In this article, you will see the 18 best state parks in New York. State parks are large public gardens or areas of land used for recreation.
Please note that all practicing parks in the US are good in terms of leisure, but this article will use other rating criteria such as advanced technology in the environment, good customer service, helpfulness, etc. to bring you the best ones that will give you value for your money.
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18 Best State Parks in New York 2022
Below are 18 best state parks in New York. They already enjoy 4.0+ star reviews on Google places and other top directory websites in the US.
1. Gantry Plaza State Park
Hempstead Lake State Park is a multi-use facility. Included are 18 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts, children’s playgrounds, basketball courts, bridle trails for horseback riding, hiking trails, shaded picnic areas and a historic hand-carved wooden carousel.
Address: 4-09 47th Rd, Queens, NY 10007
Departments: Dog Park Of Gantry Plaza State Park
Phone: (718) 786-6385
Area: 12 acres (4.9 ha)
Visitors: 905,450 (in 2014)
2. Shirley Chisholm State Park
Rising up 130 feet above sea level, this new park occupies some of the highest ground in New York City and offers spectacular panoramic views of the Empire State Building to the northwest, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and New York Harbor to the west, and Jamaica Bay to the south.
The site, which has never been open to the public before, rests atop the former Pennsylvania and Fountain Avenue landfills.
Address: 1750 Granville Payne Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11239
Created: July 2019
Phone: (718) 277-2420
Size: 407-Acre nps.gov
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3. Valley Stream State Park
Valley Stream State Park is a day-use picnic facility next to a highly-developed residential area. The park offers picnic areas with tables, fireplaces and grills; children’s play areas; horseshoe, volleyball, basketball, ball fields, nature trails, and cross-country ski trails.
Address: Valley Stream State Park Rd, Valley Stream, NY 11580
Phone: (516) 825-4128
Entrance fee: $8 per car longislandexchange.com
4. Riverbank State Park
Riverbank State Park is a 28-acre (11 ha) state park built on top of a sewage treatment facility on the Hudson River, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It was opened in 1993.
Address: 679 Riverside Dr, New York, NY 10031
Phone: (212) 694-3600
Area: 28 acres (11 ha)
5. Marsha P. Johnson State Park
Marsha P. Johnson State Park is a seven-acre waterfront park located along the East River in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Address: 90 Kent Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone: (718) 782-2731
6. Roberto Clemente State Park
Roberto Clemente State Park is a 25-acre waterfront park located along the Harlem River in the Bronx. The park offers a variety of recreational and cultural activities year-round for youth, adults, senior citizens and the physically challenged.
Address: 301 W Tremont Ave, The Bronx, NY 10453
Phone: (718) 299-8750
Area: 25 acres (10 ha)
Public transit access: Morris Heights
7. Hempstead Lake State Park
Hempstead Lake State Park is a multiuse facility. Included are 18 tennis courts, 6 pickleball courts, children’s playgrounds, basketball courts, bridle trails for horseback riding, hiking trails, shaded picnic areas and a historic hand-carved wooden carousel.
Address: Eagle Ave, West Hempstead, NY 11552
Phone: (516) 766-1029
Area: 737 acres (2.98 km2)
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8. Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park
founded on four essential human freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Every ones dream place for relaxation.
Address: 1 FDR Four Freedoms Park, Roosevelt Island, NY 10044
Phone: (212) 204-8831
Area: 4 acres (1.6 ha)
Created: October 17, 2012
Architect: Louis Kahn
9. Bear Mountain State Park
The park features a large play field, shaded picnic groves, lake and river fishing access, a swimming pool, Trailside Museums and Zoo, hiking, biking and cross-country ski trails. An outdoor rink is open to ice skaters from late October through mid-March. The Perkins Memorial Tower atop Bear Mountain affords spectacular views of the park, the Hudson Highlands and Harriman State Park. Perkins Memorial Drive and Tower are open from April through late November, weather permitting.
The Merry-Go-Round at Bear Mountain State Park features hand painted scenes of the park an 42 hand carved seats of native animals including black bear, wild turkey, deer, raccoon, skunk, Canada goose, fox, swan, bobcat, rabbit and more. For general information and booking birthday parties at the Merry-Go-Round, please contact Guest Services at the Bear Mountain Inn at 845-786-2731.
Address: Route 9W North, Bear Mountain, NY 10911
Phone: (845) 786-2701
Established: 1913
10. Rockefeller State Park Preserve
Rockefeller State Park Preserve offers quiet countryside walks of all lengths through forested hills and valleys surrounding sunlit pastoral fields.
Address: 125 Phelps Way, Pleasantville, NY 10570
Phone: (914) 631-1470
11. Empire Fulton Ferry
The Empire Fulton Ferry Lawn offers views of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline.
Located in: Brooklyn Bridge Park. Enjoy the grassy area as you look in awe at the Brooklyn Bridge just above.
Address: 1 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: (718) 222-9939
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12. Belmont Lake State Park
This full service park offers boating, fishing, picnicking, playing fields, biking, horseback riding, hiking and cross-country skiing.
Address: 625 Belmont Ave, West Babylon, NY 11704
Phone: (631) 669-1000
13. Jones Beach State Park
Jones Beach State Park serves as the center point of parks on Long Island, with its 6.5 miles of white sand beach along the Atlantic Ocean, beautiful boardwalk, a 15,000-seat concert facility, the newly-opened Castles in the Sand exhibit
Address: 1 Ocean Pkwy, Wantagh, NY 11793
Area: 15.68 mi²
Phone: (516) 785-1600
Added to NRHP: April 28, 2005
Created: August 4, 1929
NRHP Reference Number: 05000358
14. Robert Moses State Park
Robert Moses State Park is an ocean beachfront facility that attracts nearly 3.8 million visitors annually and boasts a shoreline of nearly five miles.
Address: Robert Moses Causeway, Babylon, NY 11702
Area: 875 acres (3.54 km2)
Created: 1908
Phone: (631) 669-0449
15. Liberty Island
Before you depart, be sure to visit the Liberty Vista atop the Museum for breathtaking view of the Statue and New York Harbor.
Address: New York, NY 10004
Departments: Audio Tour Kiosk · Liberty Island Ferry Terminal
Area: 40 acres
Added to NRHP: October 15, 1966
Management: National Park Service
Architect: Richard Morris Hunt
16. Heckscher State Park( Field 4)
All boundaries and trails are shown as approximate. Be aware of changing trail conditions. Legend. Basketball Court. Boat Launch. Campground. Comfort
Address: 1 Heckscher State Parkway, East Islip, NY 11730
Phone: (631) 581-2100
Area: 1,657 acres (6.71 km2)
Size: 1,600 acres ny.gov
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17. Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve
Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve is a state park on Lloyd Neck, a peninsula extending into the Long Island Sound, in the Village of Lloyd Harbor, New York. It is operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Address: 25 Lloyd Harbor Rd, Lloyd Harbor, NY 11743
Area: 2.188 mi²
Phone: (631) 423-1770
Architectural style: Greek Revival architecture
NRHP Reference Number: 79001633
Architect: John Russell Pope
18. Bethpage State Park
Bethpage State Park is best known for its five world-class golf courses, including the world-renowned Black Course which was the site of the U.S. Open Championship in 2002 and 2009, the Barclays in 2012 and 2016, the PGA Championship in 2019 and will host the 2025 Ryder Cup
Address: 99 Quaker Meeting House Rd, Farmingdale, NY 11735
Departments: The Bethpage Public House
Area: 1,477 acres (598 ha)
Phone: (516) 249-0700
Size: 1,476-acre livingnewdeal.org
Visitors: 647,118 (in 2020)