Stony Brook State Park

Beautiful park! The coolest feature that is different from all other NY state parks I have visited is the natural stone pool. Unique for sure. They also didn’t enforce no swimming rules elsewhere in the park. This was a bit disturbing at points but may be considered a bonus to some!

This is an amazing place! It is only $ 7 a car but if you are a senior (like my momma) all state parks are free Mon-​Friday. We went on a very hot Sunday so it was very crowded. However the staff was excellent and organized. They were staff directing you to a parking spot, wonderful lifeguards and even friendly maintenance staff. So event though it was an overflow crowd, it didnt feel too packed. (Except the bathroom facilities were pretty small) Also, I was impressed that there were still lots of picnic tables available at 12 noon.
The swimming hole was amazing. It was organized into 4 foot, 5 feet etc deepness. You were even allowed to dive in. (Most places I go don’t seem to allow diving) The water was refreshing– 62 degrees in early August. But that chill lifts your spirits!
After the swim we took a great hike. You are instantly rewarded with gorgeous views. Dogs are allowed on the trail which I think is the best. You can wade into the water here along the trail at many points. This is a natural park so there are no hand rails and safety rails as I have grown accustomed to in our litigious society. All the more exciting!

A friend told us about this place so we decided to check it out today! This place is a gem for sure!!! Beautiful country drive with lots of great stands to stop at on the wY home for fresh veggies and fruit!!! Standard $ 7 to park
We went late on a Wednesday afternoon and it was packed so I can’t imagine what it looks like during the weekend! Lots of parking. Huge playground! Many different things to keep all ages busy. They are locker rooms for showering and changing as well as bathrooms and a little shop for amenities. Tons of day sites with grills and picnic tables and most were filled!!!
The swim hole is awesome! A nature made pool in a beautiful gorge. They have the different depths marked and stairs walking in! There was an 8ft, 6ft, 4ft and a 2ft swimming area so great for all ages and they have life guards on duty.
So once you are done there head up the trail. The signs say to stay on the trail but the well known secret is to wait until you are just around the bend out of the lifeguards view and walk the creek up! Tons of little pools and mini falls to play in or slide down. Also a couple big waterfalls that you can walk right up to!!! I recommend water shoes!
Only got to try one hiking trail and it was well marked and clean! Pets allowed in leash! Can’t wait to go camping here so much fun!

We stayed in the rustic cabin #25. We didn’t have a reservation so when we got there they let us rent a cabin for 1 night even though the minimum is usually 2 nights. Cabins 25 – 27 are right next to each other in case you are going with a large group. The bathrooms were really close and convenient! They were very nice and can fit 4 people. There is no electricity but it’s camping so there shouldn’t be! Quiet hours are 10pm-​7am and it seemed like that held true. There is a fire pit at each campsite.
We hiked down the gorge trail which was awesome!!! Then took the east trail back up and it was hard! It was mostly all up hill. I’d suggest maybe finding another route of you don’t want a workout. The pool was closed due to a storm earlier in the week but looked really cool.

To start off I’m a fairly well experienced hiker. I’ve gone on a cross country trip, spent weeks in national parks, and the Adirondacks growing up. That being said the signs for the trails are really lacking. We got completely lost thinking we were on a trail. We ended up not being on a trail and had to back track through the gorge which took a few hours. I’m not even sure if we were still in the park. The place is awesome and really fun. Just need to be extremely careful about directions.

We used the Rustic Cabins for a few years before buying a trailer. It is 11:00 and the park has been silent since 8:00.
The Park Ranger has stopped by our site the last two nights to see how we are enjoying our stay.
Bathrooms could use a cleaning with bleach.

I have never heard of this place until a friend told me about it. We stayed in one of the new «rustic cabins» and it was a perfect weekend. Two adult and two children. The cabin has a bunk with a full size bottom and a twin top, also another twin bed, so sleeps four comfortably. BYO bedding, but really, why wouldn’t you. Rustic really a does mean rustic. No electricity, no water, no potty. Some shading and a small table made for nice storage of all of the ‘gear’. I would highly recommend checking your proximity to the restrooms before booking with small children!
The park is beautiful! Trails are well maintained and plentiful. Waterfalls are everywhere making the place look and sound like a little oasis. There are also some areas where small natural slides have been carved out of the rock and land you in a cool little pool. You really aren’t supposed to go in the water outside of the natural swimming pool that was created but everyone does.
The natural pool has life guards on duty and three depths (2′, 5′, 8′) with areas for jumping diving… Super fun! **Side note, also super cold! The water was a shocking 52 degrees F, but it’s been a cool-​ish summer after a freezing cold winter so maybe that’s not the norm. We didn’t care, it was so fun and the hot sone surroundings warmed you right up as you got out. Even the kids loved it.
There are also tennis courts, and amazing playground, sandbox, volleyball courts, a camps store for all the things you forgot, and many tent camping sites as well.
Also, you are about ten min. Drive from Dansville where you can find a gas station, grocery (Tops), Tractor Supply, and Dunkin’ donuts — if you forgot a lot of stuff. I recommend going. We certainly will be back. Maybe even this year again.

Stony Brook has been a family favorite for years.
I haven’t camped, but the hiking is amazing, and even when the swimming spot is closed, there are still plenty of opportunities to cool off, even for little ones. You are told by the parks department on a number of signs to not go in the water, but you’ll probably have to because the place is just so gorgeous.

Great place for a family get away. We stayed in one of the new «rustic cabins» which are basically well built sheds with windows and bunk bed. I’ve been in Buffalo for over 30 years and just this year heard about this park recently. The scenery was great, lots of hiking in the water and waterfalls. They have signs to keep you out of the creek bed but those seem to be more of a suggestion rather than a rule. The natural swimming pool at the end of the mile or so hike was awesome. VERY cold at 52 degrees but awesome and staffed with lifeguards. There was a «baby pool» (2 – 3 foot deep section) of the swimming pool as well. Bathrooms were clean, park rangers patrolled to keep the place calm/​quiet after 10pm and Dansville is 10 minutes away in case you forget something or run out of beer… i mean soda.
In addition to the natural activities, they have tennis courts, a snack bar, playground and a camp store.
Very family friendly and your kids will LOVE IT… unless they are teenagers, they’ll just be mad they can’t charge their phone (which isn’t a bad thing).

Amazing park! The sites are spacious, for the most part. If you are thinking well enough ahead of time to book in advance, go for one of the sites that boarders the creek. Great hiking in the creek during the day, and the water drowns out the noise of your neighbors at night.
Others have complained about college aged kids and noise, but that’s gonna happen anywhere. Compared letchworth or Cayuga lake, these sites are spacious.
Great playground for younger kids on the bottom end of the park. Great waterfalls to swim in. Best camp ground in the areas surrounding Rochester, by far.

The scenery here is 5-​star, but the camping situation is so bad. The campsites are staggered in a way where it feels you are constantly walking though someone else’s site or vice versa. Other camp grounds in the area have done a great job of making spaces seem more private.
If you are camping next to a college-​age group of heavy drinkers (like I had the unfortunate luck last time), be prepared to have your weekend ruined. I would like to say this was a fluke, but because of proximity to area colleges, this is probably the norm. Also this was the first time in a NYS park that I my safety actually crossed my mind because of our neighbors.
My suggestion is to visit, but maybe not stay the night if you are a family. You can camp up at Letchworth and I believe your camp pass there will get you into Stony Brook for free.

The only reason we gave Stoney Brooke 4 stars is because the pool is closed. The park is beautiful and you can cool off in the natural pools and waterfalls along the trails.

Beautiful park. Excellent hike in the gorge. We were there in the late season. They have two stream fed pools in the summer — it must be great.

I loved visiting Stony Brook as it is a nice drive from where I went to college.
The park’s terrain is filled hilly woodlands, a deep gorge with rugged cliffs overlooking three waterfalls and fascinating rock formations. The park is open year round, but I suggest visiting on a hot summer day like Jen J. suggested. Swim, hike, relax and take in the beautiful scenery!

There’s nothing better than sitting in the stream or next to one of the waterfalls on a hot summer day. With picnic tables and plenty of open space for tanning or playing football this is my favorite park in the area. An easy drive down 390 south I go as often as I can.