The Centennial celebration of 2024 was a tough act to follow! We launched the second century of Parks and Historic Sites by meeting the moment and building towards the future, and even welcoming the entire golfing world to Bethpage State Park for the Ryder Cup. Let’s take a look back at the year that was!

2025 was all about community and wellness. The Wellness Challenge helped New Yorkers get off their devices and gather together in the outdoors to focus on their well-being. A series of missions gave participants the tools to address all aspects of their personal wellness, from physical and mental wellness to community and financial wellness.

Special events encouraged wellness and built community. Throughout the year, activities like yoga classes, mindfulness hikes, and art workshops at our parks and historic sites continued to spread the wellness message. Get Outdoors and Get Together Day brought disabled and non-disabled New Yorkers together for a day of social wellness and outdoor recreation. A record number of sites took part in I Love My Park Day on the first Saturday in May. Volunteers braved the rain to plant trees and flowers, paint picnic tables, and clear trails, giving back and getting to know each other. Even amid the noise and fried foods of the Great New York State Fair, visitors to the State Park at the Fair found their wellness and mindfulness through a series of challenge missions they could complete during their trip.

Two statewide initiatives further defined 2025. “Unplug and Play” and “Get Offline, Get Outside” encouraged New Yorkers to spend device-free active time in the outdoors and build connections to nature and history. Our existing programs ramped up in response. In the summer of 2025, more than 1,500 kids descended on 20 state parks for the free Learn-to-Swim program. The Ladders to the Outdoors program continued to grow, serving 7,600 kids in western and central New York in 2025. The Connect Kids to Parks field trip grant program distributed over $1.65 million to fund over 950 field trips across New York State in 2025.

During 2024’s Centennial celebration, we not only celebrated our past, but looked to the future. In 2025, we completed many of the construction projects that were announced last year, continued work on others, and announced new ones. Some were about maintaining a strong foundation, like the electrical upgrade at Saratoga Spa State Park, the infrastructure improvements at Mills-Norrie State Park in Staatsburg, and the new maintenance facility at Olana State Historic Site in Hudson.

Other projects were about renewal. Two years after a catastrophic rainfall, we proudly reopened the Cornell Mine Trail in Bear Mountain State Park. Camp Barton, a former Boy Scout camp on Cayuga Lake, has reopened for hiking and nature observation to welcome a new generation to make memories and experience the outdoors. After a $2.9 million renovation, the Barcelona Lighthouse in Westfield is now open for visitors to climb to the top and take in its views of Lake Erie.

Preservation work on Herkimer Home in Little Falls, Senate House in Kingston, and Steuben Memorial State Historic Site in Remsen keeps these sites vital for the next generation. Accessibility upgrades at Letchworth State Park in Castile, Schuyler Mansion in Albany, Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Fort Hunter and Point Au Roche State Park in Plattsburgh allow visitors to enjoy more of what these parks and historic sites have to offer. And renovations throughout Woodlawn Beach State Park in Blasdell and Joseph Davis State Park in Niagara Falls will make for a better visiting experience. After input from Rochester residents, we unveiled the framework for High Falls State Park, which will be the first state park in Rochester. We also announced a $25 million investment in Bear Mountain State Park, which will be completed in 2027.

Trails are a major part of the experience at our parks, and even at some historic sites. As you explore the Empire State, you’ll notice upgrades large and small to our trails. The Black Diamond Trail connecting Taughannock Falls State Park to downtown Ithaca received a facelift. An adventurous new trail through Artpark in Lewiston overlooks the Niagara River gorge. Those who walk the new trail at Schunnemunk State Park will be treated to sweeping views of Schunnemunk Mountain and the historic Moodna Viaduct.

There’s a lot to look forward to in 2026. Several major multi-year projects will be completed: the total overhaul of the camping areas at Selkirk Shores State Park in Pulaski; the transformation of the long-shuttered east bathhouse at Jones Beach State Park into a destination pool and splash pad; and major upgrades to Buffalo Harbor State Park. Come next summer, Kingston and Ulster residents can cool off at the new safe swimming area at Sojourner Truth State Park.

2026 is also the semiquincentennial of the Revolutionary War. As Ken Burns himself said, “you can’t think of a more important place to the Revolutionary War than New York.”

Our agency manages 44 sites with Revolutionary War significance. We’re committed to telling the full story of the Revolutionary War from multiple points of view, and we’ve already begun. Throughout 2025, we placed video kiosks with hours of content discussing the points of view of Loyalists, women, indentured servants, enslaved Africans, Haudenosaunee, and others living in New York during the turbulent era. The re-creation of Knox’s “Noble Train of Artillery,” a logistical feat that contributed substantially to American victory, made its way through the Capital Region on its 250^th anniversary at the end of 2025, with stops at many of our parks and historic sites. There are many more ways you can revisit the revolution in 2026, so keep watching!

And your favorite annual State Parks traditions will be back in 2026. We’ll kick off the year with First Day Hikes. On the first Saturday in May, we’ll celebrate stewardship with I Love My Park Day. On the second Saturday in June, we hope to see you at Get Outdoors and Get Together Day in support of disability visibility and access. If you’ve got a Girl Scout in your life, mark your calendars for the second Saturday in September and Girl Scouts Love State Parks Day. And we’re planning an unforgettable Revisit the Revolution experience at State Park at the Fair.

Thank you for your continued support of state parks and historic sites. We’ll see you out there!

—Written by Kate Jenkins, Digital Content Specialist