Chimney Bluffs State Park

Geology

The bluffs are formed from eroded drumlins, teardrop-shaped hills of glacial till that were deposited and shaped by glaciers during the most recent ice age. The erosive power of wind, rain, snow, and waves has formed the landscape into sharp pinnacles. Although the pinnacles and cliffs, some of which rise up to 150 ft above the lake shore, have existed for thousands of years, they are constantly changing and further eroding.

Park history and features

The Chimney Bluffs area has been a landmark for many years. According to the pamphlet given by the park, smugglers used the area as a landing point while transporting liquor from Canada during Prohibition. The area was acquired by the state of New York in 1963 after having previously been operated informally as a privately owned recreation area.

It lay undeveloped until 1999 when a parking lot, service building with heated restrooms, picnic areas with grills, and hiking trails throughout the park were added. It is considered a year-round park for hiking and picnicking in the summer. Swimming is prohibited. Winter activities include cross-country skiing and snowshoeing; a trailhead for snowmobiling is also located within the park.

The park has approximately 4 mi of hiking trails, including a 1 mi trail along the Bluffs between the west and east entrances.

From some vantage points in the park, visitors can see Nine Mile Point Nuclear Generating Station, 25 mi to the northeast, as well as the coal smokestacks located in Oswego. On sufficiently clear days, the Rochester skyline may also be visible on the horizon about 36 miles (58 km) to the southwest.

Gallery

Chimney Bluffs State Park - 20160330 - 26.jpg|Terrain of Chimney Bluffs State Park, March 2016 The Marquee Attraction @ Chimney Bluffs State Park, New York - 20210525.jpg|View of the bluff from the Bluff Trail, May 2016 Bluff Trail at Chimney Bluffs State Park, NY.jpg|Bluff Trail as it goes through a grove of trees atop the cliff, November 2023 Chimney Bluffs State Park - 20160330 - 05.jpg|Lake Ontario as seen from Garner Point Trail

References

References

1. "Chimney Bluffs State Park". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation.
2. (2014). "2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook". The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.
3. "State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003".
4. "Chimney Bluffs State Park, Huron, NY". Wayne County Tourism.
5. Teeter, Josh. (June 16, 2015). "Geology Exposed at Chimney Bluffs State Park". NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
6. Collazo, Julie Schwietert. (August 2014). "Moon Spotlight: Finger Lakes". Avalon Travel.