New York State Park Field Trip Ideas for Teachers

State parks are great places to take students on a school field trip. New York has some of the best state parks in the country with some of the most beautiful scenery, so it's easy to find a state park your students will love.

Niagara Reservation State Park is probably the most famous state park in the world. Known for Niagara Falls, one of the wonders of the world, it's a fabulous state park for a field trip for students of any age. Take the Maid of the Mist boat tour at the bottom of the falls. Your students will love it when they're given souvenir rain ponchos and drenched by the spray from the falls. Scheollkopf Geological Museum, is also a great educational opportunity as it shows how the falls were formed.

Jones Beach State Park on Long Island is closer to New York City. Jones Beach has Olympic sized swimming pools, basketball courts, shuffleboard courts, miniature golf, fishing docks, bathhouses, and even an outdoor theatre. Awesome for school field trips, your students can swim in the bay or just use the wading pools if swimming isn't their thing. The state park opened in 1929, so is also interesting for its history.

Bear Mountain State Park will be loved by students if not just for the name. Located in mountains overlooking the Hudson River, the park features a swimming pool, zoo, nature trails, and lake and river fishing for the summer. For winter field trips, students can ice skate at the outdoor rink, cross country ski or ski jump. Surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in North America, this is a field trip they'll never forget.

New York State has many state parks. Contact the New York State Office of Parks for recommendations for other state park field trips.