We visited four different state parks while in New York State. Our campground was at Chenango Valley State Park, which has two kettle lakes, Lily and Chenango; they were created when the last glacier during the Ice Age retreated and left behind huge chunks of buried ice, which then melted to form the lakes.
As part of the girls’ school curriculum, they have a nature walk on Fridays. It was early October when we were there, and the leaves were just starting to change color, so it was nice to see the first pops of red, orange and yellow in the green surroundings.
We ventured out to the Finger Lakes Region, too, while we were in the area. We were closest to Chayuga Lake, which is just north of Ithaca. Our first stop in that neck of the woods was Robert H. Treman State Park. The highlight of this park is Enfield Gorge, which is truly breathtaking. We saw water falls, incredible rock formations, and the colors of fall.
This state park also has a popular swimming hole, where summer crowds can jump into the green water, while a pretty waterfall serves as a backdrop.
We also stopped at Buttermilk Falls State Park, which is named after the cascade formed by Buttermilk Creek. Of course, this time of year there isn’t a whole lot to the cascade. It was still really pretty, though.
Finally, we spent some time at Taughannock Falls State Park, where we took a gorge trail to see the falls. Taughannock Falls plunges 215 feet past rocky cliffs that tower nearly 400 feet above the gorge. It’s a beauty.
Our New York stop was all about the state parks and the allure of nature. We’ve spent time in New York City lots of times in the past, and that’s a great time, but this is a side to New York that is also really lovely in its own right. We sure had a good time while we were there.
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