With more than 180 state parks, and around 35 historic sites within its borders, New York State is a fantastic place to explore the great outdoors.
Possessing everything from beaches, woodlands and rivers, to lakes, walking trails and marshes, these state parks are perfect for those who want to partake in outdoor recreational activities like hiking, swimming, fishing, boating, biking and camping.
Given that many of these state parks are situated near the city of Cortland, they also provide its resident population with a place to go, when they want a temporary escape from the daily routine of their home or working lives.
Next time you fancy some time away, below is a selection of five of the very best of them we highly recommend you visit.
Map of State Parks Near Cortland, NY
Here is a map of the state parks in New York covered by this post:
List of State Parks Near Cortland
All of the 10 state parks near Cortland featured below provide a different landscape to enjoy. They can easily be driven to as a day trip, but also offer a diverse range of visitor accommodation options too.
1. Fillmore Glen State Park
Distance from Cortland: about 18 miles northwest of Cortland (straight-line).
Fillmore Glen State Park is a 941-acre (3.81 km2) state park located in the Finger Lakes region of New York adjacent to the Village of Moravia in Cayuga County.
See our full Fillmore Glen State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
2. Bowman Lake State Park
Distance from Cortland: about 22 miles southeast of Cortland (straight-line).
Bowman Lake State Park: A Birder’s Paradise in New York’s Hidden Hills.
Near Oxford, Bowman Lake State Park is open year-round and lists a boat launch and boat rentals, campsites and cabins, hiking and biking trails, disc golf, a nature center and winter snowmobile, snowshoe and cross-country ski trails. Source: New York State Parks, checked October 2026.
See our full Bowman Lake State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
3. Buttermilk Falls State Park
Distance from Cortland: about 26 miles southwest of Cortland (straight-line).
Buttermilk Falls State Park is a 811-acre (3.28 km2) state park located southwest of Ithaca, New York, United States.
See our full Buttermilk Falls State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
4. Taughannock Falls State Park
Distance from Cortland: about 27 miles west of Cortland (straight-line).
Taughannock Falls State Park ( tə-GAN-ək) is a 750-acre (3.0 km2) state park located in the town of Ulysses in Tompkins County, New York in the United States.
See our full Taughannock Falls State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
5. Clark Reservation State Park
Distance from Cortland: about 28 miles north of Cortland (straight-line).
Clark Reservation State Park is a state park in Onondaga County, New York.
In Jamesville, Clark Reservation State Park is a year-round day-use park with hiking trails, fishing, a playground, rentable shelters and a nature center open from mid-May through Labor Day. Source: New York State Parks, checked October 2026.
See our full Clark Reservation State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
6. Chenango Valley State Park
Distance from Cortland: about 28 miles southeast of Cortland (straight-line).
Location: 2281 State Highway 12, Chenango Forks, New York 13746
Chenango Valley State Park is a 1,137-acre (4.60 km2) state park located in Broome County, New York in the United States.
See our full Chenango Valley State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
7. Helen McNitt State Park
Distance from Cortland: about 28 miles north of Cortland (straight-line).
Helen McNitt State Park covers 134 acres in New York. Established 1999.
Helen McNitt State Park is a 133-acre passive-use park near Cazenovia, created in 1999 from a gift by James and Helen McNitt, with forested hills and farm fields on both sides of Chard and East Lake Roads; fishing is the only amenity New York State Parks lists. Source: New York State Parks, checked October 2026.
See our full Helen McNitt State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
8. Robert H. Treman State Park
Distance from Cortland: about 29 miles southwest of Cortland (straight-line).
Location: 105 Enfield Falls Road, Ithaca, NY 14850
Robert H. Treman State Park — Home to 12 waterfalls including the 115-foot Lucifer Falls.
See our full Robert H. Treman State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
9. Chittenango Falls State Park
Distance from Cortland: about 29 miles north of Cortland (straight-line).
Chittenango Falls State Park is a 193-acre (0.78 km2) state park located in Madison County, New York, east of Cazenovia Lake.
See our full Chittenango Falls State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
10. Verona Beach State Park
Distance from Cortland: about 44 miles northeast of Cortland (straight-line).
Location: 6541 Lakeshore Rd S, Verona Beach, NY 13162
Located about an hour’s drive north of Cortland, The Verona Beach State Park enjoys a beautiful setting along the eastern fringes of Lake Oneida.
Highly regarded for its spectacular beach, the 735 acre park also features a spectacular landscape of hardwood swamps, cattail marshes and the stunning Black Creek.
Combined with the lake, this facilitates one of the New York State’s most diverse aquatic terrains. Something which can be explored via trails that snake for about 13 miles through various patches of woods and wetlands.
During the summer lots of people come here to enjoy a picnic, whilst in the winter it is also a popular spot for cross country skiing, ice fishing and snowmobiling.
For campers, there are plenty of accommodation options available, including five different pavilions and a number of different sites for tents and RVs.
Verona Beach State Park is a 1,735-acre (7.02 km2) state park located on the eastern shore of Oneida Lake in the Town of Verona, Oneida County, New York.
See our full Verona Beach State Park guide for fees, hours, and what to expect.
