The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Late June Events At Grafton Lakes State Park

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Grafton Lakes State Park will offer a variety of activities for nature lovers, beachgoers and outdoor enthusiasts as summer begins. Try your hand at fishing, look for and identify rare plants, observe the night sky or take a dip in the cool waters at Grafton Lakes State Park at one of several park events scheduled for the last weekend in June.
Friday, June 24: 5:30 pm  – Rare Plant Monitoring:  Join local ecologists in finding and documenting rare plants. For more information call David Hunt 279-4124.
Friday, June 24: 9 pm – the Albany Area Astronomers’ Association will host its monthly Star Watch from the Deerfield Pavilion.  The rain date is for the 25th, so watch the skies for weather conditions.  Please call Bernard of AAAA at 658-9144 to confirm.
Saturday, June 25: from noon to 2 pm – Join our Park Naturalist in the Beach Nature Center to learn about the plants and animals living in the Park through interactive exhibits and live specimens. The Beach Nature Center will be open most swimming days as staffing permits through Labor Day.
Sunday, June 26: from noon to 3 pm – DEC Fisheries Educators will offer “Go Fish! An Intro to Fishing for Families.”   The program assembles by the boat house on Long Pond in Grafton Lakes State Park.  Children and parents will learn the basics of fishing and identification, with fishing poles provided by DEC for this free class. Both Grafton Lakes State Park and nearby Cherry Plain State Park will also offer fishing without a license for June 25 and 26 as part of DEC’s Free Fishing Weekend.
Swimming
Grafton Lakes State Park’s swimming is open Friday-Tuesday from 10 am to 6 pm and closed for swimming Wednesday and Thursday through Labor Day Weekend.  The Park’s 25 miles of hiking trails are also open to bikers and hikers 365 days a year.
Our sister park, Cherry Plain State Park, is open for swimming Wednesday-Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm and closed for swimming Monday and Tuesday starting July 2.
At both Grafton Lakes and Cherry Plain State Parks, vehicles are subject to an $8 fee when swimming is open and a $6 fee when swimming is closed.  Between these two parks, patrons will have access to swimming in cool refreshing lakes seven days a week in July and August.
For more information about these and our other summer program offerings, please contact the Park Naturalist at 279-1155.