Green Lakes State Park Campground

We stayed here from 6/28 to 6/30 2022. The Lakes are stunning. This is a beautiful well-kept park with a large beach and many hiking/walking trails. There are two campsite locations. One has pull thru full hook-up sites or electric sites. The pull thru sites were in the open and close together. There were some nice sites with electric under the trees and with foliage in between, but for the most part, most of the sites were close together. We were in the other camp area which had a large open field and play area for the kids. This section was very busy and loud due to the play activity, but there were some sites that were further away and had less noise. The bathroom was ok, cleaned twice daily. The lakes are beautiful and very deep. The swimming area was large, there were changing rooms and a concession stand, many picnic sites, many lifeguards. The park is close to Fayetteville with many stores and restaurants.

Green Lakes is a truly beautiful spot with a lot to do between the lakes, hiking, the nearby Eric Canal Path (for biking and walking) as well as exploring Syracuse and the small towns around it. The campground is split into two areas, Pinewoods & Rolling Hills. Rolling Hills is a dry camping area that is more private and the spot appear to be a bit larger. Pinewoods is divided into a dry camping section with spots pretty close to gether and a full hook up section with spots even closer together. We started in the dry camping area Pinewoods-51 but it is at the bottom of a hill so it was very wet & muddy from a lot of rain so we were lucky enough to snag a full hook up site. The dry camping areas have more privacy but it's hard to argue with full hookups and that area is nice and open with a lot of light so helpful for those with solar panels. The two dry camping areas are relatively shaded depending on the site. Do note that some of the sites are quite out of level front to back so make sure you have heavy duty chocks or X-chocks when unhitching. Our tongue was almost on the ground. All in all this was a fantastic stay and we would come back here again for sure.

This week we continue our tour of New York State Parks with a visit to Green Lakes State Park which is located east of Syracuse. This park is very beautiful. The two lakes are scenic with unique blue/green waters. The campground is clean and well maintained, and the campsites are spacious.

There is plenty to do at Green Lakes. The north end of the lake has a beach area with lots of room to spread out. The beach has lifeguards on duty and even includes a swimming area with lanes for swimming laps. In a normal summer (without Covid), you can rent kayaks and row boats. However, you cannot use your own boats or kayaks in the lakes.

There is a network of hiking trails around the park, including both lakes. Many of them are wide and flat and easy to walk. There are a few more challenging trails leading to the lakes from the campground with some hills to climb or descend. We also found bike paths just outside the park along the Old Erie Canal Tow Path that extend for miles.

We stayed in the Pinewood Campground in site #52. Our site was electric only and included a picnic table and fire-ring. Full hook-up and boondocking sites are also available. The campground fills up fast so you may need to make your reservations well in advance to get some dates

We highly recommend Green Lakes and have added it to our list of places we would like to return to in the future.

See You Down the Road…
Zephyr Travels

The parc is huge and well maintained.
There are bike and walking trails all over.
A huge beach and playground.

In season, full hookups get taken quickly so you’ll have to reserve beforehand.

We were told we could camp in the tenta area with our 27’ travel trailer.

WRONG!

The grass is soft and we got stuck bad.
We had to get pulled out by a good samaritain with 80’ long pull ropes.

Kind of a stressful stay but we’ll be back if we can vet a gravel site.

We loved this pretty park with lots of surrounding trees and open skies. Our satellite didn't connect in the space we had, but the center sites in Pinewood Loop would be fine.

Level asphalt site was nice in the rainstorm with lots of green grass surrounding us. FHUs with 50 amps in a state park was a treat!

The park is very well maintained. Pretty drives around the lakes, but little access.

Dark and quiet at night.

We were in the Rolling Hills Loop, site #101. Site was very shaded, and probably the most secluded of anywhere else in the loop, since we were on the end. However, we were surrounded by nothing but poison ivy on 3 sides. I’m shocked we didn’t all get it; we were just very careful not to venture out of the cleared area. The playground was in clear view of our site, which was great for our 5-yr-old. As far as campgrounds go, this is probably one of my least favorite of everywhere I’ve stayed. I’m used to the more secluded, wooded sites in MD state parks, but this was essentially a ring of tightly-packed sites with virtually no separation, with a large field in the middle. Ours was one of the only sites with any kind of shade. It was PACKED, and very noisy.

Bath house was centrally located, in the middle of the field. Relatively clean, but not nearly enough to accommodate all campers in the loop. Only two shower stalls, and there was always a line. Campground aside, the park itself was very nice. The lakes were gorgeous, and there were really nice, wide, paved walking trails around them. There was also a sandy beach area for swimming. We were there for a family reunion, so spent most of the time at the picnic shelter, with the exception of a brief walk around the lake. Wish we could have explored the park more.

Overall, this is a pretty park, but I wouldn’t camp there again.

We stumbled apon Green Lakes searching for a weekend getaway within a few hours and we are so grateful we did. The facilities are some of the best we have experienced on the road. while having a conversation with one of the employees we learned that they recently had invested in refurbishing the park, sites and amenities. So quiet and close to Syracuse NY, there are tons of hiking trails that lead down to 2 beautiful glacial lakes with the bluest water! We've been here twice and plan to return to explore even more. The bath houses are new, clean and beautiful. There are plenty of RV sites, tent and cabins available a dump station and disk golf course. This state park is top notch!!