If you’re a frequent Family Times reader, you likely know that hiking is among my favorite ways to spend my spare time.

Green Lakes State Park has some great trails that can be enjoyed all year round.

Located in Fayetteville, the state park is a popular swimming spot (it is also where I had my first date with my husband 11 years ago), but there are plenty of other ways to explore its grounds during Central New York’s coldest days.

Green Lakes State Park’s 18-hole golf course remains open to snowshoers, and there are 15 miles of trails for cross-country skiers (equipment for both can be rented across the street at Four Seasons Golf & Ski Center if you don’t already have your own). And, of course, you can hike the trails if that’s more your speed. My favorite is the 1.9-mile Green Lakes Trail, which wraps around one of the park’s two meromictic lakes (basically, their surface and bottom waters do not mix during the fall and spring). The views can’t be beat.

And as a bonus, admission is free until Memorial Day.

So, what are you waiting for?

Green Lakes State Park, Fayetteville

If You Go
Green Lakes State Park

Where: 7900 Green Lakes Road, Fayetteville.
More information: ny.gov/parks/172.

These are some of my other favorite places to go on a winter hike:

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Courtney Kless is the Editor in Chief of Family Times. Courtney is originally from Maryland. She earned her Master’s degree in Magazine, Newspaper and Online Journalism from Syracuse University. Courtney began her career as a sports journalist, then spent several years working in higher education, before joining the company in August 2019. She enjoys traveling, reading and hiking, and recently adopted a Labrador Retriever, Bailey.

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