New York City's Parks & Recreation, Gardens

• City of New York - Parks and Recreation Department - Seeks to maintain a clean and safe parks system, providing the public with a greener city and a wide variety of recreational opportunities.

• City Parks Foundation - Helps to improve and rebuild parks and playgrounds, offer recreational, horticultural, cultural and environmental education programs to people of all ages, and encourage community groups that assist in caring for parks.

• New Yorkers for Parks - NYC civic organization dedicated to parks and recreation, supporting the creation, protection and improvement of public parks throughout the five boroughs.

• Bryant Park - An Urban Oasis - A public park of the City of New York and a New York City Scenic Landmark. Official website, provides information about the park, events, and its history.

• Bryant Park - New York City - Candid, black & white photographs taken in Manhattan's restored/redesigned urban oasis, Bryant Park, by Nathaniel Burkins. The New York Public Library's backyard at Sixth avenue and 42nd Street.

• Central Park - FAQs, history, and a virtual tour.

• Central Park Conservancy - Group's official site. Information on events, bloom schedules, a virtual tour, and an in depth look at the park's history.

• Central Park PAWS - A committee made up of representatives of the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Central Park Conservancy, and the dog owners who use Central Park. Offers rules, contacts, discussion, and pictures.

• Friends of Duane Park - Park history, restoration news, and upcoming events including loft tours in its Tribeca neighborhood.

• Friends of Hudson River Park - News, information on cruises, boating, research and education, recreation, historic ships and parking at this five mile long 550 acre park stretching along the shores of and on certain piers on the Manhattan side of the Hudson River.

• Friends of Morningside Park - A neighborhood nonprofit coalition in New York City promoting community events, recreation and volunteer activities in this historic Manhattan public park.

• Washington Square Park - Green grass, benches, street performers, people watching, music, and culture.

• Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park - Nine-acre waterfront park located between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. Profile, photograph, travel information.

• Prospect Park - Great Park Places - Profile, photographs, appreciation, history, contact information.

• Prospect Park Online - Outdoor concerts, family picnics, exercising, athletics, or quiet reflection.

• Chittenango Falls State Park - NPS Listing - Visitors will enjoy the 167 foot waterfall formed from old bedrock. The falls can be viewed from the top, walk the winding trail into the gorge view the falls from the footbridge and return to the top along the small trail on the opposite side of the gorge. Activities include camping, fishing, hiking and picnicking.

• Clarence Fahnestock State Park - NPS Listing - The main feature of the park is Canopus Beach, a multi-million-dollar facility with a large, sandy beach, a concession stand, showers and toilets, and a picnic area. Other features include: excellent fishing, boating, bridle trails and more. Located in Carmel.

• Clark Reservation State Park - NPS Listing - a geologic wonder of the last ice age and a botanist's paradise. Guided tours, fishing, birdwatching and five trails for hiking.

• Clay Pit Ponds State Park - Preserve - Clay Pit Ponds is a 260-acre nature preserve near the southwest shore of Staten Island offering a unique variety of habitats. Horseback riding is permitted with 5 miles of bridal paths.

• Coles Creek State Park - NPS Listing - wooded and open camp sites on a shelterd bay on Lake St. Lawrence. Ideal for boating and fishing. Also has playground, playing fields and hiking trails.

• Conesus Lake Boat Launch - NPS Listing - Boat launch, also includes a picnic area and comfort station.

• Connetquot River State Park Preserve - NPS Listing - numerous waterfowl and deer, rare nesting birds, including the osprey, and plenty of rare plant species, such as trailing arbutus and pyxie moss in their natural habitats. The preserve also has 50 miles of hiking, horseback riding, cross-country ski and nature trails, as well as fishing on the Connetquot River.

• Cumberland Bay State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Plattsburg on the north shore of Lake Champlain - a popular day-use area with large natural sand beach and picnic grounds. The park has 200 campsites, a playground and playing fields

• Darien Lakes State Park - NPS Listing - The park has 158 campsites with heated comfort stations and showers, a sandy beach, playgrounds, fishing for largemouth black bass, hiking and horseback riding trails, picnic areas and a rustic bridge over the lake channel to Picnic Island. In winter, multiple-use trails are open for hiking, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling and a maintained and heated building for outdoor skating.

• Dean's Cove Boat Launch - A boat launch site in Seneca Falls, including power boats, with wheel-chair accessible fishing access. No other facilities. Empire Passport accepted.

• Delta Lake State Park - NPS Listing - Features a sandy beach, picnic areas, hiking and nature trails, boat launch, and fishing. Park has 101 tent, trailer or RV camping sites. Winter visitors can cross-country ski, snowshoe or ice fish. Located in Rome.

• Devil's Hole State Park - NPS Listing - A wildly beautiful walkway leads down from the park along the turbulent Niagara River 300 feet into the wooded gorge and offers an up-close, spectacular view of the gorge's rapids.

• Dewolf Point State Park - NPS Listing - Fishermen and nature lovers appreciate this small park's rustic beauty and turn-of-the-century gazebo and dockage for boats on the Lake of the Isles in the St. Lawrence River. Also camping and cabin community. Located in Fineview.

• Earl W. Brydges ArtPark - State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Lewiston. Dedicated to presenting performing and visual arts programs, including Broadway musicals and classical, jazz and pop music concerts, art exhibits, classes, workshops and demonstrations, and tours of the park's geological and historic sites and nature trails.

• Eel Weir State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Ogdensburg on the Oswegatchie River two miles from Black Lake. Excellent area for bass fishing, canoes and rowboats. Thirty-eight campsites are available, picnic area and pavilion.

• Evangola State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Irving on Lake Erie - beautiful sand beach, swimming, picnic facilities, baseball and soccer fields, tennis and basketball courts and 80 campsites.

• Fahnestock Winter Park - NPS Listing - Located in the Fahnestock Memorial State Park in Carmel, the Winter Park has 15 km of machine groomed, tracked and mapped trails for safe cross country skiing and snowshoeing experiences.

• Fair Haven Beach State Park - NPS Listing - The park is lakefront in upstate New York, with high bluffs above sandy beaches and hilly woodlands. Inland, there is Sterling Pond, surrounded by campsites and cabins. Swimming and fishing are excellent. Rowboats, paddleboats and canoes are for rent and the park has a boat launch and recreation building which is available for rentals.

• Fillmore Glen State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Moravia, this park is dense woods along a narrow gorge. Hiking trails offer spectacular views, unique geological formations, including five waterfalls, and a botanically rich glen. The park has 60 campsites, a stream-fed swimming pool and fishing in the Owasco Lake inlet. In winter, hiking, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling are permitted on unplowed roads.

• Fort Niagara State Park - NPS Listing - Youngstown has two boat launches providing access to the Lower Niagara River and Lake Ontario, woodland hiking trails, swimming pools, waterslide, a view of Lake Ontario, picnic grounds, playgrounds, tennis courts, water fowl hunting and 18 soccer fields. In winter, visitors can cross-country ski, snowshoe, and sled. Adjacent to Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site.

• Four Mile Creek State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Youngstown - has 266 campsites and hiking trails along densely-wooded bluffs and offers play areas and freshwater fishing. The marsh at the mouth of Four Mile Creek is home to many varieties of fauna, such as great blue herons, and flora, such as white trillium and greenbrier.

• Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park - NPS Listing - This State Park's spacious picnic areas accommodate hundreds of people who visit the park daily. People of all ages also enjoy the park's oasis of blue water amid the green of the countryside. Swimming is provided in a mammoth pool that will accommodate several thousand people at one time. Mohansic Lake and Crom Pond provide excellent fishing and boating. Rowboat rentals are available in season and privately owned boats may be launched with a purchased at the park office.

• Gilbert Lake State Park - NPS Listing - Park offers a lake and three ponds lie in wooded, hilly terrain in the foothills of the Catskills. There are cabins and campsites and more than 12 miles of interconnecting trails for hikers, skiers, snowmobilers and snowshoers. Features include: a frisbee golf course, swimming, boating, and fishing.

• Glimmerglass State Park - NPS Listing - Located eight miles outside the village of Cooperstown, overlooking Otsego Lake, is the "Glimmerglass" of James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales.

• Golden Hill State Park - NPS Listing - The park's campsites and boat launch attract anglers interested in the excellent fishing on Lake Ontario. The park also has a historical Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse, which invites visitors to take self-guided tours. Playing fields, frisbee golf and shoreline hiking are popular activities. In winter, visitors can snowshoe and cross-country ski. Located in Barker.

• Goosepond Mountain State Park - NPS Listing - This state park in Orange County, is managed as open space. It is almost completely wooded, open to hikers and horseback riders.

• Governor Alfred E. Smith/Sunken Meadow State Park - NPS Listing - Sunken Meadow State Park offers swimming in Long Island Sound; hiking six miles of trails, including the northern starting point of the Suffolk County Greenbelt Trail; biking, horseback riding picnicking, fishing and cross-country skiing. In addition, the park has three 9-hole golf courses, a driving range and putting green.

• Grafton Lakes State Park - NPS Listing - Grafton; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Grass Point State Park - NPS Listing - Alexandria Bay; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Green Lakes State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Fayetteville. Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Hamlin Beach State Park - NPS Listing - Hamlin; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area - Dansville; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Harriman State Park - NPS Listing - Bear Mountain; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Heckscher State Park - NPS Listing - East Islip; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Hempstead Lake State Park - NPS Listing - West Hempstead; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• High Tor State Park - NPS Listing - Bear Mountain; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Highland Lakes State Park - NPS Listing - Bear Mountain; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Higley Flow State Park - NPS Listing - Colton; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• The History of the New York State Canal System - Read about how Governor DeWitt Clinton of New York convinced the state legislature to authorize $7 million for construction of a canal 363 miles long, 40 feet wide and four feet deep in 1817 allowing trade to funnel down the Hudson to New York City.

• Hither Hills State Park - NPS Listing - Montauk; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Honeoye Lake Boat Launch State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Honeoye. Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Hudson Highlands State Park - NPS Listing - Beacon; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Hudson River History Tour - The Hudson Valley Virtual History Tour. Travel through time as you explore the Hudson River and Hudson Valley. You'll be connected to photos, museums and stories about the celebrated history of this region of New York.

• Hudson River Islands State Park - NPS Listing - Schodack Landing; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Hunt's Pond State Park - NPS Listing - Oxford; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Irondequoit Bay State Marine Park - NPS Listing - Hamlin; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Jacques Cartier State Park - NPS Listing - Morristown; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• James Baird State Park - NPS Listing - Pleasant Valley; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• John Boyd Thacher State Park - NPS Listing - Voorheesville; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Jones Beach State Park - NPS Listing - Wantagh; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Joseph Davis State Park - NPS Listing - Lewiston; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Keewaydin State Park - NPS Listing - Alexandria Bay; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Keuka Lake State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Bluff Point. Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Kring Point State Park - NPS Listing - Redwood; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Lake Erie State Park - NPS Listing - Brockton; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Lake Placid NY, Whiteface Mountain, Adirondacks - Guide to Lake Placid, New York, in the Adirondack Mountains. Maps, dining, lodging, attractions, history, weather and skiing information.

• Lake Sebago Beach - Harriman State Park - NPS Listing - Bear Mountain; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Lake Superior State Park - NPS Listing - Monticello; offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Lake Taghkanic State Park - NPS Listing - Ancram; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Lake Tiorati Beach - Harriman State Park - NPS Listing - Bear Mountain; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Lake Welch Beach - Harriman State Park - NPS Listing - Bear Mountain; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Lakeside Beach State Park - NPS Listing - Waterport; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Lock Island - Phoenix, NY - Gateway to Oswego County - Located in downtown Phoenix, New York, Lock Island Park and Pavilion is on the Oswego River to control Lock One as the Gateway to Oswego County and Lake Ontario to the North. The park provides the ongoing enjoyment of boat traffic as it passes through the lock. Easy access to local shops, restaurants, and parks.

• Lodi Point State Park - NPS Listing - Romulus; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Long Island Environmental Interpretive Center - Oakdale; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Long Point State Park - NPS Listing - Finger Lakes - Moravia; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Long Point State Park - NPS Listing - Thousand Islands - Three Mile Bay; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Long Point State Park - NPS Listing on Lake Chautauqua - Bemus Point; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Macomb Reservation State Park - NPS Listing - Schuyler Falls; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park - NPS Listing - Staatsburg; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Mark Twain State Park and Golf Course - State Park that offers 18 holes of golf.

• Mary Island State Park - NPS Listing - Clayton; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Max V. Shaul State Park - NPS Listing - Fultonham; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Mine Kill State Park - NPS Listing - North Blenheim; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Minnewaska State Park - NPS Listing Preserve - New Paltz; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Montauk Downs State Park - NPS Listing - Montauk; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Montauk Lighthouse, New York - Welcome to the Montauk Point Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in New York State. The Lighthouse was authorized under President George Washington in 1792. Online gift shop, pictures, videos, and events calendar.

• Montauk Point State Park - NPS Listing - Montauk; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Moreau Lake State Park - NPS Listing - Gansevoort; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• New York State Memorial - National Park Service - This 43 foot tall granite memorial was dedicated on Oct 17, 1917, on the occasion of the National Memorial Reunion and Peace Jubilee and commemorates the 49th, 51st, and 46th infantry and the 2nd New York Light Battery L.

• New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation - Detailed information about everything New York State has to offer at the best state park system in the nation.

• Niagara Falls State Park - Discover the majesty, and beauty of Niagara Falls at Niagara Falls State Park in Niagara Falls, New York.

• Niagara Falls State Park - Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Nyack Beach State Park - NPS Listing - Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Oak Orchard State Marine Park - NPS Listing - Located in Waterport. Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Staatsburg. Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Oquaga Creek State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Bainbridge - three hours out of New York City, offers beach facilities and forested campsites. The 55-acre Arctic Lake has a sand beach for swimmers, and good fishing.

• Orient Beach State Park - NPS Listing - Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Peebles Island State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Waterford. Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Pinnacle State Park - NPS Listing and Golf Course - Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Pixley Falls State Park - NPS Listing - Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions. Located in Boonville.

• Point Au Roche State Park - NPS Listing - Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Reservoir State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Niagara Falls and featuring sports facilities. Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Riverbank State Park - NPS Listing - Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Robert H. Treman State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Ithaca. Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Robert Moses State Park - Long Island - Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Robert Moses State Park - Thousand Islands - Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Roberto Clemente State Park - NPS Listing - Locatedin the Bronx. Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Rockland Lake State Park - NPS Listing - Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Sampson State Park - NPS Listing - Offers description, directions, hours, and attractions.

• Saratoga Lake State Boat Launch - Saratoga Springs; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Saratoga Spa State Park - NPS Listing - Saratoga Springs; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Sebago Cabin Camp - Harriman State Park - NPS Listing - Bear Mountain; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Selkirk Shores State Park - NPS Listing - Located in Pulaski. Offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Seneca Lake State Park - NPS Listing - Geneva; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Silver Lake State Park - NPS Listing - Castile; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Silver Mine - Harriman State Park - NPS Listing - Bear Mountain; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Southwick Beach State Park - NPS Listing - Henderson; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• St. Lawrence State Park - NPS Listing Golf Course - Ogdensburg; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Sterling Forest State Park - NPS Listing - Tuxedo; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Stony Brook State Park - NPS Listing - Dansville; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Storm King State Park - NPS Listing - Bear Mountain; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Taconic Outdoor Education Center - Cold Spring; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Taconic State Park - NPS Listing - Copake Falls Area - Copake Falls; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Taconic State Park - NPS Listing - Rudd Pond Area - Millerton; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Tallman Mountain State Park - NPS Listing - Bear Mountain; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Taughannock Falls State Park - Site features general park information, map of hiking trails, and scenic photos. The park features the Taughannock Waterfall located in Ulysses, NY, the tallest in the Northeast with a 215 foot (66 meters) sheer vertical drop.

• Taughannock Falls State Park - NPS Listing - Trumansburg; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Thompson's Lake State Park - NPS Listing - East Berne; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Valley Stream State Park - NPS Listing - Valley Stream; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Verona Beach State Park - NPS Listing - Verona Beach; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Waterson Point State Park - NPS Listing - Fineview; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Watkins Glen State Park - NPS Listing - Watkins Glen; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Wellesley Island State Park - NPS Listing - Fineview; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Westcott Beach State Park - NPS Listing - Sackets Harbor; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Whetstone Gulf State Park - NPS Listing - Lowville; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Whirlpool State Park - NPS Listing - Niagara Falls; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Wildwood State Park - NPS Listing - Wading River; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Wilson-Tuscarora State Park - NPS Listing - Wilson; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.

• Woodlawn Beach State Park - NPS Listing - Blasdell; offers description, directions, hours, and list of attractions.