Verona Beach State Park
Encyclopedia
Verona, New York
Verona is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 6,425 at the 2000 census. The source of the town name is unknown, though it's possibly named after Verona, Italy....
, Oneida County, New York
Oneida County, New York
Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 234,878. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, an Iroquoian tribe that formerly occupied the region....
. The park is northwest of the City of Oneida
Oneida, New York
Oneida is a city in Madison County located west of Oneida Castle and east of Canastota, New York, United States. The population was 10,987 at the 2000 census. The city, like both Oneida County and the nearby silver and china maker, takes its name from the Oneida tribe...
and south of Sylvan Beach
Sylvan Beach, New York
Sylvan Beach is a village in Oneida County, New York, USA. The population was 1,071 at the 2000 census.The Village of Sylvan Beach is in the western end of the Town of Vienna.Verona Beach State Park is south of the village on Route 13.- History :...
. Oneida Creek
Oneida Creek
Oneida Creek is a small river in New York in the USA. The creek enters Oneida Lake at its southeast corner at a location known as South Bay, a bay of the lake...
enters the lake south of the park.
The park offers a beach, a playground, picnic tables and pavilions, hiking and biking, a nature trail, fishing and ice-fishing, a campground with lakeside tent and trailer campsites, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. There is a diverse wetland habitat.
The park, set on 1700 acres (7 km²) along the east shore of Oneida Lake
Oneida Lake
Oneida Lake is the largest lake entirely within New York State . The lake is located northeast of Syracuse and near the Great Lakes. It serves as one of the links in the Erie Canal. It empties into the Oneida River which flows into the Oswego River which in turn flows into Lake Ontario...
, offers swimming, picnicking and camping. Operated by the Central Region, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the facility celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006.
Park manager Allan Gordon said the state started buying lots in 1946. By 1962, 59 lots comprising 1355 acres (5 km²) had been purchased at a cost of $276,300. The final acres, purchased in 1969–70, increased the park's size to 1734 acres (7 km²) for a total cost of $288,888 or roughly $166 per acre.
The park offers three-quarters of a mile of supervised beach, bathhouse, concession stand, two pavilions, seven tents which are rented on weekends for larger gatherings, 45 campsites with a recreation building, and numerous picnic sites. For more active visitors, there are four miles (6 km) of nature trails for hiking and eight miles (13 km) of horseback and mountain bike trails which convert into cross-country ski trails during the winter.
Special events are frequently scheduled. The annual "Frog Fest", a country music concert sponsored by WFRG 104-FM radio on Father's Day
Father's Day
Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days...
in the park, attracts between 12,000 and 15,000.
The park has about 35 seasonal employees. It is open for daily use through Labor Day, after which the beach is closed, although the campgrounds are open through Columbus Day in October and hiking trails remain open as well. Daily use fee is $7 per car. The beach is open from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily.