Green Lakes State Park

Green Lakes State Park, just outside of Syracuse, NY, is a gorgeous scenic park that lies at the base of a mile long gorge. The 1,955-acre park includes the largest stand of old growth forest in the state and two unusually green glacial lakes, Green Lake and Round Lake. The lakes are both meromictic lakes, which means the layers of water, ranging from cold and dense at the bottom to shallow warmer waters, do not mix, and the sediment on the bottom never decays. There are only a handful of these lakes in the U.S., and Green Lake is one of the most studied meromictic lakes in the world. In addition to camping, hiking, snowshoeing, swimming and boating, the park offers a “masterpiece” golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones. It’s a great place to get away from the busy downtown of Syracuse and see some of the unusual geology of upstate New York.