A typical first experience visiting a New York state park might include swimming, camping, hiking, fishing, picnicking, volunteering, or maybe hands-on learning with an environmental educator. But for some high schoolers, their initial introduction to state parks comes from the thrill of running a cross-country race held at our parks throughout the year.

Every cross-country course is unique and can vary in length and terrain. The courses at our state parks are no different. Some pass through flat grassy fields or golf courses, while others traverse steep wooded trails. Our state parks provide their own scenic backdrop and have continued to welcome many high school competitors in annual races coordinated by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) as well as other organizations.

“NYSPHSAA Cross Country has partnered with over 15 state parks across New York State over the years,” said Chuck Wiltise, the NYSPHSAA boys state coordinator for cross-country. “We have always found them to be extremely hospitable in offering challenging courses for over 1,000 girls and boys runners; from all parts of the state. They bring with them over 3,000 spectators enjoying the great services provided by the parks.”

Since 1950, the New York State Cross Country Championships have been hosted 17 times at various New York state parks.

Year	Course	Length
1963	Bear Mountain State Park	2.5 miles
1965	Bear Mountain State Park	2.5 miles
1968	Sunken Meadow State Park	2.5 miles
1974	Sunken Meadow State Park	3 miles
1976	Bear Mountain State Park	3 miles
1978	James Baird State Park	5K
1979	Green Lakes State Park	5K
1983	James Baird State Park	5K
1984	Saratoga Spa State Park	5K
1990	Green Lakes State Park	5K
1992	Sunken Meadow State Park	3 miles
2002	Sunken Meadow State Park	5K
2004	Chenango Valley State Park	5K
2008	Sunken Meadow State Park	5K
2016	Chenango Valley State Park	5K
2018	Sunken Meadow State Park	5K
2021	Chenango Valley State Park	5K

Many of these courses are revered for their history, while others are feared for the challenges they present.

The Sunken Meadow State Park cross-country running course has a reputation for being one of the toughest courses in New York. The 5K course starts off flat, often causing runners to go out fast until they reach the short but steep Snake Hill. The course then winds through the picnic area and begins a roughly half-mile climb to the base of the appropriately-named Cardiac Hill, which extends another 200 meters up very steep terrain. Due to the park’s location along the Long Island Sound, runners can also experience hard wind conditions and often deal with sandy trails.

People come from all over to take on the challenges of Sunken Meadow, with the park hosting races for school districts, private schools, colleges, and local community groups. Each year, the Sunken Meadow cross-country course is host to the public high school sectional championships, the Suffolk County Championships, and the Catholic School Championships. When Sunken Meadow hosted the New York State Cross Country Running Championships in 2018, the event drew an excess of 10,000 people between participants, spectators, vendors, and more.

According to Park Director Sean Cruickshank, “due to the popularity of the cross-country course, Sunken Meadow State Park is required to maintain a crew of employees who are dedicated to maintaining the course, as well as assisting with the events on race days. This crew schedules staff over a seven-day schedule in order to keep up the quality conditions. The smaller dual meets may offer 200 people in attendance, while the big invitational events can attract as many as 3,000 people. On average, more than 40,000 runners face the challenges of the course during the fall season.”

Bear Mountain State Park is familiar to hosting major recreation competitions, from ski jumping to professional baseball spring training, but also has a long history of hosting cross-country races. Bear Mountain has been the home to the NYSPHSAA Section 9 Championships and Orange County Interscholastic Athletics Association (OCIAA) Cross Country Championships for nearly the last 60 years.

The course begins in front of Bear Mountain Carousel, heading towards the historic Bear Mountain Inn and around the picturesque Hessian Lake before heading up a steep portion of the Appalachian Trail and then returning through the picnic area and finishing.

“Cross country racing has been taking place at Bear Mountain for decades, utilizing a course that has remained unchanged for years,” said Park Operations Manager Jen Sylvestri. “The only major deviation from this routine in recent memory was during the 2023 cross country season, as a result of the storm damage from the July flood. The course is a loop incorporating our paved walking path around Hessian Lake, portions of our large grassy ball field, and connecting hiking trails. Because the course utilizes some of our main public use areas, regular maintenance is typical, including cutting the grass on our ball field, and blowing or removing any leaves or other debris from the paved paths. Occasional washouts in steep areas do require periodic attention and are typically remediated by members of the cross country community using resources (i.e. woodchips) provided by the park.”

Chenango Valley State Park is one of the few locations within the New York State park system that provides access to swimming, camping, and golfing, and is the most recent state park to host the New York State Cross Country Championships.

“The primary 5K course is overlayed on the golf course, so we manage and maintain the race course as a part of everyday maintenance on the golf course,” said Park Manager Michael Boyle.

The course itself has some rolling hills, as it intersects various holes along the golf course, with runners able to take advantage of the long straightaways through some of the fairways.

Aside from the recent New York State Cross Country Championships, Chenango Valley State Park is the annual home to the NYSPHSAA Section 4 Championships and holds a local fun run every year just after the Section 4 meet.

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There are many other distinctive New York State Park courses that welcome high school runners for their annual competitions. Surrounded by classical architecture, the course at Saratoga Spa State Park starts in front of the Hall of Springs and passes the historic bathhouses and reflecting pool before winding into the wooded trails. It has played host to the NYSPHSAA Section 2 Championships. Bethpage State Park, known for its championship golfing, is also the home to the Nassau County Championships and NYSPHSAA Section 8 Championships, with the course navigating the trails around the polo field. Characterized by its gorges, waterfalls and cliffs, Letchworth State Park welcomes runners to its High Bank Recreation Area for the NYSPHSAA Section 5 Championships.

These are just a handful of courses across New York state parks. Do you know of a course we did not mention? Do you have any cross-country running experiences at a New York State Park? Share your favorite moment with us on our Share Your Story submission page and be sure to tag us in your photos on social media. 

-Written by Tyler Wilcox, Community Relations Representative, Albany Public Affairs Bureau