Top state parks
State ParkAdirondack Park
State ParkFranklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park
State ParkOlana State Historic Site
State ParkWatkins Glen State Park
State ParkBear Mountain State Park
State ParkButtermilk Falls State Park
State ParkRiverbank State Park
State ParkLetchworth State Park
State ParkClarence Fahnestock State Park
State ParkBethpage State Park
State ParkCamp Hero State Park
State ParkNiagara Falls State Park
State Parks by county
- Cayuga County3
- Columbia County3
- Dutchess County4
- Erie County6
- Jefferson County7
- Nassau County5
- Niagara County8
- Oneida County4
- Orange County6
- Rensselaer County3
- Rockland County8
- Saratoga County3
- Seneca County4
- Suffolk County18
All state parks (130)
| Name | County | Elevation | Nearest town | Sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adirondack Park | Hamilton County | — | Tupper Lake | 2 |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms ParkStonewall | New York County | — | Long Island City | 9 |
| Olana State Historic Site | Columbia County | — | Catskill | 5 |
| Watkins Glen State Park | Schuyler County | — | Watkins Glen | 3 |
| Bear Mountain State Park | Rockland County | — | Fort Montgomery | 6 |
| Buttermilk Falls State Park | Tompkins County | — | South Hill | 5 |
| Riverbank State ParkHamilton Grange | New York County | — | Edgewater | 9 |
| Letchworth State Park | Livingston County | — | Nunda | 3 |
| Clarence Fahnestock State Park | Putnam County | — | Cold Spring | 5 |
| Bethpage State Park | Nassau County | — | Bethpage | 9 |
| Camp Hero State Park | Suffolk County | — | Montauk | 4 |
| Niagara Falls State Park | Niagara County | — | Niagara Falls | 7 |
| Johnson Hall State Historic Site | Fulton County | — | Johnstown | 5 |
| Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve | Richmond County | — | Charleston | 9 |
| Robert H. Treman State Park | Tompkins County | — | South Hill | 4 |
| Marsha P. Johnson State ParkStonewall | Kings County | — | Greenpoint | 9 |
| Chittenango Falls State Park | Madison County | — | Cazenovia | 4 |
| Gantry Plaza State ParkStonewall | — | Long Island City | 9 | |
| Heckscher State Park | Suffolk County | — | Great River | 7 |
| Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park | Dutchess County | — | Port Ewen | 5 |
| Valley Stream State Park | Nassau County | — | North Valley Stream | 9 |
| Wellesley Island State Park | Jefferson County | — | Alexandria Bay | 2 |
| Robert Moses State Park | Suffolk County | — | West Bay Shore | 6 |
| Tallman Mountain State Park | Rockland County | — | Sparkill | 8 |
| Roberto Clemente State Park | Bronx County | — | Morris Heights | 9 |
| Allegany State Park | Cattaraugus County | — | Salamanca | 4 |
| Montauk Point State Park | Suffolk County | — | Montauk | 4 |
| Orient Beach State Park | Suffolk County | — | Greenport | 5 |
| Peebles Island State Park | Rensselaer County | — | Waterford | 7 |
| Fort Niagara State Park | Niagara County | — | Youngstown | 4 |
| Donald J. Trump State Park | Westchester County | — | Yorktown Heights | 6 |
| Saratoga Spa State Park | Saratoga County | — | Saratoga Springs | 6 |
| Hamlin Beach State Park | Monroe County | — | Hamlin | 4 |
| Jones Beach State Park | Nassau County | — | Point Lookout | 7 |
| Hither Hills State Park | Suffolk County | — | Montauk | 4 |
| Sunken Meadow State Park | Suffolk County | — | Kings Park | 7 |
| Belmont Lake State Park | Suffolk County | — | West Babylon | 8 |
| Captree State Park | Suffolk County | — | West Bay Shore | 7 |
| Whetstone Gulf State Park | Lewis County | — | Lowville | 3 |
| Whirlpool State Park | Niagara County | — | Niagara Falls | 7 |
| Wildwood State Park | Suffolk County | — | Wading River | 6 |
| Stony Brook State Park | Steuben County | — | Dansville | 4 |
| Moreau Lake State Park | Saratoga County | — | Wilton | 5 |
| Oquaga Creek State Park | Delaware County | — | Deposit | 4 |
| Chimney Bluffs State Park | Wayne County | — | Wolcott | 3 |
| Clermont State Historic Site | Ulster County | — | Saugerties | 5 |
| Pixley Falls State Park | Oneida County | — | Boonville | 3 |
| Point Au Roche State Park | Clinton County | — | Cumberland Head | 3 |
| Fillmore Glen State Park | Cayuga County | — | Moravia | 3 |
| Ganondagan State Historic Site | Ontario County | — | Victor | 5 |
| Fair Haven Beach State Park | Cayuga County | — | Wolcott | 3 |
| Seneca Lake State Park | Seneca County | — | Geneva | 5 |
| Green Lakes State Park | Onondaga County | — | Fayetteville | 5 |
| James Baird State Park | Dutchess County | — | Pleasant Valley | 5 |
| John Boyd Thacher State Park | Albany County | — | Altamont | 5 |
| Montauk Downs State Park | Suffolk County | — | Montauk | 5 |
| Sterling Forest State Park | Orange County | — | Greenwood Lake | 6 |
| Hook Mountain State Park | Rockland County | — | Upper Nyack | 8 |
| Beaver Island State Park | Erie County | — | Grandyle Village | 6 |
| Knox's Headquarters State Historic Site | Orange County | — | Vails Gate | 7 |
| Max V. Shaul State Park | Schoharie County | — | Middleburgh | 4 |
| Mine Kill State Park | Schoharie County | — | Stamford | 4 |
| Buckhorn Island State Park | Niagara County | — | Grand Island | 6 |
| Cayuga Lake State Park | Seneca County | — | Bridgeport | 4 |
| Chenango Valley State Park | Broome County | — | Chenango Bridge | 4 |
| Wilson-Tuscarora State Park | Niagara County | — | Wilson | 4 |
| Wonder Lake State Park | Putnam County | — | Lake Carmel | 5 |
| Woodlawn Beach State Park | Erie County | — | Blasdell | 6 |
| Stony Point Battlefield | Rockland County | — | Verplanck | 7 |
| Storm King State Park | Orange County | — | Cold Spring | 6 |
| Glimmerglass State Park | Otsego County | — | Springfield | 3 |
| Napeague State Park | Suffolk County | — | Amagansett | 4 |
| Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills State Park | Dutchess County | — | Port Ewen | 5 |
| Connetquot River State Park Preserve | Suffolk County | — | Oakdale | 7 |
| Pinnacle State Park and Golf Course | Steuben County | — | Addison | 3 |
| Darien Lakes State Park | Genesee County | — | Alden | 4 |
| Delta Lake State Park | Oneida County | — | Rome | 4 |
| Sampson State Park | Seneca County | — | Penn Yan | 3 |
| Grafton Lakes State Park | Rensselaer County | — | Cropseyville | 4 |
| Dewolf Point State Park | Jefferson County | — | Alexandria Bay | 2 |
| Lodi Point State Park | Seneca County | — | Dundee | 3 |
| Buffalo Harbor State Park | Erie County | — | Lackawanna | 7 |
| Beechwood State Park | Wayne County | — | Sodus | 3 |
| Franny Reese State Park | Dutchess County | — | Highland | 7 |
| Harriman State Park | Rockland County | — | Thiells | 6 |
| Keuka Lake State Park | Yates County | — | Branchport | 3 |
| Knox Farm State Park | Erie County | — | Billington Heights | 5 |
| Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park | Suffolk County | — | North Great River | 8 |
| Bayswater Point State Park | Queens County | — | Far Rockaway | 9 |
| Midway State Park | Chautauqua County | — | Mayville | 3 |
| Catharine Valley Trail | Chemung County | — | Montour Falls | 3 |
| Lakeside Beach State Park | Orleans County | — | Albion | 3 |
| Long Point State Park – Finger Lakes | Cayuga County | — | Union Springs | 3 |
| Trail View State Park | Nassau County | — | Woodbury | 8 |
| Clark Reservation State Park | Onondaga County | — | Nedrow | 6 |
| Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site | Westchester County | — | Yonkers | 9 |
| Robert Moses State Park | St. Lawrence County | — | Massena | 3 |
| De Veaux Woods State Park | Niagara County | — | Niagara Falls | 7 |
| Devil's Hole State Park | Niagara County | — | Lewiston | 6 |
| Evangola State Park | Erie County | — | Lake Erie Beach | 4 |
| Schodack Island State Park | Albany County | — | Ravena | 5 |
| Shadmoor State Park | Suffolk County | — | Montauk | 5 |
| Highland Lakes State Park | Orange County | — | Scotchtown | 5 |
| Goosepond Mountain State Park | Orange County | — | Chester | 6 |
| Joseph Davis State Park | Niagara County | — | Youngstown | 4 |
| Nissequogue River State Park | Suffolk County | — | Kings Park | 7 |
| Brentwood State Park | Suffolk County | — | Brentwood | 8 |
| Newtown Battlefield State Park | Chemung County | — | Southport | 4 |
| Nyack Beach State Park | Rockland County | — | Upper Nyack | 8 |
| Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site | Jefferson County | — | Sackets Harbor | 3 |
| Southwick Beach State Park | Jefferson County | — | Adams | 2 |
| Steuben Memorial State Historic Site | Oneida County | — | Boonville | 3 |
| Hudson Highlands State Park | Orange County | — | Cold Spring | 6 |
| Grant Cottage State Historic Site | Saratoga County | — | Wilton | 6 |
| Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site | Rensselaer County | — | North Bennington | 4 |
| Verona Beach State Park | Oneida County | — | Oneida | 4 |
| High Tor State Park | Rockland County | — | Haverstraw | 8 |
| Battle Island State Park | Oswego County | — | Fulton | 5 |
| Lake Taghkanic State Park | Columbia County | — | Pine Plains | 4 |
| Taconic State Park | Columbia County | — | Sheffield | 4 |
| Amherst State Park | Erie County | — | Williamsville | 7 |
| Hempstead Lake State Park | Nassau County | — | Lakeview | 9 |
| Kring Point State Park | Jefferson County | — | Alexandria Bay | 2 |
| Lake Erie State Park | Chautauqua County | — | Brocton | 4 |
| Macomb Reservation State Park | Clinton County | — | Peru | 3 |
| Mary Island State Park | Jefferson County | — | Alexandria Bay | 2 |
| Blauvelt State Park | Rockland County | — | South Nyack | 8 |
| Bristol Beach State Park | Ulster County | — | Saugerties | 5 |
| Brookhaven State Park | Suffolk County | — | East Shoreham | 7 |
| Burnham Point State Park | Jefferson County | — | Clayton | 2 |
Sky = estimated Bortle class (1 darkest – 9 brightest).
Map
How to photograph state parks
State parks often protect a signature feature — a gorge, lake or overlook — that is best in early morning before visitors and harsh light arrive.
- Check park hours: many state parks close at dusk, which affects sunset and night shooting.
- Ask rangers about photography permits for commercial work, models or drones.
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Trail maps often mark overlooks — combine them with the sun azimuth to plan.
- Day-use fees or passes are common; buy them online before arriving.
Season: Spring wildflowers and autumn color are peak seasons in most parks.