Looking for some new places to hike, or want to familiarize yourself about a trail you haven’t been to in a while? Check out this article, which first appeared in the Rome Sentinel.

In Otsego County, a great starting point is either Glimmerglass State Park in Cooperstown or Gilbert Lake State Park in Laurens. Each park offers a range of hikes, as well as picnic tables, restrooms, playgrounds, swimming, boat rentals, fishing, camping, and other amenities.

The 1.3 mile Gilbert Lake Trail circles the lake that includes a swimming beach. The park has more than 12 miles of interconnecting trails, so you can choose your distance. A popular combination is the Twin Fawns and Ice Pond trails, for 2.4 miles hike through lovely hemlock forests. Many of the park’s roads, buildings, and infrastructure were created by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the park is home to the New York State Civilian Conservation Corps Museum.

Glimmerglass State Park features the 2+ mile Sleeping Lion Trail, named after the shape of Mount Wellington as viewed from Otsego Lake. The trailheads are on the lake and forest side of Hyde Hall, an early 19th century neoclassical mansion. Start the Sleeping Lion Trail on the northeast side of Hyde Hall (away from the lake) and you’ll be rewarded with downhill views of Otsego Lake on the second half of your hike. The hike starts off with a steep climb, and can be muddy in parts, but it’s well marked and a favorite with many locals. Also make time to enjoy the Covered Bridge Trail, or just clomp across the 200-year-old historic bridge—the oldest still standing in the country. If you’re hiking with young children, check out the Beaver Pond Trail, which has interactive nature signage along the half-mile trail.

Looking for a hidden gem? Hike Andy’s Trail at Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park in Westford. The 3-mile trail circles the park, winding along streams, fields, and forests. While Glimmerglass and Gilbert Lake each welcomed more than 200,000 visitors in 2025, the New York State Office for Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation reports about 7,500 visitors came to Davis. The sunset views across the valley are spectacular. Amenities include pavilions, picnic areas, a playground, restrooms, and cabin rentals. A 20-minute drive from Glimmerglass, you can visit both state parks in one day.

In Oneonta, the Table Rock Trails on the campus of Hartwick College, are open to the public. The 2.2 mile Blue Trail features beautiful views of the Susquehanna Valley from Table Rock’s massive stone slabs, and you can extend your hike on interconnected yellow and red trails.

Get panoramic views from the opposite side of the Valley–just a 15 minute drive away, with lunch spots to check out in Oneonta–at the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society Sanctuary. The 100-acre property, open to the public, features hiking trails through a variety of habitats, culminating in expansive views.

Just three miles away from the Sanctuary is Emmons Pond Bog, a Nature Conservancy property open to the public. The 1.4 mile Orange loop trail starts in an open field with a mowed path and then heads into the forest. The trail crosses two small streams, wear waterproof footwear. Be sure to check out the waterfall just off the trail, after one of the stream crossings. (You’ll hear it.)

Speaking of bogs—and waterfalls—on Robert V. Riddell State Park’s Mud Lake Trail, you can do an out-an-back hike to the waterfall from the trailhead on Gersoni Road or continue on to Mud Lake, a naturally occurring floating sphagnum bog. Once you reach Mud Lake, head back to the Gersoni Road trailhead (a total distance of 5+ miles), or continue on the trail to the Davenport Trailhead on Charlotte Creek Road (you’ll need two cars so you can shuttle).

The Otsego Land Trust has four publicly accessible sites with short hikes: Parslow Road Conservation Area in Oaksville, Fetterley Forest in Richfield, Lordsland Preserve in Roseboom, and Brookwood Point in Cooperstown. Fetterley Forest, located on a seasonal and sometimes steep road (avoid after a big rain) has a stellar overlook of Canadarago Lake. Brookwood, located in Cooperstown along the shores of Otsego Lake, features a historic garden and a boat launch for canoes, kayaks and rowing shells.

Otsego Outdoors, a collaborative program of four local nonprofits, works to connect people with year-round outdoor recreation in and near Otsego County. Its website otsegooutdoors.org features detailed information on the hikes mentioned in this article and 60 other publicly accessible trails and waterways. Up for a challenge? Complete the Otsego Outdoors Octet Challenge—a new one is offered each season—and earn a free embroidered patch, waterproof sticker, and a listing on the Otsego Outdoors Challenge Roster. More than 1,200 people—and dogs (yes dogs can earn patches too!)—have completed Octet Challenges since 2021.

The calendar on otsegooutdoors.org includes guided hikes, bird walks, races, and volunteer events. Also of note is On the Trail of Art, which will be held June 13-14 in General Jacob Morris State Forest in Morris. Organized by Butternut Valley Alliance, this event is an art gallery and festival in the woods. As you follow the trail, you will come across galleries of works by professional artists and schoolchildren from the Butternut Valley, as well as live performances by musicians and poets.

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This article by Peg Odell first appeared in the Rome Sentinel

Peg Odell enjoys hiking throughout the area, where you will find her pausing to ID birdsong on the Merlin app or to check out a patch of spring ephemerals, cool moss, or a particularly impressive rock. She manages Otsego Outdoors, a program of Otsego 2000, the Otsego Land Trust, the Otsego County Conservation Association, and Butternut Valley Alliance.

Summer is just around the corner which means it is summer camp planning time!  We have compiled a list of nature themed and outdoor based nature camps near Otsego County.

Shake off cabin fever and get outside to enjoy a Winter celebration. Participating in an outdoor event counts toward your Otsego Outdoors Winter Octet Challenge, and is a lot of fun!

January 17, 10 am to 1 pm
Frost Fest at Hartwick College Pine Lake campus
Open fire cooking, hot yoga, sound bathing, bread making, challenge education leadership opportunities, snowshoeing, a hot cocoa bar and so much more! Come one and all! No RSVP needed.

February 5-8
Cooperstown Winter Carnival

The 58^th annual Cooperstown Winter Carnival features a variety of fun activities in multiple Cooperstown locations. The theme is “Let the Games Begin.”

February 7, 11 am to 3 pm
Winter Living Celebration at Rogers Center

Jam packed with fun family-friendly activities, including snowshoeing, sleigh rides, music, campfire pits, crafts, and more.

Know a festival we missed? Let us know!

Spend a beautiful fall day outdoors picking your own apples at a local orchard or getting lost in the twists and turns of a corn maze. For those working on the Otsego Outdoors Fall Octet Challenge, apple picking or completing a corn maze at any of these locations counts for one of your 8 activities. Below is a list of apple orchards that offer apple-picking as well as multiple different corn mazes, all located within Otsego County.  Why not combine a hike with apple picking or doing a corn maze, that will get you two activities complete for the Fall Octet, while you make some fun fall memories.

Cullen Pumpkin Farm Corn Maze
587 Cullen Road, Richfield Springs, NY 13439
(315) 867-3878
https://cullenpumpkinfarm.com/

Fly Creek Valley Corn Maze
1316 County Highway 26, Fly Creek, NY, 13337
(607) 358-5748
https://sites.google.com/site/flycreekvalleycornmaze/home

Middlefield Orchard
2274 NY-166, Cooperstown, NY 13326
(607) 547-8212
https://middlefieldorchard.com/

Willy’s Farm and Cider Mill
349 Badeau Hill Rd, Schenevus, NY 12155
(607) 638-9449
https://willysfarm.com/

Know an apple orchard or corn maze we missed? Let us know!