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    Otter Creek State Forest

    4.0 (1 review)

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    5 years ago

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    Whetstone Gulf State Park - South Gorge trail

    Whetstone Gulf State Park

    3.7(6 reviews)
    5.9 mi

    We came to meet family here for a get-together picnic in the park. We had a hell of a time getting…read moreto the place due to construction detours in what seemed to be the entire perimeter of the park, but we finally made it. When we came up to the gate to enter, we were greeted by a super friendly staff, whom our family members tell us has been working there for some time. She seems to really enjoy her job and greeting people. Not only was she super cheerful, she gave us a bottle of bubbles when she saw my daughter in the back seat. We laugh, because she's not a child anymore, but we appreciated it. We mentioned that we were supposed to meet family here, and she knew exactly where to direct us. We passed by the beach, which is tiny enough to be a bit funny, but I guess it's ok for children to wade it or lay out your towel to catch some sun. We progressed over the one-lane bridge to the area we were seeking. Plenty of parking. There are tons of picnic tables and public barbeques available for use. The bathrooms are in a large, easily accessible building. They're old, but everything still worked. The tables we occupied were beside the stream and in plenty of shade. You can walk along the stream very easily, and the water contains a lot of nice rocks, of which my husband collected a couple for souvenirs. We didn't have time to do any hiking, but I'd be curious to explore. You do need to collect and carry out all your garbage. I didn't see any fountains or any place to buy any provisions, and that's not listed as an amenity on the website. You can camp and shower there, although we didn't use any of those. From the rest of the site, it looks like a decent place to stay for an extended visit. It was perfect for the family get-together that day. I'd be happy to meet there again for out next visit. Hopefully, with construction over and no roundabout detours to get through to find it.

    Excellent park for hiking some moderately challenging trails. Pretty scenery with several hundred…read morefeet of elevation change along the gorge.

    Photos
    Whetstone Gulf State Park - South Gorge trail

    South Gorge trail

    Whetstone Gulf State Park - South Gorge trail

    South Gorge trail

    Whetstone Gulf State Park - South Gorge trail

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    South Gorge trail

    Hinckley Day Use Area - Admission / toll booth entering / exiting Hinckley State park

    Hinckley Day Use Area

    5.0(1 review)
    30.4 mi

    Unbelievable Gem of a park. Like many of the long-forgotten NYS Parks that have remained…read moreunderfunded and understaffed, visitors can immediately tell this park used to be a prime tourist destination once-upon a time. A walk around the park revealed that it once had a multitude of well-maintained campsites complete with running water to each site and a bathhouse within walking distance. All campsites appear to be ready to re-open if money would be provided for proper maintenance. Maybe cabins could be built on the dozens of once used camping lots... why not? This park is still very well maintained. Very clean facilities with all lawn areas / shrubs / trees well kept. Very interesting park to walk around. Incredible forest growth, very old trees providing plenty of shade while walking around the park. There appears to be two very nice hiking trails to explore. One on the South-end of the park that winds through the long-forgotten campsites of yesteryear. Another trail to the West of the swim area leads down to a secluded beach area. Park has excellent well-maintained pavilions with very large BBQ pits and plenty of seating. Admittedly the #1 problem with these pavilions appears to be the number of mosquitoes within the vicinity. Would it be too expensive / cost prohibitive to add mosquito netting around the perimeter of the pavilions?? Seems an easy fix to attract more visitors to use and pay for the use of facilities. Even a small pavilion with some netting over a few of the picnic tables would go a long way toward attracting visitors. This is a beautiful park in a beautiful and historic neighborhood. This was a delight to check out while I was visiting the town of Remsen across the lake. Well-worth the trip and I will be returning.

    Photos
    Hinckley Day Use Area - This is the short hiking trail leading away from Pavilion #1 and toward secluded area of shoreline.

    This is the short hiking trail leading away from Pavilion #1 and toward secluded area of shoreline.

    Hinckley Day Use Area - Long-unused hoop, historic remnant of a park once packed with patrons

    Long-unused hoop, historic remnant of a park once packed with patrons

    Hinckley Day Use Area - Leaving Hinckley State Park and travelling down Grant Road. Many historic Sites to discover

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    Leaving Hinckley State Park and travelling down Grant Road. Many historic Sites to discover

    Bald Mountain

    Bald Mountain

    4.6(16 reviews)
    21.2 mi

    Bald Mountain is rated an easy trail to do with families around Old Forge. My family with teens…read moredecided to hike this trail and said it was super fun. They liked the climbing the boulders, ledges and roots. It does take some balance and finesse to navigate the trail. Some difficult areas have herd trails next to it to help with the steep portions if you're unable to climb. It would be difficult for anyone with mobility issues or balance issues. 3 areas with breath taking views. The full trip is 1.8 miles with a steep incline a few steps in and then some ups and down in the trail. It took our family 28 minutes to hike up. This was with stops to take pictures and 34 minutes to hike down. Descending is more of a challenge. Registration book and pencil at the beginning of the trail to sign in. I would use caution during a wet season or early morning dew.

    REALLY enjoyed my hike the other weekend!!…read more I didn't know what to expect because of the number of people this mountain attracts but I was really happy during the hike because it wasn't as crowded as I thought. It was like the perfect amount of hike! The views were gorg and amazing!! We had to wait in line for like 20 minutes to climb up the lookout, but it was totally worth it for the pic and the view! Really beautiful, will be back for sure! Also - be careful parking on the side of the road, the cops wait to give out tickets after people park..

    Photos
    Bald Mountain
    Bald Mountain
    Bald Mountain - Randaxe Fire tower

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    Randaxe Fire tower

    Otter Creek State Forest - hiking - Updated May 2026

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