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    Keuka Lake State Park

    4.4 (24 reviews)

    Keuka Lake State Park Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Keuka Lake State Park

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    Tanya P.

    Keuka Lake State Park doesn't boast a whole lot to write home about... Tip: There isn't a lot of shade here, so you might want to rethink visits on very hot sunny days There's a fairly large grassy area here that offers benches and picnic tables for sitting and picnics. There's also a not very big roped off area for swimming. Oh, did I also mention the Marina that's fairly close to this place?

    Keuka Lake by boat launch.
    Dale S.

    Loved our stay. We were in Twin Fawns site 82. Plenty of room, plenty of grass and plenty of privacy. Loved the hikes through well marked trails. Lake is absolutely beautiful and park area is lovely and well maintained. Bathhouses at campgrounds were very clean and water was hot!! Will be making this an annual trip.

    Brought my trusty tripod grill to use over the fire pit.
    Tonya D.

    Although I've been camping my whole life, this was the first time I've been the one to initiate the trip and choose the location. Keuka Lake State Park was a great success. I was looking for somewhere we could camp and do some kayaking. This location looked great since it is right on the lake, and there is both a boat launch and a beach we could use to launch. In the end the lake was a bit choppy that day so we drove 5 minutes toward Branchport and launched at the Sugar Creek fishing access site and boat launch and paddled to the lake and back up the creek. It was great! Back to the park, we arrived after check-in but had no problem finding our reserved camp site (and checked in the next mornong.) The site was in great shape--clean, flat, and partly shaded. The park sells ice and firewood, but the aren't working past 4pm right now. If you need anything after then, you'll need to leave the park to find it. We reserved a site for a tent on the non-electric side of the Twin Fawns loop, which was far enough from the RVs to be nice and quiet. The bathrooms were great! They were nice and clean and there was an equally clean shower in the bath house. Overall, it was a great experience camping here and I'd definitely come back!

    Keuka Lake
    Patrice Z.

    One aspect I really like about Kueka lake state park is that all the campsites have grass. At other state parks I've stayed at were mostly gravel and just dirt. Our entire campsite was covered in grass and was decently quiet because the park was not overcrowded. The campsites are also not too far away from the lake. The Rangers were very nice especially since I had to check in after hours.

    Keuka Lake
    Bloss C.

    I stayed at this campground (Deer run loop) for 3 nights in July 2017 and liked it very much. The sites are very large and include a picnic table and fire pit. The official rules are 2 cars and two tents only per site, but the sites are large enough to accommodate more, I hope they change the rules to 3 or 4 tents per site. Parking for 2 cars is included in the campsite reservation costs. Many of the other sites also had a boat hitched to their truck. I picked this campground because I wanted something a little bit off the beaten path and was worried by some of the camping reviews I read of Watkins Glenn State Park; but if I were camping in the area again I probably would try Watkins Glenn just because it is much closer to everything. In miles this campground isn't far from Watkins Glenn, but you have to drive around the lake, which does end up taking a good amount of time. The closest town is Penn Yan (10-15 min drive) and has everything you need: booze, supermarket (Ralph's*), Walgreens, and a Dunkin Donuts. For the most part our neighbors were fine and the sites are well lined with bushes between sites, this was the most privacy I've ever experienced while car camping; you could still hear your neighbors, but you couldn't see them! The bathroom on the Deer Run loop was pretty nice, there were 3 stalls plus 2 shower stalls. The last stall is ADA compliant and has a toilet, sink, and shower stall with bench. The second to last stall is a regular sized shower stall. No extra charge for showers which was a first for me. Another bonus was there are a few electrical outlets by the sinks. Also located in the building with the bathrooms was a closet with a deep sink for washing dishes. I found the sink to be a bit low so I suspect it is also ada compliant. As for the lake and beach, it is easy to get to in a car, slightly less so by foot, but I was not temped to go for a swim. It looked okay but swimming is limited to life guard hours which start late in the mornings. If you are booking at this campground to have beach access I'd look elsewhere. Lastly, we stayed Friday - Sunday nights. Friday and Saturday nights were very busy but we were practically alone on Sunday night, so if you are looking to avoid the crowds consider a Sunday - Tuesday stay. * I preferred buying my firewood at Ralphs over the truck that stops at the campsites nightly as that wood was pretty wet on the night I bought it.

    Campsite in Twin Fawns - summer 2012
    Breanna B.

    Camping was a regular summer vacation for me from toddler stage to adulthood. My family and I have been to many state parks and really loved Keuka. I went twice as a kid with the fam and have now been twice as an adult with friends. When my family went, we had a nice shady site that we booked both times, lots of space and a sweet trail that lead to this awesome sand hill my siblings and I had a blast sliding down. As an adult, I wanted to replicate this fun camping experience with my friends. We got a group together, booked a site last summer and spent the 4th of July vacation living in the wild... well not really. We cooked like pros over the fire and spent the day at the beach. The weather was amazing during our visit so we took full advantage of cool water and the private beach. There's a raft out in the water to jump off too and lifeguards on duty. I'd recommend bringing water shoes or sandals if you can, it's rocky at the water's edge. The beach is a short drive from the campgrounds. I recommend you drive down because it is about a mile from the sites which are situated above the lake and it's no fun carrying all your gear from the site to the beach. Plus there's a full parking lot so it isn't a hassle. You could even enjoy the park, playground and beach for a day trip if you wanted. Several trails for hiking too. Some of the sites are better set up than others. I prefer the Twin Fawns and the Deer Run lots and got a site on the east side - sunny all day, cool and shady in the late afternoon. I recommend checking out the layout of the campgrounds on Google Maps to get a view of the actual surroundings like which sites are back to back and which ones are up against the woods. I always recommend the latter for more privacy. Buy wood when you get to the park. It's cheaper at the neighboring homes up the street on Pepper Rd who sell nice sized bundles for ~$5. If you can, do a wine tour along the lake. Heron Hill, Ravines, and Dr. Konstantin are awesome ones to visit.

    Playground

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    3 years ago

    Clean. Pretty. Really nice beach area. Great boat launch and great amenities. What more could you ask for?

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    7 years ago

    Very nice state park. Clean, good equipment and amenities. Best one we have been to in the region in a while.

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    8 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Such a clean, nice campground. Our site (43) was huge and well maintained. I would come here again and recommend to others.

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    Ask the Community - Keuka Lake State Park

    Review Highlights - Keuka Lake State Park

    It's also just a short drive into Penn Yan (see Penn Yan Diner), Branchport (see Branchport Hardware), and Abandon Brewing.

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    Taughannock Falls State Park - North Rim Trail

    Taughannock Falls State Park

    4.6(167 reviews)
    27.2 mi

    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!

    Photos
    Taughannock Falls State Park - Cayuga lake

    Cayuga lake

    Taughannock Falls State Park
    Taughannock Falls State Park

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    Watkins Glen State Park - Beauty in a ugly stump

    Watkins Glen State Park

    4.7(500 reviews)
    20.0 mi

    Not sure where to start outside of. Why haven't you been here yet?!…read more I can clearly see why this state park is rated one of the best. 19 waterfalls in under 2 miles?! Say no more sign me up. Yes they may not be epic cascading falls with millions of gallons of water, but Watkins Glen is an epic place to visit. There is a bit of construction going on for the summer 26 season so do a little research for best places to park or what trails may be impacted. It does absolutely nothing to lower the charm of this park though. If you are in the area and bypass this you have truly missed one of the state's gems!

    Wow. You know when you've had a place on your list to visit for a while and then you start to…read morewonder if you've built it up too much? If it can't possibly live up to your expectations after years of wanting to visit? That was not my experience at Watkins Glen State Park. I'd wanted to visit for years and finally made it about a week ago when I spent the Fourth of July in the Finger Lakes. It was everything I'd heard about it, everything I hoped it would be. Watkins Glen State Park has four trails, but the reason you're there (at least on a first visit) is the Gorge Trail. It's a paved trail along/in the Glen Creek gorge. I've only hiked one other gorge that felt like you walk in and through and along water in this way. It was stunning. Bridges, lookouts, waterfalls, rock cliffs... I was constantly stunned by the beauty of this trail. I took about a million pictures. This park and this trail are worth planning a trip around. And being anywhere near the Finger Lakes and not visiting this park would be a real shame. It's that incredible. So here are some details that you need to know now that I've totally convinced you of the need to visit. The Gorge Trail is not a loop. At one end of the trail is the Main Entrance, and at the other end of the trail is the Upper Entrance. Both entrances have parking. The park offers a shuttle that takes you from one entrance to another for $6, so you have a lot of options. (FYI: The maps says this shuttle service is available July-August, so if you want to use this service, make sure to visit in those summer months.) You can hike just the Gorge Trail (either way) and then take the shuttle back to the entrance where you parked. Or you can hike the Gorge Trail (either way) and then hike back to where you parked (repeating the Gorge Trail or hiking back on the North Rim Trail). You can do the Gorge Trail in either direction; the views are great either way. We parked and started at the Upper Entrance, which I may prefer as the Upper Entrance is a few minutes outside town, so I think the parking may not get as full as early in the day. We hiked the Gorge Trail from the Upper Entrance to the Main Entrance and then hiked back to the start on the North Rim Trail. I'd do this way again. The best advice I can give is to start as early as you want/can. We arrived at the parking around 7:45am on a Friday morning (it was the Fourth of July weekend so we worried about holiday and weekend crowds), and it wasn't too crowded when we started. That meant a less crowded Gorge Trail, better pictures, and cooler temps. When we were making our way back just an hour or so later, the trail was much more crowded. I also recommend you wear hiking boots, water shoes, or some other waterproof shoes, because you will be walking through wet areas, mud, etc. I saw some girls dressed up for cute photos under waterfalls; they looked adorable, but I was trudging around in the mud in my hiking boots and sweating sunscreen. Neither trail was very difficult, and I think most people can and should do at least the Gorge Trail. (The Upper Rim Trail is a little bit of a bummer after the gorgeous views on the Gorge Trail, but I appreciated that there was a way to hike back to our car without returning on the Gorge Trail, because then it would have been so crowded!) Watkins Glen State Park was one of the highlights of our four or so days in the Finger Lakes. It's really stunning. I look forward to hiking the Gorge Trail again the future.

    Photos
    Watkins Glen State Park - Ode to the Indians who made this area home long before the European settlers came here.

    Ode to the Indians who made this area home long before the European settlers came here.

    Watkins Glen State Park - Tiny Toads... maybe the size of Quarter

    Tiny Toads... maybe the size of Quarter

    Watkins Glen State Park - Little Salamander trying to catch some rays

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    Little Salamander trying to catch some rays

    Keuka Lake State Park - hiking - Updated August 2026

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