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!

Green Lakes is such a beautiful place. Love walking around the 2 lakes, such a quiet and peaceful…read morewalk. Lots of walking trails, campground, kayak rentals and swimming. Everyone should go to Green Lakes at least once, Highly Recommend !!

While renewing my Empire Pass last year at a local state park, I chatted with the ranger about…read morefavorite ones throughout the state. When he learned that I had been to over 100 of them but hadn't been to Green Lakes he urged me to check that one off the list pronto. And you know how that goes: when someone tells you how great something is, that place suddenly starts popping up more and more in your social feeds. Well, after seeing it featured on the socials for I Love NY and NYS Parks, I finally made the trip to Central New York outside of Syracuse (wait, I can call Syracuse "Central New York" on here, right? :) ), and I was not disappointed at all. My visit was early on an October Saturday, and lots of runners and walkers were around. And a fair amount of ducks too. A mostly level 2.5-mile loop around Green Lake and another mile-ish loop around practically adjacent Round Lake (which is also a Registered National Landmark) made for a wonderful morning stroll. I was just walking and taking pictures, but clearly this is a spot where runners meet and get in a workout together. The lakes are beautiful, and, yeah, have an emerald-green glow at times. I'm really glad I made the trip there, and will definitely revisit one day.

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.

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.

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 was a nice walk to see the falls. The path is well marked and clear for walking. There are…read morestairs. We found a 60 year old Chapman slide gate in the closed position. No handwheel at the top. Unlikely to be operational. Picture with red at the bottom. Years of Rust.

This place is an absolute treasure! I love the finger lakes and I've been everywhere and how I've…read moremissed this amazing place is beyond me. The gorge trail and rim trail were so beautiful and scenic we had an absolute blast here and I want to come back again very soon! There is tons of parking and trails and camping as well! What an absolute gem of a park!

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.

Quiet little outdoor spot. There are better outdoor spaces to choose from, but this isn't bad.read more

No dogs allowed, probably because people didn't clean up, but I still see dogs with those who don't…read morefollow the rules. Stop deleting my review.

Whilst I do like the park in it's entirety, the best part of Jamesville Beach Park is it's huge dog…read morepark. One thing I noticed about this park is that dogs are in general better trained here-- and that is because they have to be. This park is not fenced in like other dog parks. Instead, it is a huge open set of areas, including a path through the trees. You need to ensure your pup has good recall, likes to stay around you, or you'll need to make sure they are on a leash. I have only had a few hiccups here is with people not being the best trained. One person, without a dog, was just giving treats to all dogs that came up to them which was a bit frustrating and a bad behavior to teach. Also, people are terrible about picking up poop. You'll find dog poop and bags of dog poop everywhere--some of this I will blame on the park as its huge and there are only 2 places to put it. However. Its a huge place for my dog to run and he enjoys it-- and so do we, and as a bonus, he sleeps the rest of the day.

The dog park at Jamesville Beach is a special place for me and my dog! We have been taking her…read morethere consistently since she was a puppy and it was an excellent way to get her used to other dogs from day one. She has built a lot of independence there and she knows our walking route by heart. It's beautiful, well maintained, the trails offer a variety of difficulty, and there are several swimming spots for the dogs. It's a great place to take a nice walk after work to help yourself and your dog unwind.

This little gem of a county park has recently updated it's parking lot and trails, adding more…read moreparking, better access for wheelchair bound visitors, additional restrooms, as well as more outdoor seating. There is also a hall available for rent which seats about 50. The rental cost is lower for residents of Madison County. The entire park is designated as non-smoking. The distance from the main parking area to the falls is approximately 200 yards.

We were at a disadvantages as it looked like the main part of the park was undergoing construction…read more- we parked at what appears to be a new parking area, and hiked up a new or newly renovated trail (gravel with lots of steps) but were not really able to see much (we could hear it!) until we arrived at an observation area near the top of the falls - what we saw was gorgeous! I'm sure the 'money shot' of the falls is at the bottom tho' ;) Looks like the facilities will be great when they are completed - Will have to make our way back to check it out!