Best New York State Parks for Hiking

Whether you think of hiking as a stroll through the woods or a weekend adventure, there’s a New York State Park for you. (If you like waterfalls, so much the better.)

Taughannock Falls State Park

Located just outside of Ithaca, this park is named for its 215-foot upper falls. This state park, which also has frontage on Cayuga Lake, features four main trails. The easiest is the Gorge Trail, which follows through the gorge to the upper falls (.75 mile). Next is the Multi-Use trail, which begins at the Falls Overlook and goes through the forest (two miles).  More difficult — but also less traveled — are the North (1.5 miles) and South (1.2 miles) Rim Trails, which follow the rims of the gorge and connect to each other, allowing hikers to do a complete circuit of the gorge if they so choose.

Harriman State Park

With more than 220 miles of trails including an 18.8-mile section of the Appalachian Trail, this is the park of choice for serious hikers. The other extensive trail is the Long Path, 25 miles of which are inside the park. There are more than 40 marked trails and an additional 57 unmarked trails across Harriman’s acreage. Check out the Harriman Hiker for reviews of specific hiking itineraries.

Watkins Glen State Park

Another New York park that’s famous for its waterfalls — it has 19 of them — Watkins Glen is very popular with hikers. It has seven trails, all but one of which are less than two miles long. The best-known trails are the Indian, the Gorge and the Southern Rim. The Indian goes through the woods to the upper entrance of the park, the Gorge Trail takes you over, under and almost through the waterfalls, and the Southern Rim trail follows along the rim of the gorge.

Letchworth State Park

While Taughannock Falls may be taller than Niagara Falls, Letchworth’s Inspiration Falls are actually the tallest in New York at more than 300 feet tall. You can see these, among others, along the 66 miles of hiking trails in the “Grand Canyon of the East.” The most popular trail is the Gorge Trail, a seven-mile hike which passes along the edges of the gorge and overlooks several of the waterfalls. Most of the other trails are less than five miles long, but if you’re looking for a challenge, the 24-mile Letchworth Trail is great for a weekend hike.