What are the state parks like in your state?

35 comments

1. Most are nice and well maintained, with a few exceptions certainly. They are great places to stay for a night or two and typically aren’t crowded at all.

2. I’m in California so they’re nice, diverse, and well known.

3. Dual answer!

   Where I reside currently in Nebraska, the vast majority of the land is owned by private citizens (farmers), so the few public lands set aside for state parks are well developed and manicured. Pools, tennis courts, shooting ranges, horse stables, rental cabins, paved roads, large well groomed lawns, campgrounds with easily accessible toilet/shower facilities – all sorts of nice amenities, because the State Parks budget is being poured into a relatively small amount of land usage.

   In Utah where I used to live, the majority of the land is public land and there are significantly more state parks – meaning, the Parks budget is spread much more thin. There, there’s a tendency to throw a fence around a mountain and call it a day.

4. Tennessee has some beautiful and green states parks

5. Awesome. Tennessee has some really nice state parks with all kinds of activities, waterfalls, historic landmarks, wildlife, lakes, scenic views, rivers, cabins, camping, etc. I believe there are 56 of them here – and it’s not a far drive for me to go to several. The waterfalls are my fave.

6. Very clean and wooded. Most of our state parks are basically just massive forest preserves that are maintained by the state rather than the county. With a couple of beaches on Lake Michigan thrown in the mix. There’s also Abraham Lincoln’s home and neighborhood in Springfield but that’s managed by the National Parks Service.

7. There’s a huge range. One of my favorites nearby is Anza Borrego desert state park, especially when the poppies and wildflowers and cacti are blooming.

8. Quite nice and sort of a hidden secret. Probably most of them are smaller than but they’re still full of stunning vistas, waterfalls, relatively old growth forests, etc.

9. There are a huge amount of state parks in California, which cover just about every type of geographic environment in the state, as well as several man-made structures, and in general they are incredible. They are also quite underrated when compared to the state’s national parks.

   Some of my favorites include Salt Point, Big Basin, Pfeiffer Big Sur, Montaña del Oro, Emerald Bay, and Prairie Creek Redwoods, Oceano Dunes, and MacArthur Burney Falls.

10. They are great! I live in Michigan. We have an awesome state park that is actually an island in the Detroit river between the US and Canada. The nations oldest aquarium is there as well as amazing botanical gardens, museums and nice beaches. In northern Michigan is the sleeping bear national lakeshore and dunes. These are the most popular in my opinion and well worth a visit.

    Edit: there are also national forests and parks, but these are the most interesting imo.

11. In Maine? They are incredible.

12. Alabama’s are really good. Some of the best in Lake Guntersville, Buck’s Pocket, Cathedral Caverns, and DeSoto are less than an hour from me. Cheaha and Oak Mountain a little over an hour away.

13. I think NC has some excellent state parks. They range from huge like Stone Mountain (over 14,000 acres) to small like Cliffs if the Neuss (about 1,000 acres) and are generally very well kept

14. Massachusetts — There are lots of lakes, waterfalls, forests, beaches, historic properties. We have the 7th most state park coverage. We have 70 of them.

    What’s nice is we also have LOTS of conservations groups. [Trustees of the reservations](https://thetrustees.org/places-to-go/?) that has over 100 properties.

    [Mass Audubon](https://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries) has over 60 properties.

    I have about 200 places within a couple hours drive. We use them at least twice a week.

15. Pretty nice but most of the land falls under National Parks or National Forests rather than the state.

    Lory State Park is just a few mintes away and it’s gorgeous and well maintained.

16. Some are nice and well kept, some are shitty. Same goes for the rangers who work there.

    We have a couple around the remains of coastal fortifications, alot of them are just the stereotypical campground in woods.

17. Fantastic in Tennessee

18. Some of the most beautiful state parks you will ever lay your eyes on.

    Letchworth, Watkins Glen, Taughannock Falls, Saratoga State Park (great concert venue too), Bear Mountain, then you add sections of state parks throughout the Adirondacks – you want kick ass parks, you come to the Empire State.

19. They are clean and well kept, but pretty small as you can probably imagine (except for the pine Barrens which is HUGE).

    But still good hiking + camping

20. Noice

21. 100 different forms of swamp.

22. Passable, but nothing special. Probably you should go somewhere else for state parks. 👀

23. Amazing. Lots of variety, everything from southwest prairie to glacial lakes to northern hardwood to Boreal Forest; flatland to mountains; developed and primitive.

24. Quite good. We also have a decent zoo, at least two arboretums, and four coastal aquariums. And public access to the Atlantic coastline (up to the high tide mark) is protected by law.

25. Yeah, way too many types.

    * Large wildernesses with campsites, cabins and hiking trails (Andirondacks, Allegheny)
    * Beaches with typical beach amenities and even a beach bar (Woodlawn Beach)
    * Super touristy with overlooks, attractions and restaurants (Niagara Falls)
    * Natural Wonders with hiking trails (Whirlpool, Watkins Glen, Letchworth)
    * Urban with boat marinas and lake overlooks (Buffalo Harbor)

26. Beautiful! Wooded and some are mountainous. Tennessee is a beautiful state. Lots of hiking, fishing, and wildlife (including bear).

27. Pretty nice, actually. The nearest state park to me is Oak Mountain and it’s lovely.

28. Mostly lakes. It’s kind of funny. Usually I find state parks to be all white people, and metro parks to be the exact opposite. A ton of Arabs, even far away from Dearborn.

29. I can’t speak for the rest of the state, but southeast Kentucky (which is the mountainous Appalachian region) has some of the most fantastic state parks available in the country and I think that fact is terribly underrated.

    I grew up directly next to [Pine Mountain State Resort Park](https://parks.ky.gov/sites/default/files/styles/listing_slideshow/public/listing_images/profile/16/16c4dfbae93dcc017883c016fceac4b5_sliderpinemtscenic.jpg?itok=vjnck-fa) – the first official state park in Kentucky. It is excellently maintained and offers an abundance of great hiking trails. There’s also ample opportunities for viewing wildlife, such as black bears, and extremely unique geological features. I’ve never been to a state park in southeast Kentucky that isn’t similar. Also, the [Natural Bridge State Park](https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/fseprd1008054.jpg), the surrounding Red River Gorge Geological Area, as well as [Cumberland Falls State Resort Park](https://www.naturallyamazing.com/americasparks/4187.jpg), all of which are contained within the Daniel Boone National Forest, deserve honorable mentions.

    Most, if not all, of southeast Kentucky’s state parks feature lodges and/or cabins to stay in and they’re nearly always pleasant and economical lodging options for visitors.

30. Mostly woods and forests actually. Not as many popular ones actually in the desert

31. Shite

32. Pennsylvania’s are very diverse but in general they are all mostly rehabilitated mines of one type or another. Same with all the state game lands.

    That said Pennsylvania was mining a long time ago so many of them are well developed with pretty nice 2nd growth forests at this point.

33. South Dakota
    Many state parks but Custer State Park could easily be a national park.

34. Excellent and extremely varied – desert, woods, mountains, beaches, rocky sea cliffs, etc.

    State parks are one thing I try to visit whenever I visit a state for the first time, there are some incredible state parks!!!

35. We are super diverse here, definitely a true mountains-to-ocean topography.

    Mountains. 50/50 hardwood/pine forests. Canyons. Swamps. Cypress. Beaches. Clay. Islands. Old growth forests. Etc.