It’s time for celebrations honoring New York’s excellent parks system. This 12 months is the a hundredth anniversary of the New York state park system, formally referred to as the New York State Workplace of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation.
The system consists of 180 parks and 35 historic websites. Surprisingly to many, the state’s two largest parks—Adirondack and Catskill Parks—aren’t a part of the state park system however are as a substitute underneath the route of the Division of Environmental Conservation.
Lengthy earlier than the state division was created, New York State was a frontrunner in preservation and nature safety. The primary publicly owned historic web site within the nation, Washington’s Headquarters, opened in New York in 1850. Thirty-five years later Niagara Falls grew to become the primary state park in america.
The parks division cares for greater than 335,000 acres of land, 2,000 miles of trails, 250 properties together with parks, historic websites, campgrounds, golf programs, and seashores. There are 54 state parks with seashores, 26 nature facilities within the parks, 28 golf programs together with the well-known Bethpage Black Course which is about to host the Ryder Cup in September 2025.
There’s even an historic amusement park—Halfway State Park in Bemus Level on Chautauqua Lake. It is likely one of the oldest repeatedly working amusement parks within the nation. Up within the Thousand Islands there are parks on islands accessible solely by boat.
There are 8,555 campsites within the parks in addition to 967 cabins and cottages, 18 yurts, three inns, and even one lighthouse.
New York’s state parks have been vital backdrops in movies starting with the silent movie period and the waterfalls within the parks round Ithaca. After all, Niagara Falls has been the prime backdrop for no less than eight films and most just lately Knox Farm was the setting for elements of the film Cabrini.
Throughout the pandemic, attendance at state parks set new information and the record-breaking attendance numbers have continued. Final 12 months, 84.4 million guests got here to the parks—a six p.c improve over the earlier 12 months.
The Niagara Area boasts a wealth of parks together with Artpark, devoted to showcasing the performing and visible arts; Grand Island’s Beaver Island attracts with swimming and golf; Evangola, lengthy well-liked for its positive sand seaside and campsites; Previous Fort Niagara with swimming, climbing, and boating.
Buffalo Harbor is likely one of the latest state parks and affords the particular expertise of kayaking amidst the towering grain mills. Knox Farm in East Aurora is a favourite of canine lovers with one of many largest canine parks anyplace, together with a separate park for puppies and small canine.
Listed here are a few of my favourite state parks:
Niagara Falls State Park: Tens of millions of tourists come from across the globe yearly to gaze upon one of many world’s best pure wonders that spans two nations and the Niagara River. It drains the waters of 4 of 5 Nice Lakes.
The Falls are proper in our yard and but there are a lot of Western New Yorkers who not often, if ever, come to Niagara Falls. The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Welcome Heart lastly opened late final 12 months with new ticketing and knowledge desks, plus interpretive museum house together with immersive experiences and exhibitions on the historical past of the Falls. The undertaking complemented the $150 million revitalization of the park panorama to higher replicate famous park designer Frederick Legislation Olmsted’s imaginative and prescient for the panorama.
The season is underway for the 2 electrical Maid of the Mist boats that take passengers to the bottom of the falls on certainly the world’s most fun, completely accessible, and protected boat journey.
In 1901, Teddy Roosevelt, who was sworn in as President in Buffalo, took a journey proclaiming the expertise “the one means absolutely to appreciate the grandeur of the good Falls of Niagara.”
It’s exhausting to consider that it wasn’t at all times thus, however in 1985 the world celebrated only a century of unrestricted viewing of Niagara Falls. Earlier than 1885, the lands across the falls had grow to be one of the vital vulgar vacationer traps anyplace, with guests having to pay for the privilege of seeing the cataract. It was undoubtedly the peepholes that offended essentially the most.
An ingenious lobbying and public relations marketing campaign was developed with one objective: Free Niagara. Spurred by this rallying cry, the Free Niagara Motion—a bunch of Individuals together with panorama architect Frederick Legislation Olmsted—returned the world across the falls to its pure state and to the folks of the world.
The marketing campaign resulted within the institution, on July 15, 1885, of the nation’s first state park, embracing 435 acres of land alongside the American Falls. The Canadians adopted with related motion round their portion of the cataract, and the falls’ safety was assured.
Letchworth State Park: This park is likely one of the crown jewels of the park system and has been voted the nation’s greatest state park. The park is known as after William Pryor Letchworth, a Buffalo industrialist and ardent conservationist who rescued and preserved the world.
It’s a straightforward drive from Buffalo and is a park that has all of it together with the first-of-its-kind Autism Nature Path. It affords a nature expertise for guests on the autism spectrum, with a variety of talents and for folks utilizing wheelchairs, powerchairs, and strollers.
The path is a one-mile looped major path with eight stations at numerous intervals providing a special expertise together with making music, having fun with a quiet swing, designing, and making a teepee, and strolling alongside a path of stones from the Genesee River.
Dubbed the “Grand Canyon of the East,” it’s thought-about one of the vital scenically magnificent areas within the East. It’s right here that the Genesee River runs quick and deep between towering rock partitions, forming a 17-mile gorge with three main waterfalls. There are 66 miles of climbing trails all through the greater than 14,000-acre park.
Past climbing, swimming, and whitewater rafting there are scorching air balloons that often fly over the center and higher falls early morning and early night on windless days. Each Memorial Day weekend, Balloons Over Letchworth hosts the Pink, White & Blue Competition that often attracts about 20 scorching air balloons. Past watching the balloons in opposition to the backdrop of the park’s scenic magnificence, there are scorching air balloon rides and tethered balloon experiences.
The Glen Iris Inn is open for meals and in a single day stays. Canine are allowed within the outside seating areas and there are many rocking chairs on the porch for stress-free. There are additionally campgrounds, cabins, and cottages for lease.
Allegany State Park: This park is on the southern border of New York, west of Olean and east of Jamestown. It’s the largest of the state parks with 65,000 acres and two developed areas: Pink Home and Quaker.
The Quaker space is understood for its two lakes and memorable tenting experiences. It affords a sandy seaside for swimming, two fishing piers and a canoeing or kayaking entry level. There are miles of climbing trails, park packages provided on the amphitheater, horseshoe pits, baseball fields, basketball, volleyball, and tennis courts.
The park is dwelling to pure rock formations often called Thunder Rocks, in addition to three hearth towers. The previous Quaker retailer has been fully restored and now homes a park museum. Reveals doc the historical past of the park as “the Wilderness Playground of Western New York,” and orient guests to the park’s distinctive options and sights, each previous and current.
The 2 campgrounds and 20 cabin trails within the space supply 189 campsites and 230 cabins, 30 of them winterized, and one group cabin. There are additionally trip rental cottages with bogs, and are furnished and stocked with bedding, cooking utensils, dishes, in addition to exterior grill and picnic desk.
Watkins Glen State Park: This award-winning Finger Lakes Park on the tip of Seneca Lake is essentially the most well-known park within the area. Inside two miles, the glen’s stream descends 400 toes previous 200-foot cliffs, producing 19 waterfalls alongside its course. The gorge path winds over and underneath waterfalls and thru the spray of Cavern Cascade. Rim trails overlook the gorge.
Campers and day guests can benefit from the Olympic-size pool, excursions by the gorge, campsites, picnic amenities, and fishing in close by Seneca Lake.
Taughannock Falls State Park: The namesake waterfall is likely one of the Northeast’s excellent pure sights and will be reached alongside a straightforward path. The Falls plunges 215 toes previous rocky cliffs that tower almost 400 toes above the gorge. Gorge and rim trails supply spectacular views from above the falls and from beneath on the finish of the gorge path.
Campsites and cabins overlook Cayuga Lake with a marina, boat launch and seaside.
Journey Tip of the Month: For data on New York parks and historic websites, go to parks.ny.gov. Numerous centennial occasions will probably be held throughout the state. For the most recent data, go to the parks web site.
Park guests are invited to affix the Centennial Problem and participate in a few of the 100 problem actions to get open air and uncover the parks and historic websites. You may take part as a person or a group. Why not create a household group? The objective is to finish 24 of the actions. You’ll earn a commemorative Centennial prize, in addition to entry right into a random drawing for one in all 24 three-year Empire Passes and a Centennial swag bag.
Contributors can both obtain an app or use paper and pencil to maintain tract of actions. Discover out the main points at parks.ny.gov/100/problem/.
Park guests have a century or extra of recollections from visits with household and mates. The parks workplace invitations guests to share their tales and pictures with the Share Your Story undertaking by e mail at tales@parks.ny.gov; social media at #NYStateParksStory or on-line. The parks workers will accumulate the recollections and share them on social media, e mail e-newsletter, on the parks weblog and different avenues.
Deborah Williams lives in Holland, NY and is a veteran journey author whose work has appeared in nationwide and worldwide publications. She is the recipient of the Society of American Journey Writers’ Lowell Thomas Gold Journey Writing Award.
