Stony Brook State Park is a state park located in Dansville in Livingston County, New York. The park is south of Dansville on New York State Route 36. Route 36 also connects the park to Stony Brook State Park Campground a short distance away.
The signature attraction of the park is the eponymous brook, which is an example of small, post-glacial streams in the Finger Lakes area. The small creeks and brooks in this area cut through the Great Lakes-area escarpments following retreat of the ice age glaciers, creating deep, narrow gorges, with many waterfalls, which are uncommonly accessible.
As do some other parks in the region, such as Fillmore Glen State Park, Robert H. Treman State Park, and Buttermilk Falls State Park, the park features a semi-natural swimming pool, created by a small dam constructed in the lower reaches of the stream.
Stony Brook became a summer tourist spot in the late 19th century, following the construction of a railroad in 1883. The resort fell into decline by the 1920s. New York state resurrected the area by buying the land and establishing the state park in 1928.
Stony Brook was enhanced in the 1930s by improvements constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration. The footprint of these government programs is evident throughout the park in the form of hiking paths, bridges, picnic areas, and buildings.
Initially 250 acres (1.0 km2), the park is now 577 acres (2.34 km2). It offers two stream-fed swimming pools, picnic tables and pavilions, a playground, a nature trail, hiking, fishing and bow-hunting (deer), a campground with tent and trailer sites, and cross-country skiing.
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—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
“No one would know except for ancient maps
That such a brook ran water. But I wonder
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—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
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“Mrs. Mirvan says we are not to walk in [St. James’s] Park again next Sunday ... because there is better company in Kensington Gardens; but really, if you had seen how every body was dressed, you would not think that possible.”
—Frances Burney (1752–1840)