Foreigners associate New York City with sky scrapers and architectural beauty. People often overlook the natural beauty of New York and how you can enjoy magnificent holidays in the embrace of nature. For example, by heading over to Chenango Valley State park.
Chenango Valley State Park lies in Broome County, near the Chenango River. The park is an ice wonderland in winter while offering countless opportunities in the summer for nature enthusiasts as well. It presents summer and winter opportunities alternately all year round, though the peak season of the park is from early May through to early September.
In summer, you can enjoy hiking in the beautiful nature or go biking, cycling, fishing, boating or picnicking in the warm sunshine. During winter, you can go cross country skiing, ice sledging or even ice skating.
The park is known as a winter wonderland because the park’s two kettle lakes were the result of the melting of a large ice chunk that remained in the area after the last ice age. Bird watchers also get to join in on the fun as they have the opportunity to spot a wide variety of bird species flying over or nesting in the park during various seasons.
If you enjoy golfing, you will be thrilled to find out the park has an 18-hole golf course that you can casually compete with your friends at.
There is a wide variety of wildlife and bird species that you can observe during your visit. We recommend keeping your eyes sharp during your hiking deep into the forest or near the wetlands or the lake for valuable opportunities to spot wildlife in its natural habitat. In the forest, you have the chance to spot warblers, thrushes, woodpeckers and even more. While hiking near the wetland areas, you can catch a glimpse of ducks, kingfishers or herons.
You can picnic in the abundant picnic areas within the embrace of nature. Moreover, you can stay any of the abundant campsites or cabins available at the park.
Take Route I-88 to Exit 3 (Port Crane/Chenango Valley State Park). Turn north onto Route 369 and drive four miles to Chenango Valley State Park. The park is located 12 miles from Binghamton.
(Latitude, Longitude):
42.21556, -75.82778
42°12'56"N, 75°49'40"W
Chenango Valley is open for day use year-round. Camping at the park is available from mid May to Mid-October.
The maximum number of people allowed per site is six people. You can set up up to two tents per site or one tent and one hard wheeled unit such as an RV or a trailer. You are only allowed two vehicles per site, where you have to pay extra fees for any additional vehicles. The camp quiet hours are from 10 P.M to 8 A.M. While the generation use hours are 9 A.M to 11 A.M and 5 P.M to 9 P.M.
You must make your reservation at least one day before arriving. You may book up to nine months in advance.
Sites on the border of the park road: 60-70, 182-184, 186, 188, 190-192;
Site near bluff: 163, 165, 166, 168, 170, 172, 174, 176, 178-181.
If you would like a more primitive camping style, the Sunrise non-electric campsites are the go-to sites. They can be found behind the park’s office where you can also find a shower and a restroom building. If you have kids, try to pick site number 22 as it is close to a small playground. If you would like to go hiking from your campsite, the Bog trail and the Grove picnic shelter are nearby.
The largest campground in the park is the Chipmunk campground as it has 40 loops. It is spread over a large area and very suitable if you are a large group looking to reserve a couple of sites nearby each other.
The second and third loops are electric loops. The second loop (88-116) offers 50 AMP while the third loop (117-150) offers 30 AMP. Because it covers a larger area, this campground has 2 shower/restroom buildings. Although close to each other, most campsites are separated by a thin line of bushes or a small tree line.
There is a reason the park is called a winter paradise as in the winter season, the terrains and the lakes get glazed with snow and smooth ice, offering sledding, skating, skiing and much more opportunities of winter packed fun. Wrap up warm and experience all that this park has to offer in its less busy season.
The two kettle lake provides opportunity for fishing enthusiasts to fish for a wide variety of fish, including trout, bass, perch and much more. Bring a rod and don't forget your fishing license if you want to enjoy a day on the lakeshore catching your dinner.
The Chenango Valley state park is a perfect destination for professional or hobbyist bird watchers due to the variety of bird species that can be sighted in the skies of the land or lurking among the tall trees. You can view the complete checklist of potential birds that migrate or nest in the park.
The beach of the 32-acre kettle lakes offer lots of swimming options, including a special diving section. There is also a nearby bath house where you can enjoy a delicious snack from the snack bar and change at the clean and well-maintained changing rooms.
If you enjoy golfing, or even if it's your first time, you will surely appreciate the top rated 18 -hole golf course in the southern part of the park. The course offers moderate challenge levels and plenty of fun.
The course was originally built to be a 9-hole course. However, it was expanded to its current state during the late 60s to present further recreational opportunities to the park visitors.
With the two kettle lakes, Lily and Chenango, there is plenty of room for everyone to enjoy lots of varied water based activities in the lakes when they are not frozen.
You can paddle, row, kayak or simply swim next to aquatic wild life in the two kettle lakes. Kayak and Boat rentals are available within the park.
