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    Onondaga Lake Park

    4.4 (52 reviews)

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    Reviews With Photos - Onondaga Lake Park

    Huge Lake!!
    Phil A.

    Awesome!! I'll lead with that!! Technically, this lake is In Liverpool, NY which is right next to Syracuse. I came here a few times as I was staying not to far away, to get in my daily runs while in town. Huge parking lot, nice big paved paths and roads for everyone. And they keep this park super clean and well maintained. Shout out to the workers here, they do a tremendous job!! Everyone I encountered during my runs were friendly. I'm not sure if you can run around the whole lake, which is huge by the way. I was always pressed for time when I was here, so I didn't go as far as I would have liked. They also have the Salt museum, a playground, and a trolley here. I wish I was able to spend more time here, definitely a great park!!

    view of the city
    Jessica G.

    There are some great trails here to get a good walk in, especially with your dog. Mostly all the trails are paved and you can ride a bike, push a stroller, or even a wheelchair. There is a playground for the children and recently added pickle ball courts. There is a visitor center and salt museum as well. My biggest gripe is all the trash around the park. There are trash cans but people litter and leave their dog doo on the trails. Other than that there are beautiful views into the City of Syracuse.

    Yuk L.

    Beautiful lake with many great views. A lovely trail that is good for pedestrians, runners, bikers and other forms of wheeled-travel. Now is the season of the Lights on the Lake and I look forward to walking through this soon.

    Julia R.

    I have never been here during the day but driven through it multiple times for the Lights on the Lake event. Looks like they have a nice playground for kids near the parking lot which is a bonus. Lights on the Lake happens every holiday season. It's a drive through holiday light experience with hinders of holiday lights. You prepurchase your tickets online. They do this to guarantee all cars get through the park by 10 PM. You tune your car radio into holiday music & you get to drive thru slowly. My kids love it & we usually stop & do dinner first at a local spot which makes a great evening.

    Jason P.

    Lovely park offering some great views of the lake. Large parking lot with tons of spaces. There may be an entrance fee during the peak season ($8 or so) but there was no fee when I visited there in late September. I noticed some people fishing there, but I am not sure of the permit requirements. There is a large ane well-kept children play area there as well. The park also features a skate park, shuffleboard court, bocce ball court and volleyball court. If you walk further north along the lakeside, there is a marina there. Lots of trails and paths for walking, jogging, running or biking. You can also rent bikes, skates and quad-bikes there as well. I would love to return when the leaves change colors later on in the fall...

    Ohno ndaga
    Fox E.

    Yoko Ono Ndaga Lake Park was a favourite haunt of John Lennon. McCartney reportedly didn't like it here because it wasn't bland enough for him. Definitely one of the prettiest places I've seen in the Syracuse area. Unlike Green Lakes State Park you don't have a pay a fortune to see it, either. This is a stunning park next to a picturesque lake that is one of the most spectacular places in the region to hang out. Just don't tell anyone that the lake is one of the most polluted in the country. Nobody needs to know that. And ignore the factories around the shore. Or better yet just give them the finger. The finger lakes, that is. Speaking of fingering lakes.

    Onondaga Lake Park with kayaking salt museum and beautiful views
    Alex L.

    Onondaga Lake Park; gorgeous views, running trails -- a Salt Museum and a tram that runs here, also home to the Lights on the Lake during the holiday season. Lights on the Lake deserves to be in another review (hint: it would be two stars), so I won't talk about it here, but as a park -- this place is great. With the mountainous looking terrain in the back, you can almost imagine you're in San Francisco (okay...almost, maybe I'm stretching it). There's a shoreline trail where you can run and walk your dog with mile markers up to 3miles. Great place to go running along the water. Running parallel to it, there's another trail where you can bike and roller blade (but dogs are forbidden). Although it's beautiful to come here for a romantic walk or picnic or to meditate by yourself, it's a bit bittersweet if you know the history of this place. It used to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in the US, but as Onondaga Lake is like the second most polluted lake in the US -- you can no longer safely swim here and a lot of that tourism vanished. It's too bad, they've made a lot of effort to clean up the lake, but it still has a long way to go. Extra star will be awarded for when the lake is safely swimmable again. Hopefully in my lifetime.

    Kwi L.

    Great free park where you can walk, run, rollerblade, bike, or walk your dog. They recently renovated the parking lot near the salt museum so it is cleaned up but unfortunately the design of the placement of the curbs and not widening the roads have lead to many a park goer hitting the curbs. So beware that the width of the roads along the curves are tight!!!!!! Overall this is a great well maintained park that extends to the other side. There is a great play ground, baseball field, and skate boarding area. There are also picnic area for people who want to barbecue. They even have bike rentals! With plenty of parking it's a great place to get your work out on or just enjoy nature with no fears of cars whizzing by. If you come in the evening you will witness some great sunsets. Only issue is sometimes when the wind blows once in a while you can get a whiff of the lake.

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    3 years ago

    Lovely place for a walk. Perfect for dogs. They even have plastic bags to clean up after the pooch!

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    4 years ago

    Interesting place but needs some help to revitalize a once very important geographical place.

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    5 years ago

    Nice park, too bad the water isn't clean enough to swim in, they really need Pickleball courts which would draw a lot of players

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Onondaga Lake Park

    Is it possible to rent a pavilion?

    Yes. You can reserve online at the Onondaga county parks website.

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    Review Highlights - Onondaga Lake Park

    There is also the Salt Museum which goes over the history of the Lake and the region.

    Mentioned in 9 reviews

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    Pratts Falls Park

    Pratts Falls Park

    4.7
    (19 reviews)
    15.8 mi

    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!

    Photos
    Clean and large restrooms
    Clean and large restrooms
    Top of the falls
    Top of the falls
    Trails, dog friendly on leash

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    Trails, dog friendly on leash
    Green Lakes State Park

    Green Lakes State Park

    4.5
    (150 reviews)
    12.2 mi

    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.

    Photos
    Green Lakes State Park
    Trees that make you feel like you've just entered an elvish grove.
    Trees that make you feel like you've just entered an elvish grove.
    Green Lakes State Park

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    Onondaga Lake Park - parks - Updated July 2026

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