Chimney Bluffs State Park
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:More citations needed Template:Infobox park Chimney Bluffs State Park is a Template:Convert state park<ref name=RIoG_PS/> in the town of Huron in Wayne County, New York.<ref name=WCT_CBSP>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The park is situated on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, east of Sodus Bay. From the park's hiking trails, visitors can view the large clay formations at the water's edge for which the park is named.
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.<ref name=NYSP_NatureTimes_CBSP>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Although the pinnacles and cliffs, some of which rise up to Template:Convert above the lake shore,<ref name=Moon_CBSP>Template:Cite book</ref> have existed for thousands of years, they are constantly changing and further eroding.<ref name=NYSP_NatureTimes_CBSP/>
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<ref name=WCT_CBSP/> 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.<ref name=NYSP_main/>
The park has approximately Template:Convert of hiking trails, including a Template:Convert 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, Template:Convert 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
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Terrain of Chimney Bluffs State Park, March 2016
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View of the bluff from the Bluff Trail, May 2016
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Bluff Trail as it goes through a grove of trees atop the cliff, November 2023
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Lake Ontario as seen from Garner Point Trail
