Grafton Lakes State Park
About Grafton Lakes State Park
Grafton Lakes State Park is a New York State Park located in Grafton, atop the Rensselaer Plateau. Opened in 1971, Grafton Lakes offers outdoor recreation and education programs for Capital District residents throughout the year. The park is also a summer destination for picnickers and others wanting a break from the heat with a dip in Long Pond.
Mission Statement: Grafton Lakes State Park’s educational mission is to provide a connection to nature through environmental education programs that inspire a sense of wonder and foster stewardship of nature.
Physical Site: Grafton Lakes State Park contains nearly 2500 acres. The park will break ground on a new welcome center in the fall of 2016, but currently offers pavilions, tents and the Shaver Pond Center for public use. For programs, our primary “classroom” is in the fields, forests and shorelines of the park. Grafton Lakes is home to six large bodies of water, including a rare oligotrophic (low nutrient) lake and a former reservoir for the City of Troy. The park is home to many ecological communities, including beech-maple mesic forest, hemlock-northern hardwood forest, spruce-northern hardwoods, vernal pools, a beaver pond, and successional old fields. The park is home to river otter, beaver, black bear, and a variety of fish. The most recent inventories have tallied 462 native vascular plant species and 76 breeding bird species.
Recreation Area: Grafton Lakes State Park is a destination for outdoor recreation in all seasons. The park offers over 25 miles of trails available for hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Patrons may enjoy rentals of snowshoes, canoes, kayaks, as well as shelters with adjacent recreational opportunities in the warm season. There are boat launches for non-motor boats on all bodies of water. The park is open daily from 8am to dusk, with gate fees of $8/car charged during the swimming season May to Labor Day, and $6/car on weekends in early May, September and October.
Educational Programs: Grafton Lakes State Park served over 8,888 patrons in 2015 through our park programs. The park offers on and off-site programs, connecting with schools, libraries, families, and community associations to bring people into the outdoors. School programs are designed to meet common core requirements, and cover topics including cycles of nature, aquatic and forest ecology, water quality, map skills, stewardship, and wildlife. Our annual Trick or Treat Nature Trail as well as our Winter Festival are special events with a devoted following from families. Fees range from $1-3 per person for most on-site programs, but several are free. We engage outdoor enthusiasts with free hikes and kayak paddles sponsored by the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park, as well as Star Watch and natural history programs offered throughout the year. Please note that under the Connect to Kids Initiative, 4th graders and their families will be given free admission to state parks in 2016, and Parks hopes to offer support for bus funding for Title I schools in the 2016-2017 school year.
Grafton Lakes State Park is a New York State Park located in Grafton, atop the Rensselaer Plateau. Opened in 1971, Grafton Lakes offers outdoor recreation and education programs for Capital District residents throughout the year. The park is also a summer destination for picnickers and others wanting a break from the heat with a dip in Long Pond.
Mission Statement: Grafton Lakes State Park’s educational mission is to provide a connection to nature through environmental education programs that inspire a sense of wonder and foster stewardship of nature.
Physical Site: Grafton Lakes State Park contains nearly 2500 acres. The park will break ground on a new welcome center in the fall of 2016, but currently offers pavilions, tents and the Shaver Pond Center for public use. For programs, our primary “classroom” is in the fields, forests and shorelines of the park. Grafton Lakes is home to six large bodies of water, including a rare oligotrophic (low nutrient) lake and a former reservoir for the City of Troy. The park is home to many ecological communities, including beech-maple mesic forest, hemlock-northern hardwood forest, spruce-northern hardwoods, vernal pools, a beaver pond, and successional old fields. The park is home to river otter, beaver, black bear, and a variety of fish. The most recent inventories have tallied 462 native vascular plant species and 76 breeding bird species.
Recreation Area: Grafton Lakes State Park is a destination for outdoor recreation in all seasons. The park offers over 25 miles of trails available for hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Patrons may enjoy rentals of snowshoes, canoes, kayaks, as well as shelters with adjacent recreational opportunities in the warm season. There are boat launches for non-motor boats on all bodies of water. The park is open daily from 8am to dusk, with gate fees of $8/car charged during the swimming season May to Labor Day, and $6/car on weekends in early May, September and October.
Educational Programs: Grafton Lakes State Park served over 8,888 patrons in 2015 through our park programs. The park offers on and off-site programs, connecting with schools, libraries, families, and community associations to bring people into the outdoors. School programs are designed to meet common core requirements, and cover topics including cycles of nature, aquatic and forest ecology, water quality, map skills, stewardship, and wildlife. Our annual Trick or Treat Nature Trail as well as our Winter Festival are special events with a devoted following from families. Fees range from $1-3 per person for most on-site programs, but several are free. We engage outdoor enthusiasts with free hikes and kayak paddles sponsored by the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park, as well as Star Watch and natural history programs offered throughout the year. Please note that under the Connect to Kids Initiative, 4th graders and their families will be given free admission to state parks in 2016, and Parks hopes to offer support for bus funding for Title I schools in the 2016-2017 school year.