This is a gorgeous state park on the northeast edge of Otsego Lake. My wife, two teenage sons (15 yrs, 13 yrs), and I came here with our miniature poodle for a quick visit during a 4-night stay in Sharon Springs, NY. We came here every day to enjoy the lovely view of the lake, take a leisurely stroll with the dog, and spend an afternoon fishing (for my 15 year old son). It's about a 15-20 minute drive from Cooperstown along the east shore. At the main entrance, you'll pay a $7 admission fee per vehiecle, or you can just show your NY State Parks Empire Pass card. This is a gem of a park that is well worth the price of admission. First, it feels open and spacious with nice hiking trails. Second, the view of Lake Otsego is lovely. You may see a few kayakers or windsurfers on the lake depending on weather conditions. If you have young children, this is a must-visit place as there are kid-friendly playgrounds. Third, the lake is shallow and calm by the beach, but the water temperature can feel a bit chilly. In the summer, they have lifeguards available starting at 11:00am. Finally, the park has a concession stand which sells basic snacks, hot dogs, and drinks. It's also worth it to take a short walk up the hill to see Hyde Hall and the view of the lake from there! read more

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Very friendly staff at front gate beautiful lake to swim in and camping available as well. read more

Glimmerglass State Park - Oldest covered bridge in America - Parks Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

Just a nice play to hang and fish. Park was clean. Fishing was iffy, but hooked a few.

I found this location while visiting Cooperstown and wanting to spend some time outdoors when it was warm. This seems to be a nice state park. The roads, trash and beach seemed to be well maintained. There was plenty of parking at the main beach area, but also at the covered bridge area. There was also a section for camping. We drove through the camping section and it was pretty nice and most of the spots were well shaded. This is not a large park compared to many. However, it has some walking trails, grills, a covered shelter and a beach. For us it was a perfect afternoon though. We were there for sunset and we were sitting on a bench with the lake in front of us and we were the only people there. (at the beach area- the camping area was full) It was a great end to the day and quite memorable. read more

Even though nothing was open during our stay due to off season, it is very nice park and I would love to come back during summer. One star off only because we didn't get to see everything. They have very nice trails in the park from short ones(15 min) to the decent trail (2h) and you can choose the difficulties and lengths of the trails. They also have nice beach which we obviously didn't get to enjoy and camp site. Within the park they have Hyde hall which was closed during our stay:( I was super sad to find out even Hyde hall is closed for the season but the view from the hill was AMAZING. We would definitely come back during summer!!!! read more

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During quarantine we all want to find a perfect state park - look no further! This is the most welcoming and wonderful place to have a picnic or go take a swim in the lake. There is now a daily fee, but it's totally worth it. There is a nice hike along the lake and it's perfect for family and puppy fun! We've been here several times and they have so many great amenities - you can host parties (in the future post COVID!) Rain or shine this place is a gem and we are so grateful to have access it! Hope you all get to visit, social distance and enjoy the beloved beauty we have all needed during these trying times! read more

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Very nice state park on Otsego Lake First visit to Glimmerglass for some sightseeing and we really enjoyed it. We spent a better part of the day waking and exploring. We took the paid tour of Hyde Hall, which was interesting but a lot pricey. All in all a very beautiful park with plenty to do. read more

Great place to visit summer and winter. Summer has a nice lake side beach with easy to moderate hiking trails. Winter brings along good cross-country ski trails. read more

Glimmerglass State Park - Ski trail - Parks Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

Great place to relax during the pandemic. Folks maintain their distance. Kids took a dip and play ball in the picnic area read more

Glimmerglass State Park - Playing volleyball - Parks Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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This was a great place for the kids to go swimming while others in our party visited the HOF. They wore themselves out in the water and on the playground. Clean and beautiful scenery! read more

Glimmerglass State Park - Beautiful park with tons of picnic areas - Parks Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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Beautiful place to visit for a day. The view from the beach on Lake Otsego is soooo gorgeous.

Today was an off day from Dreams Park and looked for something to do with other parents and kids. The road here is full of curves so be careful driving. I drive twice looking for parking at the covered bridge but no sign so I walked from beach area. The covered bridge is oldest in US and neat. Stopped at beach briefly and looked clean and spacious. Decided to pay the $12 and took tour of Hyde Hall Mansion. This is a mansion that was built for the Clarke family from England. Very old and still in restoration from the 1960's when state of NY got by eminent domain. Asked why restoration is taking so long and was told there is no money and it's really bureaucratic. The views of Otsego lake are gorgeous. Nice diversion from baseball. read more

Glimmerglass State Park - Covered bridge - Parks Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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My family rented a house on the lake in cooperstown a for a week. While the house was beautiful, our beach consisted of large rocks, rusted metal, a decaying shed held shut with a sharp knife and poison ivy. Combine that with no sidewalks on a fairly fast road. With a couple of young kids, and a few runners, we I made my way out to Glimmerglass twice for two very different experiences. The first day, the goal was to go for a 4 mile run then for a swim. When we got to the park, we picked up a map, found parking in front of the beach (it's a giant beach, much like an ocean) and proceeded to follow the paved trail around a bit. It was a hot day, so we were trying to find some shade. We ended up running up a bit of a hill (towards an old manor) and found a real trail going off. We thought we'd get some miles down in the shade, and followed it for almost 2 miles without hitting the end of the trail. Very hilly, very beautiful, and we only pasted a handful of people on our run. Post run, we didn't get to swim because a storm had rolled in with thunder and lightning. We did however get an order of cheese sticks (5 in an order, surprisingly good) and a couple cans of sodas (buck a piece) from the concession stand. The food prices were really reasonable for that type of place. A couple days later, on a beautiful day, I went with a couple of adults, and 2 you kids. They got a kick out of the large play scape, then played in the sand and went in the lake. It turns out the lake is really shallow, so that's great for little ones. Plus, they have multiple life guards. I was exhausted (not used to hanging out with kids) so I had come along to provide an extra car, and mostly just to nap. Instead I was endlessly fascinated by the seagulls exploits. Do not leave your picnic unattended - rather frustrated group came back to an empty chip bag, and a general mess of whatever else wasn't sealed in a cooler. Kind of hilarious. I never got around to using them, but there are bathrooms, an outdoor shower (to wash your feet or body off of sand, not private at all), a few indoor areas and pavilions that it appears you can rent, and some grills (you have to look up policies on them). There's a covered bridge you can check out, lots of rolling (read a bit hilly) paved paths with only moderate traffic. Generally, this is a large beautifully maintained park well worth the $7 per car fee. I only wish they had a weekly rate. read more

BEACH REVIEW A good but not great location for swimming. Scenic and well-maintained, it's a solid, affordable option for a few hours of family entertainment. Plenty of lifeguards on duty, a concession stand, and relatively clean and well-stocked restrooms. Watch out for seagulls though. They are assh*les ;). The swimming area is strictly corded off and monitored for safety. There's a very shallow section and a not much deeper section that still only reaches my chest even though I'm 6ft. Advanced swimmers will get bored quickly. The water isn't as clear as other parts of the lake since the sand gets kicked up so much. Patrons are an interesting mix of tourists and townies from the surrounding towns. Worth killing an afternoon at if you're in the area. read more

Absolutely gorgeous! On Saturday morning, after a night at Omegang for a show, I headed here after dropping my husband and a friend at Ostego Golf Course. I had looked up geocaches in the area and the park has many. It's been a wet spring in the northeast and many of the shaded trails were very muddy. That said, they are still gorgeous and with the right shoes it's fine (I didn't have the right shoes and still loved by 3 hour traipse around the woods and meadows and marshes). I parked by the west shelter and used the restroom (very clean) before finding the Beaver Pond trailhead. I walked that trail and then kind of just wandered around; pretty sure I left that trail at a junction. I saw a bunch of animals including a sweet deer. I had heard it so I stopped and stood silently until it came out. We looked at each other for a while and I stayed still until it walked away. A great reminder of the beauty of nature and why our green spaces are so important. Along the trails are boxes with recorded information. Each box runs on clean energy: crank, solar. A nice idea. Each box I saw was working and the recordings were very cute: each from the perspective of a critter in that particular area. Staff is very friendly, trails are maintained but they are not over cut or suffering from too much signage. There are water and mountain views, natural flowers and lots of critters and birds if you keep your eyes and ears open. Would love to come back during drier weather to find more caches. I only hit two because of my terrible shoe situation. read more

This park is great! The covered bridge is historical and fun to see, there are trails that can be reasonably hiked by a family with young kids, a large swimming area and beach, nice and updated facilities, easy access bathrooms, and a super fantastic newer swing set. We didn't get to check out Hyde Mansion, but we drove by it and it was awesome. read more

Glimmerglass State Park - Covered wagon trail - Parks Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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My boyfriend, my dog, and I all go hiking here! So many trails to choose from and nicely groomed. This is a very active state park. In the summer there is a swimming beach, a little pavilion, a playground, and some picnic tables in the shade, it's always busy- not overly crowded. During the on season you DO have to pay for parking unfortunately. On the hiking trails I would love to see some benches, a more detailed trail map, and some mile markers, just to know where I am and I'm not getting lost. The glimmer glass beach is right across from the village of Cooperstown which is super sweet. read more

Glimmerglass State Park - Went hiking in the off season (fall) really great hiking trails - Parks Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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I love visiting state parks and fall in upstate NY is a bonus. There is a covered bridge, huge lake, beach area, small playground, and a bunch of trails. All great details for a park. It happened to be abnormally cold fall day and I saw snow. I wasn't prepared but embraced the views. I was hoping for some sunshine but unfortunately it was a gloomy day but the lake and surroundings were still very pretty. There was no one at the check in gate so I didn't get to find out if the empire pass worked but also didn't have to pay so it was a win. Definitely worth he visit if you're in the area as there isn't a whole lot of other things in the area. read more

This park is a wonderful place to go in the summertime. Food served at the park is pretty good and is a decent price. I'd highly recommend the park! read more

Glimmerglass is my FAVORITE state park to go to! The lake is absolutely beautiful, you can hike, you can boat, take the tour of the beautiful Hyde Hall mansion, or lay out on the beach and grab food from the snack area. I'm also getting married here in June and the staff has been so helpful!!! read more

Always loved going here. Found a camp and trailer is parked now. Great staff. Wonderful place and very close to Cooperstown.

This is a great little place to stay if you are in the Cooperstown area. It was fairly busy when I visited in late August a few years back. But there was plenty of space for everyone. The bathrooms were cleaner than I expected which was a great surprise. There is plenty of activities to do while staying at Glimmerglass including biking, hiking, swimming, fishing, etc. And being that is open year round, you can do the whole snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, ice fishing thing. That isn't necessarily my idea of fun, but there are plenty who would disagree with me. read more

My husband and I had our wedding at Glimmerglass. They accommodated us with everything we needed. Hit a snag and they were EXCELLENT taking care of the problem. I believe the staff went above and beyond!!! It was beautiful having our wedding overlooking the lake. Thank u Glimmerglass and staff!!!!! read more

Great, clean park. While it can get incredibly busy on nice days (and major holidays, especially July 4) it's well worth the visit (either walking in for free or paying to drive in). read more

Absolutely beautiful state park! Easy to find, costs $7 per car for the day, ample parking, bathroom facilities were clean, nice trail maps; however, trails are well posted so we honestly didn't need ours. I didn't go to the beach so I can't comment on that, it did look pretty busy, but you can always venture away from all that like we did! If I lived closer, I'd definitely be a regular. read more

Glimmerglass State Park - Parks Near Me - Cooperstown, New York

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love this place for picnic's. I took a large group several years in a row. great view.