fahnestock state park

This is a great winter park for cross country skiing, snow shoeing and tubing. The skiing is especially nice for beginning and intermediate skiers as the trails are well groomed and the hills are gentle. When the lake is frozen the loop trail offers endless gliding and wide open space. Truly beautiful. For more advanced skiers, there are some more difficult trails on both sides of the highway, but I have yet to try them. The rental process can be a pain due to limited equipment and high demand at times, but if you have your own equipment you can buy a daily pass at the toll booth and jump right on the trails. The small but cozy cafe should satisfy hunger pains and there are some basic supplies for sale if you need Chapstick or a new pair of shoes! The newly renovated bathrooms are heavenly and the outdoor wood stove offers a welcome break from the action. The yahoo group messaging offers great updates on the weather and trail conditions... Check out : swixblue@hotmail.comSee you on the trails!!

Fahnestock Sate Park is about an hour plus north of NYC off the Taconic State Parkway. There is something there for most people all seasons. Summer the lake is open for swimming. Although I prefer swimming without restricted areas and public beaches, it seems like a good place for a family to cool off on a hot summer's day. There is a snack bar open most of the year. In the same lake one can rent rowboats. It looks very romantic and tranquil from the road. There are numerous hiking trails, some close to the main facility , others can go for many miles up and down gentle hills and rock strewn ledges. There are no super views, but one can see out over a few ledges and enjoy sitting by many lakes and streams and small waterfalls. My favorite spots are Jordan Pond off of Charcoal Burners and the southern most end of the Appalachian Trail which is in the park. There are paths along streams and stone walls, and if you are lucky and knowledgeable you may find some ancient stone structures form before Columbus. The park was an old iron ore mine and some of the train beds and mines are still apparent. It is interesting to locate the old shafts from the debris left above them. There is a camping section which I have only walked through. It looks nice and flat, and fairly private as far as public camping goes.No place to get food nearby so come prepared and well equipped. Cold Spring is about ten miles away and there is a supermarket there.

I camped in Fahnestock for 4 weeks in a row, leaving only on the weekends. First 3 weeks were in the upper campground. Awesome camp sites that afforded some degree of privacy. Very scenic area with average, rustic bathing/ bathroom facilities. The water tasted foul in the showers and there were signs on the water fountain proclaiming "unpotable water". However, the camping area was nice and quiet. I especially liked the howling coyotes in the middle of the night. The 4th week, I had to take a site in the lower campground as the upper area was closed off. There are two major problems with the lower sites; 1) they are so close to the Taconic Parkway, you hear traffic all night, and 2) The bathrooms were simply so nasty, I couldn't bring myself to walk inside, let alone shower. There was black mold growing as well as layers of soap scum everywhere! It was so bad, I thought it was worse than the nastiest bathrooms I visited in the countryside of Mexico. It looked like it hadn't been cleaned since the WPA built it! It was so bad, I wondered what kind of diseases were spread in such a filthy place. It's a black eye on New York State in general and a downright shame for Fahnestock in particular. Totally ruined my stay and the natural beauty of the park.

This was a very peaceful hike. We were there for about six hours and passed only about eight other people (in three groups). It was mainly a flat hike with some hills, no hill was severely steep. The leaf colors were pretty.

Clarence Fahnestock State Park camp ground, New York review: very rustic primitive sites. No hookups. Road in poor condition some dirt road and some with potholes. showers dirty lots of bugs and dark like showering in a cave but water was warm. bathroom clean. RV sites are very close together side by side like in a parking lot. primitive sites look nice but difficult entry to some. some road noise we visited in October early and had lots of space to ourselves. nice lakes and hiking trails near Appalachian Trail very beautiful in fall . Site 49 near pond Just a side note RVs are not permitted on the Taconic Parkway we didn't know that. We would consider returning but only in the off season otherwise it would be very crowded at the RV sites

The Scouts and Scouters in our family had our inaugural annual camping trip here. The hiking, canoeing, and activities were excellent. The hike to Lake Canopus and guided canoe trip on Lake Canopus were highlights of the trip. The campsites had a picnic table, fire ring, and grill. We did not like a few things including how close the campsites were to the road accessing the campsites, the road noise from the nearby highway, the mold and mildew in the showers, the lack of hot water for the dish washing sink, and the strange taste of the potable water. Since there is no clearly marked path to each campsite, other campers kept coming through our campsite since it was the most direct way to reach their campsite.

The Canopus Lake Beach in Fahnestock State Park is a small, but uncrowded beach overlooking a lake, located about one hour north of Manhattan. It's a beach -- sunbathe, swim and eat. The renovation is in-progress, and includes the completed, and much-needed, bathhouse renovation; the bathroom and changing facilities are now well-lit and clean. ("Family" facilities are now available.) There are no garbage cans, a consequence of the carry-in, carry-out policy.

This state park is such a great place! We found that it was such a tranquil scenic place. You can walk miles of trails, camp, swim, ski, and boat. What a beautiful place to enjoy wildlife in your own backyard basically, and it's so close to the Taconic parkway!!

My daughter and son-in-law rented the pavilion for a family party. Scenic area, nice view of the pond. We took a hike around the lake (about a 35 minute walk) which was quite enjoyable. We were able to use the grills and the covered seating area was just right for the number of people who attended.

Fahnestock is rather large for an ex-urban park and includes quite a number of trails that are family-friendly. Bring your picnic, which you could pick up in Carmel or Cold Spring, because there isn't anything available at the park. There is swimming and boat rentals available on a large, very quiet lake. Camping is also available, although I never looked into it because we live nearby. During the winter, there is cross-country skiing. We went sledding once when the kids were young but it was too wooded and the lack of convenient facilities near the sledding hill made it less than ideal for young kids. It's wonderful that such a large area has been preserved for recreation and just appreciating nature.

Pelton Pond is a nice hike. You can bring a dog but must have it leashed. There are several open BBQ pits and charcoal grills plus plenty of picnic tables. Trail markers are easily seen. They do have a beaver issue - since last fall most of the trees between the hiking path and the water have been chewed down. There is a beach area (no dogs allowed) which is about a 1/4 mile walk downhill from the parking lot. Be prepared if there is a stroller or older person walking with you. Fishing, rowboats, canoes, etc are allowed in most bodies of water in the Park.The Appalachian Trail also connects through Fahnestock if you are interested in hiking a portion.Great day trip - please remember it is a carry-out facility. There are usually beverage containers, plastic bags, etc. from careless visitors and the staff never gets to cleaning all of it.

Always clean and peaceful...our family enjoys coming here a lot. It has become a nice little getaway for family bonding.

Fahnestock is a place with beautiful views and nice hiking paths. Nice lakes to see and they have picnic tables and a beach to swim. You can rent a boat and fish or just paddle around.. All in all it is a great place to come visit and relax. or hike. Check it out and enjoy your day.

I like to visit the "Fahnestock Winter Park" for cross-country skiing. This is the only park I know of in the area that:a) has groomed trails, for both classic and skate skiingb) offers ski and equipment rentalsc) prohibits walkers and dogs, so the trails don't get messed upThey have about 18 km of trails, and terrain for anyone from beginner to expert. This being down-state NY, it means that we don't get a lot of good snow, so be sure to call ahead before driving over there: (845) 225-3998, or check out the ski conditions at:http://www.snocountry.com/cross-country-ski-reports/nyThey also have other winter-time activities (see http://nysparks.com/parks/147/details.aspx for details).Entrance fee is $10. They have a large parking lot, but it will fill up on the weekends if snow conditions and weather are good.

Il parco si trova a circa un'ora di distanza da Manhattan e senza dubbio e' un luogo ottimale per lo sci di fondo e per le camminate con le racchette da neve. Il costo non e' esagerato (sempre che non si debba noleggiare l'attrezzatura) e arrivando relativamente presto non c'e' neppure troppa coda.Lascia un po' a desiderare il punto di ristoro che ha un menu' striminzito (chili o un tipo di panino), sicuramente migliorabile nella dotazione e nelle dimensioni (c'e' un progetto in piedi ma lungi da cominciare la costruzione).Ottimo anche per bambini