Favorite state parks that you have visited

Purple_Pills

Purple_Pills

New Fish
What are some of your favorite state parks that you have visited, and why? I primarily seek out Natl Parks, monuments, and historic sites, however in recent years have visited many state operated gems and am now on the lookout for others.

A few of my favorites outside of the PNW are:

  • Watkins Glen State Park, Upstate NY - the highlight of the park is the trails through the waterfall laden gorge. Located in the scenic Finger Lakes Region, many other great attractions are near.
  • Bahia Honda State Park, Florida Keys - warm, calm, clear, blue waters provide excellent snorkeling and other water recreation. Not much of a beach, but enough for a good time.
  • Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Texas Hill Country - the 640 acre, 425’ tall pink granite monolith is the highlight of this park. Located just north of Fredericksburg, the German-Texas tourist town.
  • High Point State Park, north tip of New Jersey - hike the Appalachian Trail, summit a state’s high point, and play in a scenic lake, all in the same state park. An observation tower at the summit of New Jersey’s highest point provides views of three different states.
  • Grayton Beach State Park - 30A Florida Panhandle - great white sandy beach along warm, calm, clear, blue gulf waters. Park also has lakes where you can paddle with gators and nature hikes through the woods.
  • Garner State Park, Texas Hill Country - the highlight of the park is the long stretch of the crystal clear spring fed Frio River. Located below the scenic cliffs of Old Baldy in a Hill Country valley, the park has a great setting and good hikes too.
  • Rainbow Springs State Park, north central Florida - mighty first magnitude spring creates an instant crystal clear river to float down.
 
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Sand Harbor State Park on the Nevada shore of Tahoe is tits. Emerald Bay on the CA side is stunning but so fucking busy.
 
After driving around the country my favorite parks are jelly stone, mount raineer, and the pacific crest trail at the summit of the highway to the sun at glacier...

Camping and hiking and trying to catch a dolly varden at Diablo dam in marble mount, and the appalation trail

The rocky shore of west Vancouver island
 
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Riverside State Park - Spokane.

Got to 2nd base there one time during a summer vacation. The wonders of Carlo Rossi rhine.

 
WA has some good ones.

Probably the most visited not in Seattle metro:

Deception Pass State Park
All of the Forts (Worden, Flagler, Casey, and Ebey). Honestly, if you can book it, Fort Ebey group campsite atop one of the bluffs. Sells out quickly. Amazing views to Victoria.
Sun Lakes-Dry Falls
Steamboat Rock. It's becoming super popular as Chelan has become more expensive / less accessible.

CO:
Horsetooth Rock - I'm not actually certain this is a state park or not.

WV:
Dolly Sods
Seneca Rocks
Spruce Knob

FL:
Bill Baggs Cape Florida

OR:
Pilot Butte - okay not a state park but a worth while view. Sad to hear Pilot Butte Burger closed.
 
#MyTumalo State Park on the Deschutes below White Wakanda is a real lunch pail type state park. Nothing spectacular about it, but you can keep the kiddies entertained for hours on a hot summer day playing in the river. Still need to hit the local steakhouse in Tumalo that @TurdBomber raves about.
 
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WA has some good ones.

Probably the most visited not in Seattle metro:

Deception Pass State Park
All of the Forts (Worden, Flagler, Casey, and Ebey). Honestly, if you can book it, Fort Ebey group campsite atop one of the bluffs. Sells out quickly. Amazing views to Victoria.
Sun Lakes-Dry Falls
Steamboat Rock. It's becoming super popular as Chelan has become more expensive / less accessible.

CO:
Horsetooth Rock - I'm not actually certain this is a state park or not.

WV:
Dolly Sods
Seneca Rocks
Spruce Knob

FL:
Bill Baggs Cape Florida

OR:
Pilot Butte - okay not a state park but a worth while view. Sad to hear Pilot Butte Burger closed.
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Deception Pass is really cool. IFL Dry Falls, Sun Lakes is nice too. If Ebey is the one I'm thinking of where you can walk right up to the cliffs and the lean over and the wind holds you up it's real trippy. Had like an underground concrete structure from WWII that we played in like it was a maze, some sort of communications center IIRC. Haven't been there since I was a kid. It's one of the forts on Whidbey anyway.

Pictograph Cave SP in Montana was cool.

NC has some pretty cool state parks but my favorite is probably Chimney Rock SP. 400+ foot Hickory Nut Falls, the eponymously named rock spire, cool views of Lake Lure, general NC foothills beauty, plus it's the site of the final scene of Last of the Mohicans. Really cool place.

Been to a bunch of state parks in TN and MS but none of them really compare to warrant mention. I feel like I've been to a cool one or two in Arkansas but can't think of them right now.
 
WA has some good ones.

Probably the most visited not in Seattle metro:

Deception Pass State Park
All of the Forts (Worden, Flagler, Casey, and Ebey). Honestly, if you can book it, Fort Ebey group campsite atop one of the bluffs. Sells out quickly. Amazing views to Victoria.
Sun Lakes-Dry Falls
Steamboat Rock. It's becoming super popular as Chelan has become more expensive / less accessible.

CO:
Horsetooth Rock - I'm not actually certain this is a state park or not.

WV:
Dolly Sods
Seneca Rocks
Spruce Knob

FL:
Bill Baggs Cape Florida

OR:
Pilot Butte - okay not a state park but a worth while view. Sad to hear Pilot Butte Burger closed.
Click to expand...

Deception Pass is really cool. IFL Dry Falls, Sun Lakes is nice too. If Ebey is the one I'm thinking of where you can walk right up to the cliffs and the lean over and the wind holds you up it's real trippy. Had like an underground concrete structure from WWII that we played in like it was a maze, some sort of communications center IIRC. Haven't been there since I was a kid. It's one of the forts on Whidbey anyway.

Pictograph Cave SP in Montana was cool.

NC has some pretty cool state parks but my favorite is probably Chimney Rock SP. 400+ foot Hickory Nut Falls, the eponymously named rock spire, cool views of Lake Lure, general NC foothills beauty, plus it's the site of the final scene of Last of the Mohicans. Really cool place.

Been to a bunch of state parks in TN and MS but none of them really compare to warrant mention. I feel like I've been to a cool one or two in Arkansas but can't think of them right now.
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I'm not certain about the winds, but what you described is what it is. Casey obviously has the big cannons and bigger fort complex, but Ebey for the views and isolation is ideal. Don't go sharing that fuckers.
 
Kokee State Park on Kauai has some amazing scenery. Fantastic views along the Nu'alolo and Awa'awapuhi hiking trails, which take you all the way out to the TOP of the Napali coast. You can look 2000 feet straight below and see the snorkeling boats. Pretty cool and rewarding hikes.
Waimea Canyon is up there, too! The little Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

1wqa2yqwcec6.jpg
 
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WA has some good ones.

Probably the most visited not in Seattle metro:

Deception Pass State Park
All of the Forts (Worden, Flagler, Casey, and Ebey). Honestly, if you can book it, Fort Ebey group campsite atop one of the bluffs. Sells out quickly. Amazing views to Victoria.
Sun Lakes-Dry Falls
Steamboat Rock. It's becoming super popular as Chelan has become more expensive / less accessible.
Click to expand...

Great list!

A few more great Washington ones are:

Cape Disappointment State Park - Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, two lighthouses, great view of Columbia River bar and the bar pilots, beaches, bluffs, and more.

Larrabee State Park - great scenic drive to park, beach, great hike with views of the San Juans, also nearby is the trailhead on other state lands for Oyster Dome.

I really would like to visit Moran State Park on Orcas Island (home to Mt. Constitution), Blake Island State Park (Tillicum Village), Sucia Island State Park (geological wonder in the San Juans), and especially Cypress Island NRCA (not state park but most of the island is state owned managed under DNR).

Other good WA state parks and areas not yet mentioned in thread are:

Capitol State Forest - Porter Creek Falls, Mima Falls, McLane Creek Nature Trail, Capitol Peak, ORV trails, equestrian trails, bike trails, and more.

Manchester State Park - picnic shed is former WW2 torpedo building, other WW2 relics on-site, plus view Bremerton Ferry passing through narrow pass.

Grayland Beach State Park - fattest beach in Washington so great place to go if you want a sandy beach, and lots of it. Then head a few miles south and go visit Washaway Beach (former Cape Shoalwater, neighborhood, etc.) where the beach originally came from.

Battleground Lake State Park - Washington’s crater lake.
 
Kokee State Park on Kauai has some amazing scenery. Fantastic views along the Nu'alolo and Awa'awapuhi hiking trails, which take you all the way out to the TOP of the Napali coast. You can look 2000 feet straight below and see the snorkeling boats. Pretty cool and rewarding hikes.
Waimea Canyon is up there, too! The little Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

View attachment 37668
Click to expand...

Polihale State Park on Kauai is pretty sweet as well. It sits at the south end of the Napali coast and basically at the bottom of Kokee’d cliffs.

It’s a long drive to get there from just about anywhere on the island and the last 5 miles is on an unpaved, not regularly maintained road. Rental car companies tell you you’re not allowed to take their cars out there but whatever.

The beach is super isolated and people are spread out. I don’t think it’s swimmable due up the surf but the views are spectacular. I’ve only been there during the day but been told the views of the night sky and stars is awesome.

Edit: Found some photos to make this poast a little more pleasing.

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Kokee State Park on Kauai has some amazing scenery. Fantastic views along the Nu'alolo and Awa'awapuhi hiking trails, which take you all the way out to the TOP of the Napali coast. You can look 2000 feet straight below and see the snorkeling boats. Pretty cool and rewarding hikes.
Waimea Canyon is up there, too! The little Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

View attachment 37668
Click to expand...

Polihale State Park on Kauai is pretty sweet as well. It sits at the south end of the Napali coast and basically at the bottom of Kokee’d cliffs.

It’s a long drive to get there from just about anywhere on the island and the last 5 miles is on an unpaved, not regularly maintained road. Rental car companies tell you you’re not allowed to take their cars out there but whatever.

The beach is super isolated and people are spread out. I don’t think it’s swimmable due up the surf but the views are spectacular. I’ve only been there during the day but been told the views of the night sky and stars is awesome.

Edit: Found some photos to make this poast a little more pleasing.

View attachment 37925
View attachment 37926
Click to expand...

Have only been to this beach once, but only to use to launch for a kayak excursion. Definitely want to go back someday to thoroughly ENJOY it. I hear the best ‘insurance policy’ to purchase JIC your rental car gets stuck on the beach there is a case of chilled Heineken for the ‘locals’. They’ll get you unstuck and the rental company never has to know.
 
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WA has some good ones.

Probably the most visited not in Seattle metro:

Deception Pass State Park
All of the Forts (Worden, Flagler, Casey, and Ebey). Honestly, if you can book it, Fort Ebey group campsite atop one of the bluffs. Sells out quickly. Amazing views to Victoria.
Sun Lakes-Dry Falls
Steamboat Rock. It's becoming super popular as Chelan has become more expensive / less accessible.
Click to expand...

I really would like to visit Moran State Park on Orcas Island (home to Mt. Constitution)....
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Just visited Moran. It is probably the best state park in Washington.

 
Grayland Beach State Park - fattest beach in Washington so great place to go if you want a sandy beach, and lots of it. Then head a few miles south and go visit Washaway Beach (former Cape Shoalwater, neighborhood, etc.) where the beach originally came from.[/i][/b]

If you go to Pacific County assessor's online file Mapsifter - they have all the original plats laid out by Washaway Beach - the satellite picture really shows how much land has been removed by the ocean. I used to have a picture of the old lighthouse - but can't find it.
https://pacificwa-mapsifter.publicaccessnow.com/defaultHTML5.aspx

9v1063217xrd.png
 
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