Copes Corners Park

Activities: Paddling, Camping, Fishing
Location: 620 State Highway 51, Gilbertsville NY 13776
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: Varied
Elevation Gain: None
Fee: No

Seasonal: Open May 1 – September 30

Copes Corner Park offers recreation and family camping along the scenic Butternut Creek.  For recreation the park offers fishing, kayak and canoe launching into the Butternut Creek, horseshoe courts, open fields and lots of mature shade trees.

For paddlers, drive to the launch area to unload your boat, but then please park in the parking lot to give other paddlers room to unload their boats. Start your paddle upstream. Gilbertsville is an out an back paddle of about 3-4 hours. Explore the beauty of Butternut Creek. Turn around sooner if you like.

Three rental pavilions are often used for family reunions, picnics and parties. For camping the park has 25 large RV campsites with electric and water hookups, grassy tent campsites, restrooms, showers, full time campground hosts, and an abundance of peace and quiet.

Other Amenities, Features, and Activities: dogs allowed, fall foliage, grilling station, fire pit, restrooms, fishing, camping, ADA Accessible

For more information, call 607-783-2203.

Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park

Activities: hiking, winter sports, mountain biking, geocaching
Location: 133 Davis Road, Westford, NY 12197
Difficulty: easy
Distance: 2.7-mile loop
Fee: No entrance fee for day use

Andy’s Trail is a 2.7 mile hike that makes a wide loop around the park, traversing through the woods, across fields, and passing an impressive though crumbling old stone wall. In winter, the trails are suitable for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing as well as for fat bikes.

This 229-acre property was donated to New York State and is characterized by its hilltop placement offering views to the west, over Cherry Valley Creek Valley, south, and southeast. The park features a mix of rolling open meadows and forests.

Other Amenities, Features, and Activities: picnic area, grilling station, fire pit, information, map at trailhead, toilets (closed in winter), parking, camping, dogs allowed, vistas, fall foliage, handicap accessible, playground, birding, catch and release fishing. The cabins are available for rent year round. Check out Reserve America for details.

Site maintained by the New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation 

The New York State Parks website offers a virtual tour of the park, links to reserving a cabin, trail map, and more.

Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park is part of the Central Region Geocache Challenge, a treasure hunt at New York state parks and historic sites.

What Octet-ers are saying:

6/29/25 “Great loop trail in and out of the woods Lots of birds and red efts along the trail.”

12/16/24 “Interesting ice coming up from the ground. Lots of rabbit tracks.”

12/16/24 “I liked playing in the woods with my friends.”

1/2/23 “Lovely playground. We enjoyed the views of the creek.”

12/20/22 “Fresh snow. had to snowshoe. State Police K9 were using field for training.”

12/18/22 “Awesome time. I never snowshoed in that much snow before. My favorite of the Octet Challenge.”

11/1/22 “I led the hike with the Adirondack Mountain Club. Trail was tough due to leaf cover”

11/1/22 “Hiked with ADK, 31 hikers! 55 degrees.”

7/3/22 “Nice mix of fields and woods, took one hour.”

Otsego Lake Ride

Activities: Road Cycling
Location: Yellow Trolley Lot on Route 80 near the Fenimore Art Museum
Level: Moderate
Distance: 22.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,121 feet
Fee: No

A scenic loop around Otsego Lake with one climb at mile 11.1, up Sleeping Lion. You will pass by the Glimmerglass Festival, Hyde Hall, Glimmerglass State Park, National Baseball Hall of Fame, Doubleday Field, Fenimore Art Museum, and the Farmers’ Museum. Ride with GPS

The Yellow Trolley lot is located next to the Fenimore Art Museum and the Farmers’ Museum and approximately 1 mile from downtown Cooperstown where there are several restaurants, shopping, National Baseball Hall of Fame, Doubleday Field, and Lakefront Park.

Other Amenities, Features, and Activities: picnic area, toilets, parking, camping, vistas, fall foliage, water stop, swimming

Gilbert Lake State Park

Activities: Hiking, paddling, swimming, biking, fishing, winter sports, geocaching
Location: 18 CCC Road, Laurens, NY 13796
Difficulty Hiking: Easy
Distance Hiking: 12 miles of trails (variable)
Fee: Free during fall, winter and early spring. $7 per car during swimming season (Memorial Day to Labor Day). For information on passes, including the Fourth Grade Free Entry Program and the Golden Passport for people 62 and older, see https://parks.ny.gov/admission/default.aspx

Park is open year-round, from dawn to dusk. For assistance, call 607-432-2114.

Gilbert Lake Trail  A popular 1.3 mile loop around the lake.

Ice-Pond and Twin Fawns Trail Loop
Combine these trails for loop of about 2.5 miles. Trails traverse open and wooded land, marked with signposts at intersections and easily followed. The gently rolling terrain is excellent for hiking, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. Park at trailhead on Cabin Colony Road. The trail begins following a road north toward Ice Pond. It soon forks at Deer Run Trail, stay left and continue on the road. Cross a stream, where the trail meets Wilderness Trail on left, stay straight on Ice Pond trail to intersection with Spring Pond Loop. Turn left and continue straight ahead to Lake of Twin Fawns. The trail starts to loop back, crossing Wilderness trail again (stay straight). At the end of the trail, bear left and continue along the road keeping left at next three intersections until you return to the trailhead.

Deer Run and CCC Loop Trail
Combine these trails for an enjoyable 2.1 mile hike. Park in the lot by the Deer Run Campground.

Cross-Country Skiing Trails are groomed for cross country skiing in winter.

Swimming

The beach is open for swimming starting on Memorial Day weekend.

Boat rentals (available when lifeguards are on duty, same as swimming dates) Enjoy a paddle around Gilbert Lake on a kayak, double kayak, paddle board or row boat. (life jackets included)

Cycling The New Lisbon Bike Route, launched in November 2020, links Gilbert Lake State Park with Texas Schoolhouse State Forest for a 20 mile ride. It includes one 5 mile loop within Gilbert Lake State Park.

Other Amenities, Features, and Activities: picnic area, grilling station, information kiosk/ranger station,  parking, camping, dogs allowed, fall foliage, handicap accessible, biking, disc golf, fishing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, camping, swimming. A Hippocampe Beach/All-Terrain Wheelchair is now available at Gilbert Lake State Park to access beach and trails.

Trail Map pdf

Download a Trail Map to your phone

Gilbert Lake State Park website

Gilbert Lake State Park Facebook Page

Gilbert Lake State Park is part of the Central Region Geocache Challenge, a treasure hunt at New York State parks and historic sites.

Site Maintained by New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Here’s what Octet-ers are saying:

5/30/25: “Nice trail from the E loop, a bit wet with a lot of birds and red efts along the trail.”

5/15/25: “Little wet but passable–perfect day!”

1/26/25: “The Gilbert Lake Trail is one of our favorite hikes any time of year. Beautiful winter setting, saw an ice fishing hut on the frozen lake. I love NY!”

8/1/24 “Gilbert Lake State park was great. You can hike, swim, or kayak. It was my favorite of the Summer Octet Challenge. (Basswood pond was also a winner, just a nice hike on pretty trails. Star Field was also very nice.)”

7/29/24 “Hiked the Lake Trail and swam in the lake. Enjoyed seeing kayaks and paddleboards on lake.”

6/14/24 “My favorite park!”

6/3/24 “Nice hike on well-marked trails. Lake was calm and beautiful.”

4/26/24 “Enjoyed obvious, mostly flat, wide and well-marked trails.”

3/11/23 “Liked the CCC buildings. Beautiful snowy hemlock forest. We could have spent hours hiking at Gilbert Lake.”

1/28/23 “We had a blast walking out onto the frozen lake. Our daughter loved doing a penguin slide.”

1/13/23 “Muddy in places, but easy kid-friendly trail. 45 degrees in January.”

1/8/23 “Very fun connecting trails to make a longer hike, almost 5 miles.”

1/8/23 “Brought my four-year-old granddaughter for a winter hike around the lake, returned on another day to snowshoe with a friend.”

11/8/22 “Hiked with the ADK. Stayed on roads through cabin colony. Sunny and lovely November day.”

11/5/22 “Sunshine came out and was beautiful on the lake.”

10/30/22 “Nice walk!”

10/16/22 “Fished and walked.”

10/16/22 “The playground is the best.”

10/15/22 “Did the lake hike, very peaceful.”

10/8/22 “After hike we played on playground.”

6/29/22 “Lots of fishermen. Always a lovely hike in the woods.”

6/23/22 “501 calories burned. Beautiful hike, 2 ponds, dew, newts, no people, huge snail, lovely evening after a rainy day.”

6/21/22 “Easy trail walk for young kids.”

Basswood Pond State Forest

Activities: Hiking, paddling, winter sports, mountain biking, fishing
Location: Conservation Rd, Burlington Flats, NY 13315
Difficulty: Moderate
Hiking Distance: 1 trail loop
Paddling Distance: 16-acre pond
Fee: No

There are three ways to access the Blue Trail. The main entrance off of the seasonal Conservation Road has a parking and picnic area, restrooms, and is wheelchair accessible. The Jacobs Road entrance has a parking area and kiosk. The third entrance is on the south end of the trails, on Basswood Road. It has a small parking area. In muddy or snowy weather, access the trails from Jacobs Road or Basswood Road. Some also like to just walk along Conservation Road for a longer hike.

Directions

• From the North: NY-28 S, right onto County Road 16 (5.1 mi). Next, make a left onto Basswood Rd (0.4 mi), then take the first right onto Conservation Road to reach the Basswood Pond day use area.
• From the South: NY-205 N, turn left onto NY-80 W (4 mi), then right onto County Rd 16 (1.5 mi). Next, make a left onto Basswood Road (0.4 mi), then take the first right onto Conservation Road to reach the Basswood Pond day use area.
• From the East: Take St. Hwy. 80 West of Cooperstown. In Burlington, make a right onto County Route 16. Approximately 1 1/2 miles, make a left onto Basswood Road. Make first right on the Conservation Road and proceed to day use area.
• From the West: US-20 E, turn right onto NY-51 S/ South St (12.2 mi), take left onto Arnold Rd (1.2 mi), continue onto Basswood Road to enter the State Forest, and then take the first left onto Conservation Road to reach the Basswood Pond day use area.
• Jacobs Road Parking Lot (42.757101°N, 75.121525°W) Google Maps
• Basswood Pond Parking Lot: provides access to the Basswood Pond picnic day area. (42.750324°N, 75.123224°W) Google Maps

June 2024 Update: There is not any flooding on the path by the lean to, as there has been in past years. The trail at the south end goes out to the Basswood Road, look for orange flagging. The Town of Burlington just replaced the culvert on Basswood Road and reopened it to traffic, so you can get to the Day Use area via Basswood Road again.

The trails north of Jacobs Road are closed due to logging.

Basswood Pond State Forest encompasses a total of 720 acres with Basswood Pond itself covering 16 acres and a small beaver pond covering 6 acres. It is open year round and contains approximately 7.5 miles of multiple use trails best suited to hiking, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Mountain biking and horseback riding are allowed on the property, but there are no designated trails or maintained areas for these activities. Paddling is permitted; however, there is no dock or put-in. Ponds are open for hand-launched boats. Please clean and drain all watercraft before launching to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

Blue Trail 2+ miles: The Blue Trail is south of Jacobs Road and also can be accessed from the pull-off on Basswood Road.

You may want to bring a fishing pole as there is a small dock and several grassy areas around the pond to fish from the stocked pond. Basswood Pond State Forest was the site of On the Trail of Art by the Butternut Valley Alliance in June 2022.

Fishing: Basswood Pond State Forest features Basswood Pond with an accessible fishing pier. Basswood Pond is stocked with rainbow trout annually. There is a 10 inch minimum length and a 3-fish daily limit for trout. Fish may not be used as bait. There are also public fishing rights on the nearby Wharton Creek.

Winter Access: There is a small parking lot on Jacobs Road, or park in the small pull-off on Basswood Road. The main parking lot on Conservation Road may not be accessible in winter. Please do not walk or snowshoe in cross-country ski tracks, the next skier will be very happy you did!

Other Amenities and Activities: picnic area, grilling station, fire pit, information kiosk, map at the trailhead, parking, primitive camping, restrooms, dogs allowed, fall foliage, handicap accessible, fishing (no ice fishing and fish may not be used as bait), horseback riding

What Octet-ers are saying:

10/5/24: Beautiful! Hiked in from parking area to Day Use area. Will be back to fish sometime. Saw 2 bowhunters.

3/1/24: “The trail by the pond remains passable (the loop trail is open and you can get from the Main lot to the lean-to.) Conservation Road was drivable (but since it’s seasonal, that may change.)”

What’s Nearby: Jerry’s Place (open May-October, about 10 minute drive) 607.547.1037

Site maintained by  New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Otsego County Conservation Association (OCCA)

Glimmerglass State Park

1527 County Highway 31, Cooperstown, NY

Fee: No fee during fall, winter and early spring. There is a $7 entrance fee per car during swim season (Memorial Day to Labor Day). For information on passes, including the Fourth Grade Free Entry Program and the Golden Passport Pass for people 62 and over, see https://parks.ny.gov/admission/default.aspx

Activities: hiking, mountain biking, paddling, swimming, geocaching, birding, camping, picnicking, playground, winter sports

Glimmerglass State Park is a wonderful place to enjoy the outdoors at the north end of Otsego Lake, the “Glimmerglass” of James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales. The rolling terrain of the park is partially wooded, with various ecosystems, wildlife, and points of historic interest.

Trail map

Sleeping Lion Trail
Sleeping Lion, an uphill wooded trail with views of Otsego Lake, is a multiple use trail marked with orange paint blazes Sleeping Lion Trail climbs moderately steeply, 435 feet, through a hemlock forest and then levels out along the shoulder of the mountain. The trail is suitable for hiking, snowshoeing, and mountain biking. Well marked and well worn the trail offers difficult climbs for mountain biking with plenty of rocks and roots. Parts of the trail are wet, even in summer. The descent on the west side of the mountain offers views of Otsego Lake through the trees. The trail comes out on the road just west of Hyde Hall, a National Historic Landmark. Turn left on this road, passing Hyde Hall on the way back to the parking lot.

Other Amenities, Features, and Activities: picnic area, grilling station, fire pit, information kiosk/ranger station, map at trailhead, toilets, parking, camping, vistas, swimming, picnicking, camping, fishing, ice fishing, ice skating, tubing, running, birding, historic landmarks, covered bridge.

Winter Sports

The park now has snowshoe rentals available dawn to dusk, for $5 a day. Check in at the Park office sizes available for kids and adults.

There *may* be ice skating at the West Picnic Shelter, though the park has a staff shortage. For updates on skating, call the Park office at 607/547-8662 or check the Park’s Facebook page.

In 2025, the Park made the hard decision to stop offering winter tubing, there was not enough snow to consistently offer it on weekends.

Cross-country Skiing

The Beaver Pond, Meadow and Covered Bridge trails are all groomed for cross-country skiing (conditions permitting). Hikers welcome, but please do not walk in the cross country ski tracks.

Accessibility

The park has a Hippocampe wheelchair for people to borrow free of charge while at the park. The wheelchair also has a ski attachment for winter use. Call the park office at 607-547-8662 or stop by during office hours to reserve. In 2024, the Park installed an accessible kayak boat launch.

Swimming

Swim beach open Memorial Day to Labor Day  There is a concession stand near the beach.

Kayak Rentals

Canoe and Kayak Rentals and Sales offers kayak rentals at Glimmerglass State Park in the summer.

Glimmerglass State Park website

Glimmerglass State Park Facebook Page

Glimmerglass State Park is part of the Central New York Geocache Challenge, a treasure hunt at New York state parks and historic sites.

What Octet-ers are saying:

6/7/25: “I did the covered bridge and Bluebird Trails today. I’ve done the Sleeping Lion Trail already. Two very enjoyable loops, a bit wet but saw many birds and deer along the way.

4/28/25: “Finally–a nice day to get out! Always good.”

7/27/24: “2.7 miles, hiked all of Beaver Pond Trail and parts of Bluebird and Covered Bridge Trails. Fantastic educational markers on Beaver Pond Trail.”

1/8/23 “The Covered Bridge Trail is very kid-friendly. Gorgeous walk.”

1/5/23 “Liked learning about the covered bridge. There were 3 women on horseback on the trail. What a surprise!”

12/28/22 “Did the Beaver pond and Meadow Trails. Parking is far away from the trailhead. Nice hike.”

6/30/22 Did the Beaver Pond Trail and stopped at the Covered Bridge

6/25/22 Wear bug spray!

Other visitors’ experiences:

Donna Morelli wrote an article for the Bay Journal about hiking the Sleeping Lion Trail, things to do around (and on) Otsego Lake, and the impact of the Clark family on conserving the natural beauty of the area.

What’s Nearby:

Hyde Hall Historic Site   (located within Glimmerglass State Park)

Sunflower Cafe, 7629A State Highway 80, Springfield Center, NY (seasonal)

Shops and Antique Stores in Springfield Center

Site Maintained by New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation