This is a beautiful Onondaga County Park. There are several well marked trails of different…read morelengths. The two we walked were nice and shady, 1.2 and.6 miles, but because of the stairs and inclines, it ended up being a vigorous workout. The lower waterfall observation area was shady and beautiful with several benches to rest before the climb back up the stairs. The bathrooms were clean and it was a beautiful day.

I visited a couple of weeks ago, back when we had warm-but-not-yet-sweltering weather. This park is…read morea bit of a distance from Syracuse, but worth the drive. It's not too far off from Heritage Hill Brewery, so you can do a two-for and visit both-- however the park is lovely and worth a visit on its own. There's an overlook near the entrance where you can get a glimpse of the waterfall. However, the falls are also within walking distance of the start of the trail. The hill is on a slant and there are steep stairs, so the view may not be accessible for those who have difficulty walking. However, it was so calming just to sit and watch and listening to the waterfall. The day I went, there were others out but the paths didn't feel claustrophobic. I took some time and walked through the woods. The trail I took was relatively short, I think about a half mile total. I appreciated that there was a marker at the start that let you know how long it was. I am by no means a regular hiker (hoping to change that one day!) but this trail wasn't exhausting and was quite serene. This is a great park with a great waterfall and is definitely worth checking out!

This is such a unique and cool park! It's about a half an hour drive from Syracuse, in Cazenovia,…read morewhich is a super cute town with lots of nice small businesses to explore. This place is the ultimate solution if you kinda feel like going to a museum but also want to be outdoors and go to the park, and can't choose. The park itself is stunning. It's an outdoor art park that has sculptures spread out around the grounds. There are multiple trails, some gravel and some grass. Some truly stunning views, with the lake visible in the distance at some high points. You'll wander through fields and woods and hills and happen upon other-wordly shapes and statues. The pieces are spread out, but not so much that you get overly tired hunting for them. Some are in clusters, but every now and then you'll just happen upon another one. Stumbling on another sculpture kind of makes you feel like an archaeologist or explorer uncovering ruins of ancient civilizations. It's got a very ethereal feeling. My favorite sculpture was giant metal flowers that kind of looked like a gate, but there were a lot of cool figures in different styles and mediums. The only downside I saw was that the paper maps available at the entrance had a QR code with more info about the artists and art, but I didn't see any paper or sign descriptions anywhere, which I thought would be helpful for folks who don't have phones or always run out of their data halfway through the month (guilty.) I understand that perhaps pieces change often, but it still would be nice to have more options for deeper context. Nonetheless, it was still super fun to wander and gander. I came early on a weekend morning and there was another car or two, but mostly the park seemed empty and it was extremely serene. Love it, wish it was closer. If I lived down the road I'd probably be here every day.

Beautiful hidden gem less than 30 minutes from Syracuse! Over 4 miles worth of trails to discover,…read moreand 1.4 miles of artistic sculptures. Very easy terrain suitable for all ages. The max elevation gain is only 141 feet. Lots of fun sculptures to discover, public restrooms (although Porta potties), picnic tables for dining and more.

Absolutely great stop at Chittenango Falls State Park. Beautiful Scenery, Huge Waterfall and a nice…read moreshort hike around the falls. There is a $5 parking charge. Highly Recommend stopping if your in the area. Several other beautiful waterfalls and parks nearby as well. Love Beautiful Upstate New York !!

Cute NY State park with a beautiful and accessible falls overlook without strenuous hiking…read morerequired. However, I recommend a partial climb downward to a mid- overlook to view the entire falls without obstruction. Bathrooms, picnic tables, playgrounds are provided and relatively clean. Bring your own food/drink as their are no concessions.

A great park for picnics and hiking A lot of good scenery,…read morefree parking There is a bathroom building but there's no running water, no soap & like an oven on a sunny day

Cute and relatively easy hike! It's likely "lightly moderate" as it has some steep incline and…read morerocks at points. It can be a bit tricky to navigate the turns but if you pull up your GPS in the All Trails app it's easy enough. This trail has free parking near the trailhead, restrooms, and a cookout pavilion. It's a little over 1.2 miles total and follows a circular loop. There are a few small rivers with bridges to cross, a pretty lookout and of course the main waterfall. The trail is dog friendly as well. I've seen more beautiful views but this is very nice for the area.

I enjoy walking the trails that they have to offer there. There's ample parking. Clean restrooms…read moreand amazing green water. The beach is really large and plenty of room to spread out. I love this place.

Pretty nice drive and golf course on the property. Nice trails for walking and beaches for picnic…read more. Spent some time driving around and enjoying nature.

Great views and good hiking. Short walk to the falls. This is across from Labrador Hollow Unique…read moreArea which also affords great views on a boardwalk trail making it fairly accessible. However, some of the boards on the boardwalk are uneven which could prove tricky for a wheelchair or walker.

Nice shorter hike with access to longer hikes. I think it's about a 1/4 mile long one way. Nice…read morefalls especially when there's actually water going over the falls. There are trails that go to other nearby parks that are longer and more difficult if you're adventurous. But nice easy trail with nice scenery.

After briefly stopping at the [free] overlook to get some photos, we decided it would be nice to do…read morethe walk to the falls too, so we chose the Gorge Trail. It was 1 mile each way (from the parking lot to near the base of the falls). The trail was relatively flat and shaded for parts of it (but not all). There were a few benches along the way to take breaks, and water at the beginning of the trail to fill up your water bottle. It costs $10/car to get into the state park but you can use that ticket to get into other state parks on the same day without paying again, which would be great to visit nearby Buttermilk Falls and other parks.

I visited Taughannock Falls State Park about a week ago when my husband and I were in the Finger…read moreLakes for the 4th of July, and I'm glad we included it in our itinerary for our trip. The highlight of the park - and its namesake - is Taughannock Falls, a 215-foot plunge waterfall. That's what we were there to see, but let me explain more about the park. The park crosses Taughannock Boulevard. On one side of the road, is the park of the park with lots of amenities: the marina, boat launches, a beach, a concession stand, bathrooms, a playground, and more. We were there on the morning of the Fourth of July, so lots of families were setting up for a fun day for the holiday: picnics, beach, boat day, etc. On the other side of Taughannock Boulevard is the waterfall and several trails. There is one parking lot by the trails, which was already full when arrived around 9am on Saturday, which was the Fourth of July, but we parked near the entrance on the other side of the park and walked over to the trail. There is signage requiring cars on Taughannock Boulevard to stop for pedestrians; it felt safe to cross. We took a little walk around the side of the park with the amenities, but we were there for the falls. We walked along the Gorge Trail - a .95 mile trail that is very flat. While not paved, it was a flat, wide dirt path, making it much more of a walk than a hike. Compared to other parks with falls in the area, it really doesn't feel like you're *in* a gorge, but you do walk along Taughannock Creek. But it's not quite as beautiful of a trail as some others in the area. But we were for the waterfall, which is incredible. It's worth a sweaty walk (it was a hot, hot day) to get to. We took a million pictures, watched the hawks flying over the falls, and took in the falls for as long as we could before heading back along the Gorge Trail. (Unlike other parks nearby, the Gorge Trail doesn't connect to the other trails, so you have to return on the same trail.) It might not be my favorite of the state parks we visited during our time in the Finger Lakes, but the waterfall is stunning and well worth a visit. It's also a great option for anyone who wants to visit a waterfall but isn't up for a more challenging hike, as the Gorge Trail is extremely flat and easy!

What a treasure that is right in Syracuse. I went for a 3 mile walk today with my friend and really…read moreenjoyed the landscape and the views. From the mountain goat high spot of the park you can see all of downtown, it's really cool!!! A lot of spots to sit and relax and the homes surrounding the upper Park are just gorgeous.

This park invented Onondagamatopoeia, so it's shhhhhurely the most sooooothing sssseeea shhhhore in…read morethe Sssssyracuse area. OK what the f*** am I talking about. But it's a spectacular Park in Syracuse that is the highlight of the inner city SYR area. I like it even more than I like being Onondated by Dating prospects. This wonderful wooded park space is large and gorgeous much like my girlfriend. There are two sections, Upper and Lower, and both are lovely. Definitely the most relaxing place to hang out and people watch during the summer in the inner city area, and bettered only by Onondaga Lake Park (totally different) in the wider region.

This is a wonderful park to bring some take out from Voss' or some other food for a nice picnic. It…read moreis always clean and well groomed. On many occasions you can watch the process of a boat going through the working canal locks, which is pretty neat. There are picnic tables, a shelter, restrooms, and if the locks arent in use, access to the canal trail on the other side. Plenty of parking. Just an all around nice place to spend a little while. It isn't very big so if you are looking to get some exercise you are best heading to the canal trail. This place is also dog friendly, as long as you pick up after them, and my dogs quite enjoy sniffing around.

The area is so very,very nice.Plent of room, clean and mix of sun and shade.I didn't find alot of…read moremosquitoes, but I was there early in the day, no rain.

Extremely well marked trails, lots of options for hiking, biking, and snowshoeing. Just be careful…read moreon the trails near the lodge for horse droppings!

Highland Forest Park is at its best in the Winter time when it provides some of the best XC skiing…read morein the US. It is located in the snow belt that is directly below Syracuse, NY. The typically cold winters make for a great XC ski experience. On the weekends the shorter loops can be a little crowded but the longer loops tend to provide more solitude since they require the skier to be in good shape before attempting. Trail Access used to be free but the Onondaga County Parks department started charging several years ago. The charge is minimal and it is well worth it.