Sampson State Park is located south of Geneva, NY on the eastern shores of Seneca Lake in Town of Romulus.  During World War II, this area was known as the Sampson Naval Training Station.  During the Korean War the area became the Sampson Air Force Base.   The area is located next door to the former Seneca Army Depot.

The area became a state park in 1960 and while most of the buildings were removed, there still remains some of the network of 38 miles of old roads and trails.  This old network creates some great informal walks and hikes in the park as well as exploring with your bike.  Some of the old roads were removed with the old buildings and some are becoming overgrown.  It's still a neat area to explore and work on your gps skills.

The park has one "official" hiking trail, called the Lake Shore Trail, which is also known as Sampson Lake Trail.  This trail is officially 1.7 miles and follows the old Lake Road toward the small hamlet of Willard.  The trail runs parallel with the shore of Seneca Lake.  The trail can be accessed from East Lake Road (aka County Route 132) in Willard off NY 96A, which includes a small parking area.  There are four benches along the trail.

The park has over 2000 acres for visitors to explore.  There also over 100 boat slips located in the park on Seneca Lake.  The park has a total of 309 campsites with 245 electric and 64 non-electric sites.  A key feature of the park is the beautiful view of the lake at its center. Facilities include courts for tennis, horseshoes, basketball and volleyball, a swimming beach with nearby playground, a low impact fitness circuit and a scenic lake trail.

This park as well as the surrounding area has so much more potential with the former Seneca Army Depot plus the old Lehigh Valley Railroad.  There could be so many more miles of trails and so much more recreational opportunities.  Can you imagine a trail following the old Lehigh Valley Railroad that travels from Sampson State Park to Watkins Glen?  Connect Finger Lakes National Forest with the state parks via trails.  Connect the trail(s) with the 560+ mile Finger Lakes Trail and the longer 4000+ mile North Country National Scenic Trail.  The opportunities are endless. The economic benefits are enormous. 

Directions:  NY 96A south of Geneva, northwest of Ovid.

How do I get to Sampson State Park?

Airplane on display at the Military Museum

Campsite at Sampson State Park

Walkway along Seneca Lake

The paved Lakeshore Trail at Sampson State Park