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Sampson State Park

4.2 (22 reviews)

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Beach
Shane C.

The NY State Parks never disappoint. Very clean and well maintained park. Part of the land is operated by a private business. Those sites are located on the south end. The state park side is on the north end. The road signs in the park are not good to get you to the correct check-in location. I had to stop for directions. The recreation center was closed for COVID restrictions I assume. The park has excellent playgrounds for children. The beach is very small and is open only when a lifeguard is on duty. However you may swim just outside the roped swimming area at your own risk. That makes no sense but I believe they are trying to avoid lawsuits. Nice boat ramps and marina on the south end. I believe that is privately operated. Live music on Friday. Snacks and burgers shop available. Hiking trails.

Christopher P.

I have lived in upstate New York for almost 12 years, and I am kicking myself that I didn't visit this park until now. Although it is remote, that is part of its charm. We stayed in a campsite for two nights and a beautiful weekend in July. This campground is probably the quietest and most family-friendly one I've ever been to, even by New York State parks standards. There are five loops of campsites, plus a sixth loop with "no-shade" sites (i.e. an open field), as well as another area with a handful of rustic cabins. I would say the amount of RVs versus tent campers seem to be split about 50-50 during our visit. There is a wonderfully rustic arcade, although it's got a high tech debit card system instead of tokens and tickets. There's also a small beach, with lifeguards on duty during daytime hours per normal. Just up the hill from the beach is a general store with a nice selection of sundries and snacks, as well as a short-order kitchen. On weekends it's open until 8 p.m. It's kind of amazing how expansive this property is. You can drive up to seven or eight minutes after you come in the main entrance just to reach your site. Although the campsites are not necessarily specifically defined -- in other words, there's not a distinct border between sites like I've seen at other NYS parks. But I found there was plenty of room to spread out, and no one felt like they were on top of each other. In sum: although Sampson State Park may lack the dramatic scope of other New York State parks such as Letchworth, this is a true hidden gem. I advise you to book your campsite four to six months ahead of time at a minimum. Enjoy!

Playground
Greg C.

We spent a bit of time there on Sunday as we were passing through from Ithaca to Buffalo. Our toddler needed some time to run. The facilities were in great condition. The park features a military museum, wide open space, ample camping, paved biking, marina, playground, and beach with lifeguards. The depth goes to 8ft. I would like to come back and camp, while exploring the finger lakes. I do wonder if it ever gets crowded there. It seemed quite empty when we visited in August. The only negative for this state Park is that it's not much for any trails.

Loop 3
Matthew D.

The sites are great. I stayed in loop 3. It's mostly RVs but it provides lots of room for tents. It's a typical state park. Bathrooms are clean and kept well. There is a small section of cabins. It's on Seneca Lake so it's great for boating and fishing. Lots of cycling around the loops. There's a recreation room in the main office with put-put, ping pong, and air hockey.

One of the rustic cabins. Plenty of space for one or even two canopy tents and a fire pit W

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Photo of John L.
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2 years ago

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8 months ago

Wonderful state park with spacious RV sites, great facilities and beauty. Close to wineries and oodles of trails.

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Photo of Erica R.
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5 years ago

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4 years ago

Park was nice but I would not go here for the beach. There weren't a lot of places to sit if you want to stay away from kids or families

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Photo of Ray B.
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3 years ago

Great camping in the finger lakes. Nice beach with lifeguards.

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5 years ago

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8 years ago

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5 years ago

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7 years ago

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12 years ago

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7 years ago

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7 years ago

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13 years ago

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10 years ago

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10 years ago

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12 years ago

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9 years ago

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9 years ago

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13 years ago

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9 years ago

Have many memories here. There's a playground, beach, so much space for kids to run and play... well kept park.

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Photo of Dana K.
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8 years ago

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9 years ago

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Review Highlights - Sampson State Park

The best part for us is we could swim in Seneca Lake with our dog on the dog beach.

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Taughannock Falls State Park - North Rim Trail

Taughannock Falls State Park

(164 reviews)

[Tuh-Gan-Ick] Falls state park is one the of most beautiful state park in NY. It has spectacular…read morenatural attractions of waterfalls, and a lake front on the other side of the road The Gorge Trail to the waterfall is very easy to access. I visited in the winter to see the falls frozen over, and the park rangers had done an excellent job keeping the trail well maintained. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from the parking lot to the waterfall, and there's very little elevation change along the way. North Rim trail entrance was close during winter due to ice and snow. But you can skip the dangerous part of the trail by parking at the Taughannock Falls overlook point and start hiking from there. Then you will reach the upper falls. Parking is only $10. lot is small so warmer weather probably will fill up pretty quickly.

I visited here in the winter to see the falls frozen over, and it was such a cool experience! I…read morehadn't seen a frozen waterfall before, so it was really special to experience. I thought it was a fairly easy 1 mile hike out to the falls (though my coworker vehemently disagrees that 1 mile and easy belong in the same sentence - sorry Miss Sheila!), and there were some falcons swooping around. There is a fee to park, but were still spots remaining when we arrived. We should have received discounted parking with a Military ID, but the booth was unmanned that day, so we paid anyway. There is a restroom facility at the parking lot, and it wasn't bad. I actually think it was heated, so that was nice. I'd be interested in seeing the falls and hiking the upper trail when the weather is better!

Buttermilk Falls State Park

Buttermilk Falls State Park

(128 reviews)

Beautiful park right off the road with easy access. Parking is $10 and worth it whether you want a…read morerelaxed stroll or a longer hike. Buttermilk Falls is right at the entrance and super easy to get to, with trails branching off from there. There's also swimming available in season when lifeguards are on duty. Overall, a very relaxing spot I loved visiting.

Located just on the southern edge of Ithaca, Buttermilk Falls named as early as 1866, as it was…read morelikened to "a mass of thick, frothy foam" is a wildly popular spot for tourists and local residents, especially during the height of summer where some of us visited this park. Formed by Buttermilk Creek as it flows down the steep valley side toward Cayuga Lake ranging in height from 5 to 35 feet and descending more than 500 feet in a series of cascades and rapids, a natural pool at the base of fall provides swimming with the feel of an old swimming hole that was closed today due to lack of life guards. Like many NY state parks, there are two entrances. We walked from the parking lot at the lower park and hiked up the picturesaque dog friendly Gorge Trail until the cross-over bridge. Then we returned back down the other side of the gorge on the less travelled Rim Trail. Bathrooms were clean with 4 showers. If one carries in food or drinks into the park, one must carry out as there are no trash cans. Parking was $10 and our picnic lunch made for an inexpensive, fabulous day, which we can recommend.

Sampson State Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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