New York state parks offer a variety of recreational opportunities and activities throughout New York. Although the state of New York often conjures up images of large cities such as New York City, Rochester, and Albany, upstate New York features millions of acres of wilderness areas that are ideal for connecting with nature. New York state parks recreation opportunities can include hiking, canoeing, cross-country skiing and fishing. There are many options for lodging in the state parks of New York, such as campgrounds and resorts.

The largest state parks of New York are the Catskill Park and the Adirondack Park, which make up the New York Forest Preserve. The Adirondack Park covers over six million acres of privately owned and public land, containing the Adirondack Mountains and outlying towns. It contains over 3,000 lakes and 2,000 miles of hiking trails, offering the most opportunities for New York State Parks recreation. Hiking trails in the Adirondack Mountains range from easy grade trails that can be completed in an hour with minimal difficulty, to 30-mile-long backpacking trails meant for the experts. Be sure to stop at state park visitor centers to pick up information about trail conditions.

Battle Island State Park, located on the banks of the Oswego River, offers a golf course and trails for cross-country skiing, making it a fun park to visit all times of the year. The state park was named after a battle that occurred near the island in the eighteenth century. It is easily accessible from New York State Highway 48, just north of Fulton.

Hamlin Beach State Park is located in the town of Hamlin on Lake Ontario. There are many things to do at the park, including swimming in the lake, biking, hiking, snowmobiling, ice skating, and cross-country skiing. The park offers a large campground with 164 spacious camp sites.

Snowmobiling is a popular New York state parks recreation activity. In fact, there are over 10,000 miles of snowmobile trails in New York. Each snowmobile operated in New York state parks must be registered with the DMV. Also, snowmobile riders must be at least eighteen years of age and must carry their insurance and registration documents at all times while riding any where in the state parks of New York.

The majority of New York state parks are open year round, making them an ideal place for an outing any time of year.