Buckingham Lake/Pond (depending on what site you check) is in the middle of a quiet suburban area…read morein Albany. There's a path around it to stretch your legs and/or those of your canine companions - circle it twice and you've walked 1 mile. The playground area makes this a popular neighborhood destination. The fountains were active today (it's a warm day in February with some ice cover), but the ducks were.

Very pretty walk in the middle of stately housing. Even when walking through a mist it's ok since…read moreit's mostly shaded. Half mile around.

This is a gorgeous state park on the northeast edge of Otsego Lake. My wife, two teenage sons (15…read moreyrs, 13 yrs), and I came here with our miniature poodle for a quick visit during a 4-night stay in Sharon Springs, NY. We came here every day to enjoy the lovely view of the lake, take a leisurely stroll with the dog, and spend an afternoon fishing (for my 15 year old son). It's about a 15-20 minute drive from Cooperstown along the east shore. At the main entrance, you'll pay a $7 admission fee per vehiecle, or you can just show your NY State Parks Empire Pass card. This is a gem of a park that is well worth the price of admission. First, it feels open and spacious with nice hiking trails. Second, the view of Lake Otsego is lovely. You may see a few kayakers or windsurfers on the lake depending on weather conditions. If you have young children, this is a must-visit place as there are kid-friendly playgrounds. Third, the lake is shallow and calm by the beach, but the water temperature can feel a bit chilly. In the summer, they have lifeguards available starting at 11:00am. Finally, the park has a concession stand which sells basic snacks, hot dogs, and drinks. It's also worth it to take a short walk up the hill to see Hyde Hall and the view of the lake from there!

Very friendly staff at front gate beautiful lake to swim in and camping available as well.read more

Before you come here, if you want to hike behind the waterfalls, Indian Ladder Trail is closed…read moreduring the winter and through April due to ice. Other than that, all the trails are open and still fun to hike and enjoy the views. Also the state park is free during off season and much less traffic, which is a bonus. Luckily, I came in late March where most of the snow and ice has melted, and I could explore with regular hiking shoe. I did a loop at the Paint Mine trail. Maybe 2miles total. There are some small waterfalls there, fairly easy loop, no real elevation change. There are a couple overlooks at the park where you can see over the valley. If weather permits, you can see city of Albany at far away with a waterfall on the side. It was very foggy at my first day, so I had to go back again.

Today two friends and I visited the Nature Center to see a wildlife art show/exhibit. There were a…read morevariety of media: photography, felting, ink art, watercolors, acrylics and oil paintings and sculptures. The artists' pieces are beautiful. I was especially impressed with the paintings created on wild turkey feathers. Rarely do I head to Thacher State Park in March...I am so glad we did. I highly recommend viewing this art show now. It is running until March 29th. I look forward to returning to John Boyd Thacher State Park in warmer weather when the trails are open. Truly a treasure!

Softball practice for my travel team is awesome here! I recommend the playground and swings!read more

I've been here multiple times for parties. They have two pavilions, one with a kitchen and its own…read morebathrooms. They've got a building that's used by the community for events. I really never walked the trails when I've come because I was there for events. With working from home during COVID I've been searching out places for my pup and I to go walk. The park has two trails, one at the north end and one south. The trails run along the Moordenerkill creek. The southern trail has shorter trails leading off of it. There's also a dirt road that seems to be a mile or so long that leads to the Miracle Field (baseball field for disabled people). They've got a new playground and even a dog park for town residents.

Large park with paved trails, a pond with multiple fountains, tons of benches, two parks for kids,…read moremany pavilions and bathrooms available. A bunch of flat fields people meet at for events and flag football etc. Not tons of shade but enough to keep it enjoyable. Bring water and you will be sure to enjoy!!! :) There has been some concern with suspicious people lurking by parks that's worth mentioning. One lady said she was with the paper and was taking pictures of kids and evaded once questioned. Another man was recently banned for lurking and aggression at the park.

This is a wonderful place for walking, taking children to the wonderful playground and sitting by…read morethe pond. Additionally, there are too many activities and free music concerts to list.

This park is worth a visit. There's a great view of the Hudson River and the valley. And there's a…read morenice playground for the kiddies. In the center of the top level you'll find a female statue who looks as if she's watching over the town's residents. Parking's plentiful in the adjacent lot so come check this park out!

The city of Hudson must make tons of money off expired parking meters. From out of town so expired…read moremeter is quite possible especially when man in pouring rain gives tickets to just expired meters and to small businesses right in front of their stores. Ticket was $8 plus $3.50 fee to pay online or phone. There are NO public parking lots. Great way to treat tourists who spend lots of $$$ in that town. Just beware when parking at meters--WHICH ARE EVERYWHERE!!

A peaceful, pristine, little bit of paradise on a hot summer's day. The water is so crisp and cool…read more Parking is limited and the walk down can be a bit for some, .20 miles down a rocky incline, but once you get here it's worth it. This is a take in/take out facility-please take your trash with you. No public facilities so plan accordingly. This is NATURE, enjoy

Whether it's a full swim, wet our toes or be near water (even in winter), hubs is forever finding…read moreany body of water to explore. I had read about Big Deep- but we never found it in all the years we've visited Woodstock, NY until the Summer of '22. Big Deep reminded me of the movie, 'The Beach'. Wait up though- this is a much smaller, smaller, smaller, smaller, smaller and rugged version of the movie and a farrrrrrrrrr stretch from that lush and tropical beach setting. So paradise, is not. At its best, Big Deep is only (and I mean only) a patch of some water (a lot of it has receded), lots of trees blocking the Sun and a bunch of rocks. Get some legit water sandals to avoid walking bare feet on rocks, scraping your skin- otherwise, pray you don't break a toe. Don't drive too fast or you'll miss it. Big Deep has designated paved drivable entrance and exit paths. After you're parked, it's a trek on more paved paths to get to 'the beach', lake or whatever you wanna call it. I'm not glorifying Big Deep- but it is secluded in its own bizarre way. Some blogs have mentioned this may be/will be closed off. If you feel like you want to put up with this scene, by all means. It's $0 to get in (from the last time we were here).

Just a fabulous campground for families and anyone, really. Clean...great staff. Perfect!read more

Beautiful park to visit and have a picnic, very clean please keep it that way! Because we live here…read morewe don't visit that much,but I know all the kids love it and have parties,very peaceful and lots of camping.

Wintergreen Park is a really neat spot to explore with some fascinating rock features. "Boiling…read morePot" is the natural swimming pool that's great for a quick dip. (Be careful, because it's not as deep as you'd think) A common frustration that I have (that I'm sure many others have as well) with beautiful spots like these is the accumulation of trash left behind by park visitors. I was really bummed to see so much junk that could have easily been carried out by the same humans who carried it in. It's really not that hard. L.N.T. y'all - LEAVE NO TRACE!

You learn about the Falls in junior high if you grew up in Troy, Watervliet, Cohoes, Lansingburgh…read moreaka 'the burgh'...or in other words are a local. Its a nice bit of 'wilderness' in the city. I guess the police/rescue squad get about 5-10 calls every spring-early fall to get some idiot that overestimated their free climbing prowess, got in a hairy spot, and (best case) froze and needed help back down. Worst case they fall, get injured and need to be carried out. Back in the day when I was still a young woman I did enjoy hiking in with some friends and finding a quiet spot near the falls to enjoy the natural vibes with the help of some good quality bud. , Haven't been up to the falls in years but I imagine not much has changed. Note/another reviewer questioned why the city doesn't keep it up better as it is a nice spot. I think the land is privately owned not city property.

Finding this beauty made my entire weekend. Ah, just to sit and breathe it in. Thank you, Yelp…read morefriends, for pointing the way. If you are near Troy definitely worth finding.