A girls’ trip to New York State might commonly be associated with shopping, chi-chi cocktails, maybe a show on Broadway and a flurry of selfies in front of the dramatic skyline and iconic architecture.
But the Big Apple is just one slice of New York State and, embarking on a road trip with my daughter Grace, we’re nowhere near the Manhattan Bridge, the Statue of Liberty or those big yellow taxis we see in the movies.
This year marks the centenary of the New York State Parks system, set up to offer access to open space and recreation, and to connect people to its most celebrated lands.
It encompasses more than 350,000 acres, while there are also 35,000 acres of vineyards and more than 2,000 waterfalls to be explored – yet even the Americans we meet tend to just associate the whole state with New York City.
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So, we head out to explore some of New York State’s most awe-inspiring open spaces which offer adventurous holidaymakers the vast riches of waterfalls, wine, wildlife and wings (of the chicken kind).
The leaves are just starting to turn to buttery yellow and warm orange on our autumn visit, a perfect time for hiking, biking and still warm enough for boat trips, river pursuits and paddleboarding during a week of glorious weather in mid-September.
We begin with the oldest of them all, Niagara Falls State Park (six hours’ drive from New York City), which stretches 400 acres, with close to 140 acres of that underwater, spilling a staggering 685,000 gallons of water over the falls each second, from four of the great lakes – Superior, Michigan, Huron and Erie.
Established in 1885, it became the cornerstone of the state park system, with its famous mighty American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls, which are viewable from almost every angle on well-trodden tourist paths on the Niagara River.
First-timers will no doubt board the well-known Maid of the Mist boat (adults $28.25/£21) which envelops you in clouds of water vapour from the falls, or embark on a white-knuckle jet boat ride, bumping its way through stage 5 rapids to the famous whirlpool landmark (Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours, adults $65.95/£50).
