Green Lakes Loop Hike

Green Lakes State Park
Fayetteville,
Onondaga Co.,
New York

Hiking Trails:
Round Lake Overlook Trail: Red blaze
Brookside Trail: Brown blaze
Round Lake Trail: Unblazed
Green Lake Trail: Unblazed
Staircliff Path: Red Blaze

Total Time: 1:25 hours
Estimated Distance: 3.6 Miles

Pros: Scenic lakes
Cons: Busy area especially at Green Lakes
Hike Type: Loop
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Google Maps of Parking:
https://goo.gl/maps/Xxw3suuTYZhS2nfL6

I went camping on a family camping trip to Green Lakes State Park. Green Lakes is in the central part of the New York State, near Syracuse, and it consists of two very unusual and highly scenic lakes (Green Lake and Round Lake.) The lakes are very deep, with the lower parts of the lake not mixing with the upper parts (called meromictic.) The lakes also have an unusual teal color and have calcium carbonate mound reefs along parts of their shoreline.

We camped our tent at the Rolling Hills Camping area of the campground, and I started the hike from our campsite. I climbed down the hill behind my campsite to the Round Lake Overlook Trail, which I took to the Brookside Trail which took me down to Round Lake. I walked along the eastern side of the Round Lake Trail, and then to eastern side of Green Lake along the Green Lake Trail. I went around the beach area and then to the western side of Green Lake, and then took the Round Lake Trail along the western side of Round Lake. I then went back to the Brookside Trail to the Round Lake Overlook Trail and then back to my campsite.

Map of the Route

Steep Descent from the Campsite

Brookside Trail Descending to Round Lake

Round Lake

Natural Reef in GreenLake

Deadmans Point in Green Lake with the Reef

Near the Beach Area of Green Lake

Western Shore of Green Lake