Green Lakes State Park's outstanding features are its two glacial lakes surrounded by upland forest. Both Round and Green Lakes are meromictic lakes, which means that there is no fall and spring mixing of surface and bottom waters. Such lakes have a high potential for evidence of ancient plant and animal life. Another special feature of the park is the 18-hole Green Lakes State Park Golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones. Visitors can also snowshoe in winter, and there are 15 miles of trails that cross-country skiers can use.
Due to the sensitive nature of both Green and Round Lakes, no outside/private boats, kayaks, or canoes are allowed. You can rent rowboats and kayaks from our boat house right at the beach. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Thanks to a grant from Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, a Hippocampe Beach/All Terrain wheelchair is now available at Green Lakes State Park to access beach and trails. The wheelchair is available for use at no charge on a first come, first serve basis from 11am-7pm. Please check with the lifeguards at the beach for availability.
Pavilion Information
Green Lakes has five pavilions/rooms. Prices range from $100 to $600 and can accommodate 25 to 100 people. Check availability at ReserveAmerica.com
Current Water Quality - Beach Results
Pet Policy: Pets are to be supervised at all times and either to be crated or on a leash not more than 6-feet in length. If staying overnight in the campgrounds, proof of rabies inoculation will need to be shown to park staff. Pets are not permitted within our boats, playgrounds, buildings, golf courses, boardwalks, and guarded beaches (this does not apply to service animals).
2024 Camping/Cabins: Closed For The Season
Our campgrounds are currently closed for the season. Both the campgrounds and cabins will reopen for the 2025 season on May 16th. To make a reservation please visit reserveamerica.com or call Reserve America at 1 (800) 456-2267
Campsites - 134 campsites, maximum of 6 people/site.
Cabins - 7 cabins (Minimum age of 21 required for rentals)
Camping Season: 5/16/25-10/12/2025
Cabins available: 5/16/25 - 10/12/2025
Reserve through ReserveAmerica: 800-456-2267
Boat House: Closed For The Season
We offer rowboat and kayak rentals from Memorial Day Weekend thru Labor Day. Due to the fragile ecosystem of our lake we do not allow outside watercraft such as rowboats, kayaks, paddleboards, or motor boats.
Fishing: Only on Green Lake outside of swimming area. No fishing on Round Lake. No outside boats or watercraft allowed.
Most New York State Parks charge a vehicle use fee to enter the facility. Fees vary by location and season. A list of entry fees and other park use fees is available below. For fees not listed or to verify information, please contact the park directly.
The easy-to-use Empire Pass card is $80- and your key to all-season enjoyment with unlimited day-use entry at most facilities operated by State Parks and the State Dept. of Environmental Conservation including forests, beaches, trails and more. Purchase online or contact your favorite park for more information. Learn more about our Admission Programs including the Empire Pass.
New! Download this park's digital map to your iOS Apple and Android device.
Firewood source maps show a 50-mile radius from which untreated firewood may be moved to this campground. For more information see firewood restrictions.
The Central Region Environmental Education Team offers a variety of programs in our parks. Each park offers their own free public programs.
Group Programs
We offer guided programs for groups (of 10 or more). To coordinate a group program at Clark Reservation or Green Lakes State Park please email Katie.Mulverhill@parks.ny.gov. If you are interested in a program at any of our other state parks, please reach out to the park office directly to schedule your visit.
Field Trips
Green Lakes State Park: Home to rare lakes, old growth forests, and aquatic habitats, Green Lakes State Park offers the perfect outdoor classroom. Students see scientific concepts come to life in the real world. Our programs align with NY P-12 science standards. Each program has three to four 30-min stations that classes rotate through. We can work with up to four classrooms at a time. Schools with more than four classrooms of a grade level will need to schedule two separate days of programming.
Fill out this field trip request form https://forms.office.com/g/0TNXp1ngJz
Pre-K-K: Nature's Storytime: Seasonal activities, a story and hike. Any season.
K-1: Animal Survival Skills- Explore adaptations animals use to survive in many different habitats at Green Lakes. Observe real life animals captured on trial cam videos to see what they do when they think no one is watching! Any season.
2: Engineers Against Erosion- Get your hands dirty learning how engineers are protecting our visitors and lakes from erosion. Then test out your own ideas! Spring only.
3-4: Sculpted by Nature- Learn how glaciers carved the park's landscape and created our unique lakes full of unusual life. Try your hand at carving the landscape by reading topographic maps. Spring or Fall.
5: Ecosystem Encounters- Discover what interdependent relationships in ecosystems can teach us about protecting wildlife at Green Lakes State Park. Any season.
5-6: Environmental Field Days- Join us for this annual event that's over 20 years old! Classes rotate through six 20-min stations throughout the day! Presenters from across CNY lead the stations, including a live animal presentation. The 2024 Environmental Field Days will be on Oct 17th and 18th. Registration is open until Oct 1st:
https://forms.office.com/g/4cZA98KvAA
High School: Our Lake Study field trip includes hands-on water quality testing and studying life from the lake (from small bacteria to fish!) Fall only.
For Everyone: our most popular request is for a guided hike around Green Lakes. These can be formal or informal and can include an array of different topics.
We offer several program topics to choose from, but if you don't see what you are looking for let us know. We are working on adding to our lesson plans and will gladly create something teachers request if time permits. The Education Center has heat, so visit us any time of year.
Connect Kids to State Parks Field Trip Grants: As of the beginning of the school year, our Connect Kids to Transportation Grant is not accepting applications. Here is an update from their website:
APPLICATIONS CLOSED
The Connect Kids to Parks Field Trip Grant Program has been well received
and highly successful. In the first half of 2024, demand outpaced available
program funding. Awards approved for the first half of 2024 totaled more than
all awards approved for 2023, and the full funding allotment for this year has
been reached
Please be patient as we update guidelines and procedures to address the
increased demand for this vital program. A timeline on reopening is not
currently available. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused in
planning upcoming field trips.
Please check back regularly for updates.
Please feel free to check for updates or for more information about the grant program:
https://parks.ny.gov/environment/connect-kids/grant-program.aspx#c
Key BCA Criteria:
- Migratory concentration site
- Diverse species concentration site
The Green Lakes BCA is located within Green Lakes State Park. The BCA is unique in that it contains significant tracts of both mature forest and grassland habitat, providing habitat for an unusually diverse suite of bird species. The grasslands within BCA represent the largest concentration of grassland habitat in the New York State Park system. Grassland-breeding species include Eastern Meadowlark, Bobolink, and Grasshopper Sparrow. Mature forest birds include Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Eastern Wood-Pewee, and American Redstart.
Download a copy of the BCA map.
Go Birding with the Green Lakes Bird Checklist