of a full day both ways. We entered and drove along the scenic drive route, taking a few moments at most of the recommended view spots. One could say the main attraction to the parks is the 3 “main” waterfalls Upper, Middle, and Lower falls but there was so much to see and do. We drove through to the Upper falls first, being the most southern destination, and back peddled to the lower falls. Not to be missed was Inspiration Point. From there you could see both Upper and Middle falls. My favorite was probably Lower Falls, but I will contribute the golden hour sun to this. Near the viewing point for the Lower Falls was also what was said to be the only foot path over the river. We checked this out too and were not disappointed. The bathrooms were decent throughout the park.

Left: View of the Upper Falls Right: View of the Lower Falls

Niagara Falls State Park:

Although we had planned to catch the sunset, we were a bit behind and got there literally 6 minutes after sundown. Both of us had been to Niagara Falls before, which I saw from the Canadian side. Niagara Falls State Park was a bit cliché I must say but that's to be expected. It was cool to see Horseshoe and American Falls at night, lit up from the observation deck.

Above: View of American Falls from the observation deck

We got dinner The Craft Kitchen and Bar in the town of Niagara Falls and saw some live music! Next, we headed to the charger in Buffalo and finally to our Airbnb. We stayed in this cute one-bedroom in Buffalo. The next morning, we got breakfast at Surges and headed off for our next destination.

Left: Bedroom Right: Sitting Room

Day 3:

Chimney Bluffs State Park:

The most unique park on the trip probably. There are two parking lots, we went to both but hiked from the eastward entrance. We went up to the bluffs first which offered an astonishing view of the lake and the ridges of the bluffs. We walked along the shoreline second, where the bottom of the bluffs met the water. The beach was rocky and water shoes were a great choice for this. Locals were hanging out in the water and on boats. The ecosystem here is in critical condition and is exposed to many elements. Parts of the trails are closed for habitat restoration, and other parts may be dangerous, hike with caution.

Left: View from the top of the Bluff Right: View of the bluffs from Lake Ontario shoreline

Green Lake State Park:

If I was rating the parks I would give this state park a 5/5! Green Lake and the accompanying Round Lake, are well worthy of the name Green Lake. The water was turquoise due to special properties in which the layers of water do not mix. Round Lake is a National Landmark and the water is even more beautiful than that of Green Lake. The park offers glass bottom kayaks at a reasonable price but I suggest looking into reservations beforehand as we were turned away without them. There is also a beach/swimming, golf course, and restaurant overlooking the lakes. We ate dinner here and watched the sunset. The bathrooms were the best here out of all the state parks.

Left: Green Lake Right: Round Lake

Time to charge again and hit the road to rest our heads at the second Airbnb, which happened to be a two-bedroom on a boat. We drove up to Alexandria Bay in the Thousand Islands region and arrived at Swan Lake Resort, similar feeling to a KOA but not. Staying on the boat was a cool experience as I had always wanted to.

I have this dream of living in a boat and writing children's stories. Lucky for me I'm halfway there. Side note: This is a shameless plug to my book, Bunny Builds a Home.

To my surprise, there was pretty much everything one would need on the boat for a night, including an air conditioner but we didn't use it as the air was cool. There was a toilet shower, similar to that of an RV but we didn't use it. The best was waking up on the water. It was definitely priceless. We got breakfast on the St Lawrence River at Bella's and set out to explore the area. We checked out the Bodlt Castle but didn't spend a great length of time there as we wanted to stay on top of our time. We left and headed to Wellesley Island. On our way, we saw a mink and sadly several dead porcupines.

Left: Boat at Swan Lake Resort Middle: Bed in the cabin of the boat Right: Bodlt Castle

Wellesley Island State Park:

Let me start by saying "Do not judge a book by its cover." For us finding the main entrance to the park seemed not possible. We traveled through Thousand Island Park which was actually more of a town right outside the state park and stopped in town for coffee and sandwiches. I asked someone behind the counter for a trail recommendation and in return suggested going out to The Narrows. We used the car navigation system to get us to a “trailhead”. It was a bit of a sketchy drive in, on the outskirts of a colorful town, where the cottages were painted bright colors and had funky decorations. We seemed out of place but long and behold down a dirt road was the 3-car parking lot and trailhead. We parked and set out for The Narrows. While following the trail we are 3 other people, one of which I ask to confirm the path. We followed the Outer Loop Trail to a viewing spot of The Narrows. We turned back to a spot along the river to take a nice little dip. There were no bathrooms along our hike but there was a nature center in the park but we did not go that way. This park was so calm and secluded. Way more human action on the water than on the land. We saw many boaters and jet skis. We saw many birds and Gartner snakes. Really a special place.

Left: View of The Narrows of the Saint Lawrence River Right: Spot where we swam

We left the Thousand Island region impressed and ready for the stretch to our final lodging destination at the Wilmington/ North Pole KOA. We hit the charger and prepared for another 3-hour drive into Adirondack Park. We tried to catch some population destinations (The Wild Center and Adirondack Sky) in Tupper Lake but everything had closed by then so we enjoyed the sunset over the lake for a few moments before continuing on.

We arrived for our last night in the Tesla. This KOA was new and most of it was still under construction. Showers still worked though! There is a sister KOA down the road, which is set to close in 2023 as they continue to build out this new site. Down the road was a trailside cafe where we got breakfast at Up A Creek.

Day 5:

The Flumes, High Falls, and Split Rock Falls

Adirondack Park is considered a Protected National Historic Forest. So, it technically is not a state park, but yet still one of the largest parks in the nation covering one fifth of New York. To not stop in the Adirondacks would be a crime. I was a bit overwhelmed planning this part of the trip but chose to find things local to where we were staying and was not disappointed. The KOA was located right on the West Abusable River and we had direct access to the river. Although we did not take advantage of that we did use the hiking trail to access The Flume Falls. This was a short stop that was accessible from Route 86 itself. The Flumes can be seen roadside but we decided to hike the trail a short way. We continue back to where there was a lake bountiful with wildflowers.

We decided against High Falls, mostly due to timing. It looked beautiful but we felt we needed to keep moving. We drove through Lake Placid and the Olympic Center which was a very cool sight to see! We found a supercharger and then headed for Split Rock Falls. Not much more than a roadside pull off but there were many cars there indicating we were in the right spot and what seemed to be a local hot spot. You could hike right down from the road to the river and swim in the falls as many were doing but we chose to stay dry and observe from a high point overlooking the falls. If I had more time, I would have jumped right in but those who were seemed to be enjoying it greatly, even cliff-jumping alongside the waterfall. This would be a water-shoes moment of course! We took off for the last stretch of our trip leaving the Adirondacks for the capital region.

Left: The Flumes from Highway 86 roadside

Middle: Pond along The Flumes Trail

Right: Split Rock Falls

Saratoga Spa State Park:

This area of Saratoga definitely had that capital region feel. There is a horse race track and the town was rich with restored historical brick buildings. Cobblestone roads were the only thing missing from this picturesque town. Saratoga Spa State Park was big and had a lot of things going on. They were preparing for a concert in the park that night, had some sort of craft fair going on, and you bet- a horse race was happening that day. It was a little too busy for me so we decided to check out the Victorian Bath Houses, which still function as a public pool today. We didn't swim although there were many patrons there, we enjoyed the pollinator gardens instead before agreeing that we were hungry and chose to go eat instead of checking out the mineral springs. I didn’t take many photos here as many people were in bathing suits, and I didn’t want to be that person. A friend made a recommendation of eating at Cantina’s. We got coffee from a shop in town and carried on our way.

Left: Vines growing in the halls of the Victorian bathhouse at Saratoga Spa

Right: Along Avenue of the Pines

Peebles Island State Park:

Small but mighty! I would rate this park my second favorite, but whose keeping score? Peebles Island State Park was not overwhelming in size yet has views of the dam, a meadow and grassland, forest, and cliffs. There were bathrooms and picnic areas and 5 trails to walk. The parking lot is shared with an old factory and the island has some pretty deep-rooted history to NYS. Definitely somewhere to go birding.

Left: View of the dam Right: View of the Mohawk River

Walkway Over the Hudson State Park:

We were not able to actually physically walk over the bridge, due to timing as we arrived 15 min before the park closed at 8 pm. Rather we did get to enjoy the park beneath the walkway along the Hudson River reading about the history of the bridge and admiring it from below. Something cool is the elevator feature they added from the park to the walkway. Beware that it closes at 6 pm and was under maintenance during our short visit. The walkway is accessible from both sides of the Hudson. The Poughkeepsie side of the park was located next to the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum and a Poughkeepsie town park. We saw the tail end of the sunset and got to see the two bridges light up, which was a beautiful ending to our trip.

Left: View of the Walkway over the Hudson from Upper Landing Park

Right: Elevator to the top of the walkway

Ironically on the way back home we passed through Bear Mountain State Park, and for those unfamiliar with the area Bear Mountain is also worth stopping at. Now of course for us by this time it was dark and we were ready to be home. If you were to stop here they have an inn and many amenities making it worth the time to stop. There is the Bear Mountain Zoo which now comprises all native animals to New York and beautiful views of the Hudson River. I have spent a lot of time at Bear Mountain and in all seasons, there is something fun to do, if you happen to go in the winter be sure to ice skate the rink!

Above: Bear Mountain Bridge from Bear Mountain State Park

Some other honorable mentions along this trip include:

-The Wild Center in Tupper Lake which my boss is always speaking highly of. We arrived after sunset and didn't get to walk any trails but the center was beautiful and I will be back for that.

-High Falls, a privately-owned nature park. There was an entrance fee for adults at about $15 and a large parking lot for visitors.

-Ausable Chasm with 2 other friends. This was absolutely breathtaking during the fall foliage. Ausable Chasm is also privately owned and provided much detailed history of the area

-Both Robert Moses parks! Downstate folks mostly all know about Robert Moses State Park Beach in Long Island, but there is also a Robert Moses State Park along the St Lawrence River in the Thousand Island region. It stirred my interest to attempt both of these parks on the trip but that would require a few more days and we were limited on time due to work constraints. If you were to continue this road trip below are some other suggestions to continue the loop.

-Traveling south of Poughkeepsie, let's say to Robert Moses State Park Long Island, and staying east of the river, one would enjoy Croton Point Park, keeping to that theme of waterfalls.

-Crossing over the George Washington Bridge from Westchester/ New York City will bring you into the Palisades Interstate Park, which spans across New Jersey and New York. My personal favorite is Tallman State Park, but at Palisades State Park you can go underneath the GWB.