Robert H. Treman State Park, Ithaca, New York

The Finger Lakes region of New York draws you back. There are wineries and breweries to get a taste of and lots of opportunities hiking, biking and other outdoor recreation. The summer weather is great – warm during the days and cool at night.

Hiking the Buttermilk Falls Gorge Trail in Ithaca.

My first time visiting the Finger Lakes was in 2012 when Vic and I did a seven-day bike trip called the Bon Ton Roulet. We returned ten years later when we camped at Watkins Glen State Park with our friends Sarah and Kenny, and again just this summer to Ithaca.

We camped at Robert H. Treman State Park. Treman is a great home base for exploring Ithaca and the surrounding area. A much-used and fitting tagline for Ithaca is “Ithaca is Gorges” because of the numerous gorges, waterfalls and hiking in the area.

We hiked the gorge and rim trails for Lucifer Falls right from Treman State Park. We hiked the Taughannock Falls and Buttermilk Falls gorge trails, both short drives from Treman State Park.

A great benefit of camping at Treman is that your campground parking pass is accepted at the other state parks in the area; otherwise you’d pay $9 each time to park.

Campground Tour

Campground Details

Campground Name: Robert H. Treman State Park

Location: Treman is located in Ithaca, New York, in the Finger Lakes region.

Number of sites: 87 campsites, including 7 tent-only sites. 14 rustic cabins also available.

Hookups: 11 sites have electric hookups; none has water hookups. Water spigots are available throughout the campground to fill your tanks.

Connectivity: OK. We got 2 bars of 5G on T-Mobile

Bathrooms: Three buildings with toilets; one has showers. They were older and a bit worn, but kept clean and tidy by staff.

Campground amenities: Firewood is available for sale. There’s a single dump station.

Reservations: https://newyorkstateparks.reserveamerica.com

Notes: Campsites are open approximately from mid-May to the first week of November. Pets are permitted, but campground rules and campground staff are adamant about not leaving them unattended in camping units. Fortunately, we visited when temperatures were cool enough to leave Blaze in the truck when we couldn’t take him with us.

Campground rating: 4 out of 5

Recommended Nearby

Treman State Park is a great place to camp for close access to Ithaca, and to the area gorge trails.

Cornell Botanic Gardens has more than 500 acres of gardens and natural areas on the campus of Cornell University. We spent a couple of hours and only explored just a few of the gardens. Admission is free, but visitors must pay to park (it’s not expensive–$1.50 an hour through the ParkMobile app). The gardens are dog friendly, too! The Nevin Welcome Center is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.
Ithaca Beer Company’s Taproom Brewery is located about ten minutes from Treman State Park. They offer their full suite of craft beers a full-service restaurant featuring locally grown produce and suppliers. On the day we visited, there was also live music on the field next to the taproom beer garden.
If you look at my bookshelf at home, you’ll see several Moosewood Collective cookbooks. We did not want to miss the opportunity to eat at Moosewood Restaurant while we were in Ithaca. We made a reservation for a late lunch and were not disappointed with the (meatless) food. It’s a casual eatery with outdoor seating, perfect for celebrating my birthday!