Darien Lakes State Park
Hiking
Travel north along the Conservation Branch Trail, one of the Finger Lakes Trail system trails, and eventually you’ll reach Darien Lakes State Park, a New York State Park graced with a mix of hills, beautiful woodlands, ravines and streams, all ripe for multi-season adventures.
Spanning 171 miles, the Conservation Branch Trail links New York State and the Finger Lakes Trail with Canada’s Bruce Trail, which follows the shoreline of Lake Ontario for 300 miles, traveling along the Niagara escarpment at finally ending at the trail’s northern terminus, Tobermory in southern Ontario.
For those completing the ultimate Finger Lakes Trail challenge, a thru-hike of the whole trail, Darien Lakes State Park serves as one of the highlights of this branch trail trek before reaching Niagara Falls.
Continuing from Allegany State Park near the Pennsylvania border, the main Finger Lakes Trail’s white blazes will transition to the Conservation Branch Trail’s distinct orange blazes near Fancy Tract Road after approximately 55 miles.
From this point, the Conservation Branch Trail traverses easy to moderate terrain, climbing to elevations of up to 2,300 feet and crossing over challenging ravines for roughly 50 miles before reaching Darien Lakes State Park. The trail covers approximately two miles within the park.
Trail Map
Our Finger Lakes Trail map CT8 provides detailed information concerning the trail as it passes through Darien Lakes State Park and beyond. Map CT8 is available as a digital download you can use on your smartphone and/or is available in a paper version which we will mail to you.
Finger Lakes Trail map CT8 can be purchased by visiting our interactive map and selecting trail map CT8. Proceeds from the map sale goes toward the ongoing administration of the entire 950 plus miles of the Finger Lakes Trail.
For use on your smartphone, you’ll need to install the Avenza App.
Sample Map – Shown below is a section of Finger Lakes Trail map CT8 which shows the trail as it passes through Darien Lakes State Park. Purchase the full map by clicking on map image below.
Camping in Darien Lakes State Park
Public camping locations in Darien Lakes State Park accessible via the Finger Lakes Trail include:
- Darien Lakes State Park Campground, accessible by turning left at the marked junction.
- Darien Lakes State Park old lean-to, approximately half a mile from the Conservation Trail. Take a right at the junction marked with blue blazes. Backpackers welcome. A free permit is required from the state park to stay overnight at the lean-tos.
- Darien Lakes State Park lean-to. Backpackers welcome. A free permit is required from the state park to stay overnight at the lean-tos.
For more information or to make camping reservations, visit the Darien Lakes State Park website or call 585-547-9242.
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