Don't let snow keep you off New York State's thousands of trails this winter - grab a pair of cross-country skis or snowshoes and enjoy your favorite trails all winter long! The solitude and all engulfing silence of the wilderness in winter await. Many trails are actually easier to traverse in winter as the rocks, roots, and mud are covered over with nothing but smooth, deep snow. You can go to areas otherwise not accessible in summer due to wet conditions and take short cuts across frozen lakes. You may be surprised that a day of exercise and exploring nature in winter could be so much fun
Skiing and Snowshoeing
Be sure to plan ahead and prepare for a safe and enjoyable winter adventure by reading up on our outdoor winter hiking safety tips.
Winter Recreation Safety Tips
Where to Go
All trails on DEC lands are open to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. The lists below are samples of great cross-country skiing and snowshoeing opportunities on both DEC lands and State Park properties. To explore other DEC lands across the state, visit our places to go page.
- Bear Mountain State Park
- Franny Reese State Park
- Harriman State Park
- Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest
- Fahnestock State Park (Clarence Fahnestock)
- Fahnestock Winter Park
- Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park
- James Baird State Park
- Lake Taghkanic State Park
- Mills Norrie State Park
- Minnewaska State Park Preserve
- Nyack Beach State Park
- Ogden Mills & Ruth Livingston Mills State Park
- Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park
- Phoenicia - Mt. Tobias Wild Forest
- Rockefeller State Park Preserve
- Rockland Lake State Park
- Tallman Mountain State Park
- Taconic State Park - Copake Falls Area
- Arnold Lake State Forest
- Basswood State Forest
- Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park
- Charleston State Forest
- Clapper Hollow State Forest
- Cherry Plain State Park
- Featherstonhaugh State Forest
- Five Rivers Environmental Education Center
- Glimmerglass State Park
- Grafton Lakes State Park
- R. Milton Hick Memorial State Forest
- Robert V. Riddell State Park
- Max V. Shaul State Park
- Mine Kill State Park
- Peebles Island State Park
- Thacher State Park
- Blue Mountain Wild Forest
- Camp Santanoni Historic Area
- High Peaks Wilderness
- Jack Rabbit Trail
- Macomb Reservation State Park
- McKenzie Mountain Wilderness
- Moreau Lake State Park
- Point Au Roche State Park
- Saint Regis Canoe Area
- Sentinel Range Wilderness
- Shaker Mountain Wild Forest
- Siamese Ponds Wilderness
- Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest
- Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
- Saratoga Spa State Park
- Brasher State Forest
- Cranberry Lake Wild Forest
- Delta Lake State Park
- Fort Jackson Hill State Forest
- Higley Flow State Park
- Independence River Wild Forest
- Lesser Wilderness State Forest
- Robert G. Wehle State Park
- Robert Moses State Park - Thousand Islands
- Southwick Beach State Park
- St. Lawrence State Park Golf Course
- Tug Hill State Forest
- Verona Beach State Park
- Wellesley Island State Park
- Westcott Beach State Park
- Whetstone Gulf State Park
- Winona State Forest
- Bear Swamp State Forest
- Bowman Lake State Park
- Chateaugay State Forest
- Chenango Valley State Park
- Gilbert Lake State Park
- Green Lakes State Park
- Hammond Hill State Forest
- Hawkins Pond State Forest
- James Kennedy State Forest
- Klondike State Forest
- McDonough State Forest
- Oakley Corners State Forest
- Oquaga Creek State Park
- Salmon River State Forest
- Selkirk Shores State Park
- Stoney Pond State Forest
- Taughannock Falls State Park
- Tuller Hill State Forest
- Two Rivers State Park Recreation Area
- Whaupaunaucau State Forest
- Bonavista State Park Golf Course
- Cayuga Lake State Park
- Chimney Bluffs State Park
- Darien Lakes State Park
- Fair Haven Beach State Park
- Genesee Valley Greenway State Park
- Hamlin Beach State Park
- Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area
- Keuka Lake State Park
- Lakeside Beach State Park
- Mark Twain State Park and Soaring Eagles Golf Course
- McCarthy Hill State Forest
- Pinnacle State Park and Golf Course
- Sampson State Park
- Stony Brook State Park
- Watkins Glen State Park
- Allegany State Park
- Artpark State Park (Earl W. Brydges)
- Beaver Island State Park
- Buckhorn Island State Park
- De Veaux Woods State Park
- Devil's Hole State Park
- Evangola State Park
- Fort Niagara State Park
- Golden Hill State Park
- Joseph Davis State Park
- Knox Farm State Park
- Lake Erie State Park
- Letchworth State Park
- Long Point State Park on Lake Chautauqua
- Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center
- Reservoir State Park
- Silver Lake State Park
- Whirlpool State Park
- Wilson-Tuscarora State Park
Protect Yourself
Plan ahead and prepare for a safe and enjoyable adventure by reading up on our outdoor winter hiking safety tips. Winter weather conditions can change quickly and to the extreme. The colder temperatures provide you with a smaller margin for error should something go awry. Proper planning and communicating your trip itinerary to others is a must.
Skiing Etiquette
Trail Safety
- Stay on the trails. Trails are laid out for skiers' safety and convenience. Leaving the trail may cause skiers to encounter unknown terrain hazards and become lost.
- When passing on a flat area, a faster skier should indicate their desire to pass by calling "track." The slower skier should yield by stepping out of the track to the right, where possible.
- Try not to pass on a downhill. Save it for the flat where the slower skier can maneuver more easily.
- A skier moving downhill has the right-of-way, since they are moving faster and may have less control. Do not descend a hill until the trail is clear.
- If the trail is one-way, be sure to ski in the proper direction. If a trail has two sets of tracks, ski the set of tracks on the right-hand side.
- Move off the trail as quickly as possible after a fall. This will prevent possible collisions and allow other skiers to pass. Fill in sitzmarks before proceeding.
- Do not ski alone. Long tours, especially, should not be tempted alone. Hypothermia is a very real and serious hazard when the temperature is below 15°F.
Respect for Trail Conditions
- Fill in holes. A hole in a downhill track can be hazardous to other skiers. Once these freeze, they are difficult to fill in.
- Do not walk in tracks. If necessary, walk to the side of the trail.
- Dogs are best left at home, as their pawmarks can create hazards in a track. Dogs themselves can be a hazard by getting in the way of other skiers and chasing wildlife.
Additional Information
- Important safety tips and guidelines for all outdoor recreational activities.
- Avalanche Safety - know the risk, be prepared.
- Adirondack Trail Information
- Great Winter Hikes