Green Lakes State Park is located just east of Syracuse, New York. The park's outstanding features are its two glacial lakes, the largest stand of old growth forest in Central New York, and golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones very early in his career. The park is centered on two small lakes, Green Lake and Round Lake, which have an unusual blue-green color. Remnants of the ice age, the lakes are meromictic lakes, which means that there is no fall and spring mixing of surface and bottom waters. Round Lake has been designated as a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The park's area is about 1835 acres, nearly half this area is old-growth forest. Visitors can see many very large specimens of tuliptrees, sugar maples, beech, basswood, hemlocks, and white cedars. One particularly impressive grove of trees, due west of Round Lake, is now called the Tuliptree Cathedral. Another special feature of the park is an 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, where visitors can snowshoe in winter, and there are 10 miles of trails that cross-country skiers can use.
Land for the park was initially acquired by the state in 1928. During the Depression, the New York State Department of Conservation and later the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed the parks' buildings, cabins, golf course and trails. During World War II, the cabins were used to house German prisoners of war. The park increased to 1,835 acres with additional acquisitions in 1975, 1995 and 1996.
Green Lakes State Park was named as one of the Top 100 Campgrounds in the nation in 2004. There are 137 campsites and eight cabins, including several picnic shelters available for groups. At its eastern end, Green Lake has a sandy swimming beach and a boathouse with rowboat and paddleboat rentals. There is an extensive network of hiking trails and about 10 miles of cross-country ski trails. The Old Erie Canal State Historic Park, which is a 36-mile long walking and bicycling path, runs by the Green Lakes State Park entrance. The Erie Canal, which was abandoned in 1918, is still continuous within this State Historic Park. The Park extends from the Buttermilk Creek aqueduct in DeWitt to the Canal Village, which is near Rome. Location: New York, Albany: Thruway (I-90) west to Exit 34A (I-481 south); to Exit 5E (Kirkville Rd. east) follow Kirkville Rd. right on Fremont Rd.; left on NYS 290. Follow signs to Park. Buffalo, Rochester: Thruway (I-90) East to exit 34A(I-481 South); to Exit 5E (Kirkville Rd. east) follow Kirkville Rd. right on Fremont Rd.; left on NYS 290. Follow signs to Park. Contact Information: 7900 Green Lakes Road Fayetteville, NY 13066 Phone: (315) 637-6111 Reservations: (800) 456-2267 Seasons/Operating Hours: Open year-round (No winter camping) Restrictions: Household pets only; caged or on a leash not more than 6 feet. Not allowed in the bathing areas.
