My wife, two teenage sons, miniature poodle, and I visited this state park on a hot day in July…read more2025. We parked on the East Bay Drive entrance (which has a very steep but short climb to view the bluffs). Please note the east entrance to the Bluff Trail has a limited number of parking spots with two porta-potty units instead of a full restroom. This is NOT the main entrance to the state park (which offers a larger parking lot and picnic benches). Although we did not have enough time to explore the other sections of the park or walk the full 1.3 miles of the Bluff Trail, I think the dramatic view of the drumlins with Lake Ontario in the background was more than worth the 1 hour drive from Penn Yan (on Keuka Lake) where we stayed for vacation. Another benefit of parking on the east end of the Bluff trail is that you have convenient walking access to Dragon View Beach (a popular spot to go swimming in the summer).

Clean restrooms even in the off season. Nice group of trails and some great geological history for…read morethe earth science crowd.

This is a beautiful Onondaga County Park. There are several well marked trails of different…read morelengths. The two we walked were nice and shady, 1.2 and.6 miles, but because of the stairs and inclines, it ended up being a vigorous workout. The lower waterfall observation area was shady and beautiful with several benches to rest before the climb back up the stairs. The bathrooms were clean and it was a beautiful day.

I visited a couple of weeks ago, back when we had warm-but-not-yet-sweltering weather. This park is…read morea bit of a distance from Syracuse, but worth the drive. It's not too far off from Heritage Hill Brewery, so you can do a two-for and visit both-- however the park is lovely and worth a visit on its own. There's an overlook near the entrance where you can get a glimpse of the waterfall. However, the falls are also within walking distance of the start of the trail. The hill is on a slant and there are steep stairs, so the view may not be accessible for those who have difficulty walking. However, it was so calming just to sit and watch and listening to the waterfall. The day I went, there were others out but the paths didn't feel claustrophobic. I took some time and walked through the woods. The trail I took was relatively short, I think about a half mile total. I appreciated that there was a marker at the start that let you know how long it was. I am by no means a regular hiker (hoping to change that one day!) but this trail wasn't exhausting and was quite serene. This is a great park with a great waterfall and is definitely worth checking out!

What a beautiful spot for a quick hike! The route wasn't paved, and there are steps. So it's not…read moreideal for strollers or wheelchairs. We didn't do the entire hike, but you don't need to do the complete hike to see the falls. We had 4 kids in our group (ages 1,3,4, and 6). We carried the 1 year old, and the other kids all walked. A few steps were a bit higher, but they were able to walk the steps on their own for the most part. You can dip your feet at the bottom of the falls too! My kids also loved the butterflies! We noticed they had milkweeds and other plants to help support various butterflies! Definitely worth a quick visit if you are nearby!

Fabulous easy to get to waterfall With stunning views. It's…read morea short trail, but to get to the end of it there are some rocky areas. There is plenty of parking, bathrooms and a picnic area.

I've been trying to get here for the last 4 years that my son was a student at SUNY Oswego, we…read morefinally had enough time to make the drive out here. Great hidden gem waterfall with ample parking and a flat very well-maintained trail with two viewpoints. We did not go down to the gorge trail, but did walk down the stairs to the top of the falls. DO NOT walk anywhere that looks wet as it's VERY slippery.

Love it here! I've been here a few times and always love the views!…read more It's a great spot to hike and see the waterfall views. The trail is pretty easy and you can walk down to the top of the waterfalls or on the side of it. I'd definitely stop back here again.

We had a gathering of coworkers for a summer get-together today at this park, and it was wonderful…read more The place is beautiful, with plenty of beach area to set up a tent, spread out lawn chairs, and they also have grills around for people to cook meals. The beach area is enclosed into a square, guarded by at least three lifeguards. There are plenty of parking spaces, a food concession and restrooms in the main building and plenty of restrooms and showers behind this front building. The weather cooperated and it was perfect. ​

Lovely state park with clean facilities. Admission is…read morecurrently 9 dollars (if you have a NY state empire pass, this covers the admission fee) There is a snack shack on site but it was closed when we visited. As we visited on a holiday it was very busy, but we arrived early and had no trouble finding parking. The park had staff on hand to direct traffic and assist in finding a spot.

It's a little park by the water. It's nice and quiet. A good…read moreplace to sit and hang out. There's benches, a water fountain. Nice views across the water.

Great place for family camping. Nice hiking trails beautiful sunsets. The beach isn't the greatest…read morefor swimming but overall a beautiful campground.

This place was amazing. We had such a fun time hiking here. There was also a campground that seemed…read morenice but we did not go for camping. Great place to walk your dogs and check out an amazing view. There are several different trails to enjoy. We did almost all of them when we were there! I definitely recommend a day trip to check this place out. The hiking is also very easy good for different fitness levels.

A few blocks from my hotel was this park. I decided after going about the day and seeing the sights…read moreI wanted to see, it was time to just leisurely walk around. What better place to do it than at a park. Especially one that has so much to offer. When I arrived I came at this park from the intersection of Madison & Ostrom. When I came here it was bit off putting to me as it was where the intersection was a bit wonky that allowed for vehicular to enter the park. So you needed to watch while you walking that no traffic was coming, or just walk about the grass, which is what I did. Being from out of town I had no idea what this park had to offer overall but I did do a lot of exploring which led me to a lot of different areas. I first just walked through the fields and along the tree lines. I backtracked a bit and stumbled upon the pool area. From there, I found the amphitheater and hung around there for a bit. After that, I found the football field and saw a lot of people using it for multiple reasons. From exercising, playing with their dogs, flying drones and many other things. I ended my time in the park at the rose garden. Roses were still coming into bloom, but I didn't mind that. I looked around at the different varieties of roses they had planted. I then sat on a bench for a few minutes to just take in this portion of the park. When I left, I was off towards Syracuse University campus. This park is enormous, and I am glad I was able to spend some time here.

Sometimes I'll take my dog for little road trips to new parks (driving an hour or two from home),…read moreand Thornden Park is one we've been to a couple times. It's a really nice, open park with lots of space to walk around. I do wish they had some sidewalks or something along the roads going up or down the hills, but that's one of the few issues I can think of. The park is maintained well, has a lovely rose garden (one of my friends volunteers here regularly, actually, which is how I found out about the park - they have a "Rose Day" in mid-June to celebrate, and I'm told that timing is mainly because that's when the roses are usually at their peak), and lots of fun features - like the amphitheater area, where my dog was especially interested in watching some folks who were preparing for a summer play. There's a pool area as well, tennis courts, concession area, and so on... and my pup especially seemed to love rolling down the hills just below the Thornden Park Water Tower (pictures included in this review, of course). It's worth noting that I *have* had a couple slightly sketchy experiences here... including one time being followed around by another park goer who seemed to be experiencing some mental health issues. As with anywhere, just be mindful of your surroundings.