Croton Point Park

What a lovely park! It is the kind of park where you wish you travelled with charcoal and bbq picnic things so you can spend the entire day relaxing and exploring. Go and check out the area where there is a model airplane flight strip. We spent nearly 40 minutes watching people fly their planes and drones.

My family and I went to the park/​beach for the first time yesterday, which happened to be the last day the beach would be opened. We have mixed feeling about the park. We like the park and beach but was a little disappointed when it came to certain things. We didn’t mind that we were charged $ 10 for parking, but where does the money go? There was hardly any staff, at least not many that were visible. They should have a staff member clean the bathrooms and reload the supplies at midday, especially on weekends.
They only had one section of the beach opened for swimming, was that because they only had one lifeguard on board? I’m not sure, but that one section certainly got very crowded.
Their picnic area permit is outrageously priced, $ 175 even for a park member, for what a grill (which anyone can bring their own charcoal grill) and picnic tables. For $ 175, they should provide the food too.
There was one group there that brought a huge speaker and blasted Spanish music to the point where you cannot hear yourself talk and they were about 100 feet away and it was still that loud. The parks security came by 5 times to ask them to lower their music. By the third time approaching them, they should have made them put away the speaker or leave the park.
Suggestions: Bring your own grill and table and chairs, get there before 11:00 to claim a shaded spot under a nice big tree and enjoy the park and beach. We will go back, but hope that they spend their funds more wisely. Oh yeah, bring earplugs too!

other reviewers have nailed it. excellent place 4 music bbq get some nice trees shades and just have fun in a park however the so called beach is attrocious. black water shoreline. looks like sewar water pure brown oil surface with bright yellow substance. this is the nastiest beach ive ever witness… its disgusting… but the park is great!!! almost forgot no bathrooms they have a few porta potties. that is pure nasty smelly they dont flush is the most disgusting thing ive seen…

Just went kayaking and had a great time. Only downside was when we got back we were hit with a $ 25 parking ticket. There was no parking so we parked where everyone else was (thinking they’d tell us if we couldn’t park there) and they didn’t. It was an issue for many other people who rented a kayak. Hopefully they can fix this issue.

One of my favorite places to go and read, write, eat or just look at the sunset! It’s s huge park and I take everyone that visits me to it. I’m proud to live in croton and have this park less than 5 miles away from me. I love to show it off.

Parking is $ 10 for non residents like us.
Bathrooms are dirty.
Very noisy (at least on a Sunday that we were here; there is a loud band playing Spanish music in the pavilion)
Propane gas grill is not allowed
Tent is not allowed
Swimming is permitted in the Hudson River.

Just came to the park to check out the campgrounds. The gate was open and no signage say not to go through. Went back to the cabins, they look rustic and wonderful. If that’s your thing. The tent sites were lame and close together. But the worst part happened going back to the park office. I went in to get information about the cabins, and was yelled at by a mean old lady for going back into the cabin area when I’m not a camper. Needless to say, I will not be camping here with my family, if this is the way they treat people. I tried to reason with her that at least it was bringing them business, but she was still incredibly rude.

I am not a fan of New York beaches and RARELY does any of there parks impress me, but I have to give credit where its due. Croton Point Park is very beautiful. All around you is green, pretty green grass, fields, hills, trees etc. Once your inside the grounds of the park, from every angel you are able to view the Hudson River. The views are fabulous! Its a well maintained park. The beach area is sectioned off into small pockets all around the park. There’s a marina with private boats docked and another area with water sports being offered to attendees (jet ski $ 75, kayaking $ 20, boat rides). Folks were fishing and playing soccer, volley ball, musical instruments. The crowds are small but all groups of family or couples. Everyone is sectioned off all over, so not much noise and plenty of space. My family had a small gathering here this past Sunday. It was really nice. Lots off parking, $ 10 admit to enter (if you have westchester park pass its less). Very clean all around and they even have patrol drive around for safety. They also collect your trash for free if you collect everything in garbage bags and leave in the area you where picnicking in. My only complaint would be that the beach isn’t really a full blown beach, so lots off rocks close to sure and you can only swim in the areas where there was a life guard (good for kids but limits how far you can go from the sure).This park has my stamp of approval

I went kayaking here but the only reason I am giving 3 full stars is due to the other features of the park.
This is a beautiful place and when we were there, plenty of families were having picnics, there was some camping going on, lots of boating in the water… a good place to be on a beautiful summer Saturday.
My boyfriend and I were looking to go kayaking in the area. This seemed like a great option. The website says, «This is a great way for adventurous first timers and beginners to enjoy the beauty of the Hudson River and Croton Point Park. Paddle out from our launch, explore the near shore areas, and gaze across the wide expanse of Haverstraw Bay.»
Sounds great! I made an online reservation, and the crew helped «launch» us into Hudson. After perhaps 5 minutes of rowing we heard one of the staff call out for us. He told us we could not go past specific rocks. We were already level with these rocks. So basically, we had to stay within this little «bay» to which it took all of 5 minutes to paddle to the edge, and we paid $ 40 for 1-​hour (thank goodness we only wanted to do 1-​hour). With nowhere to go and certainly no «shore areas» to see, we went in a large circle. We paddled by some boats and checked out the townhouses that line the bay area. We also just chilled and lay in the kayak to feel the warmth of the sun and relax.
I would have much preferred to have been able to go around the corner from the rocks, perhaps see the Tappan Zee and more of the Hudson. I completely understand liability. But maybe tell us the restrictions before we go? Or don’t advertise it as something adventurous? Just a thought. I won’t return to go kayaking but perhaps I’d return to enjoy a nice day in the sun.
Bathrooms are pretty clean for being in a park.

Breathtaking views.
Take the Metro North up to Croton on Harmon and it’s a short 10 minute walk across the bridge from the station.
Great for hiking and camping. Suggest to bring the family and drive down near the Hudson to barbecue and enjoy nature. There’s also a beach. Overall a great place to enjoy some time away from the city.
Beware of coyotes and bring bug spray.

Bored, over-​aggressive rent-​a-​cops kicked us out of the park for putting our feet in the water. They didn’t even ask us to stop — just rudely told us to leave. They were definitely profiling because of our appearance. Small, crappy place anyway. Super dirty, covered with goose shit and over-​run with a bunch of wanna be cops with chips on their shoulders. Who wants to go to a beach where your not allowed to stand in the water? We weren’t even swimming! We weren’t drinking or being loud or anything

This is one of the most amazingly beautiful places– the vistas and views are gorgeous. We attended the Clearwater Music Festival and it was a thrilling, informative, soul stirring, belly satisfying experience. All the festivities complimented the pristine environment and beckoned us to continue to do what we must to preserve the environment for generations and generations to come.

Cool place to camp, but I did have some issues.
First off, I was greeted with a cupcake and I ate a quarter of it and an hour later shit got weird. The ground where we were camped was slanted but I didn’t notice until I did notice and then I felt like I was walking sideways on the moon and only weighed 15 pounds. I let people know too, but my group of campers were all suffering their own issues.
The food was pretty good, mostly carnivore shit worthy of T-​Rexes, like burgers burned to hockey puck complexion by inattentive chefs that took bathroom breaks during cooking, and barbecued meats smothered in a sauce sprinkled with crack (or it mighta been that damn cupcake again). There was a guy that kept yelling «El Patron!!!» as he ate BBQ, cooked it, and DJed. *** Note: DJs aren’t allowed according to the garbage man that tried to play forest ranger (loud music is fine though, if you interpret his words as I did)****
Which reminds me, there was lots of loud music, like stuff you hear coming out of Nissan Altimas. Black and Spanish guys rapping and then sad Bachata love songs and fast merengues that sound like sticks and coconuts with words over it (Tipico I think they say?). A neighbor made a point to let us know at 5AM that we were assholes for still blasting the music, but by that point, the speaker’s battery was almost dead, so whatevs.
The day after, most of the softies were well-​rested and a select few of us were still out of our gourds, but we all came together for family time involving old classics like beer pong and wiffle ball. The least sober team won as it should have been.
My white limbs, neck and shoulder suffered third degree sunburn because I was more focused on telling jokes than applying sunscreen liberally, so be sure to shut the hell up and focus on creaming up or get lobstered up.
Finally, pay attention to your water-​to-​booze ratio; if you have anything less than 3 times as much water as booze, you are taking your life into your hands and that of the vicious neighbor’s Shih Tzu that was chasing after us.
Oh, and the toilets are a bit of a walk, so do the right thing and embrace the stench and discover why leaves were Charmin before Charmin was Charmin.

I didn’t expect much from the place but it is really one of the best parks/​picnic areas that I have been to. In fact, it reminded me of Honolulu’s Diamond Head Crater park, because of the big, sheltering trees, and the lush greenery. It has good views of the Hudson river on both sides, and fishing is most definitely one of the main activities. The picnic grounds are spacious, with choices of renting a table (area) or just spreading a blanket on the grass. The best thing is that the restrooms are nearby, the grills are available all around and the kids even have a playground. The campsite is quite small, (about 9 sites) and the tents are too close together, but the campsite area has a basketball/​volleyball court, a swimming pool. The only thing that I could fault with is their admission fee policy — supposedly the sign outside says that Senior Discounts are honored Sat.Sun. and Holidays. but the park rep said they will still charge full price ($ 10). I do think the amount is worth all that we got to experience though, and it is definitely a place to go back to!

We arrived here 7÷5÷13, and camped in our 40′ RV for a few months. This park tops almost every other place we have stayed, in the last 8 years! The area is simply gorgeous, and so well maintained. What makes this place even better is the staff. You couldn’t ask for nicer people, who will do everything and anything to make sure you enjoy your stay. At first I was worried that they didn’t have laundry facilities. No problem, as there is a Laundromat a mile down the road. It has been such a pleasure finding this gem!

After living in Westchester County for over a decade, decided to visit Croton Point Park for a long walk along the river in July.
Croton Point Park is a beautiful gem. Spectacular views of the Hudson. Pic uploaded. From the southern point, you can see the Tappan Zee Bridge. Abundant picnic tables suitable for families and large groups.
The walk from one end of the park to the other is just over 1 mile.
You can also get to the park via Metro North RR. It’s free if you walk in.
Gripe #1: Pool was closed in middle of summer. What’s up?
Gripe #2: Parking fee. Already pay exorbitant Westchester County taxes. Feels like double-​dipping into my pocketbook.
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A beautiful park in northern Westchester, within easy reach from Metro North, just follow the street that crosses the tracks.
I came here the Saturday of the Clearwater festival, and stood on the beach listening to the performances without having to pay a cent. Also, the train ride eliminated any need for parking. The fare was $ 10 round trip from the Bronx, probably more from Grand Central.
Unfortunately, also because of the festival, the only portion of the park open was the beach. I really want to return to see more. I thought Croton Point was clean and very well-​kept.

I did not experience any wild winds at Croton Point Park, despite the origins of the word «Croton», from an Indian chief named «Kenoten».
The park is an ideal space for outdoor activities and watching people engage in outdoor activities. We had neither a ball nor a boat so our activities were mostly walking along the coastline of the park and watching the world go by.
If we had taken the Metro North to the park and were unprepared I’d have been slightly disappointed. Granted, there are beautiful views of the mighty Hudson that makes it all worthwhile but really, come here with the intention of some active pursuit.
Such as bring your own kayak (BYOK) or canoe (BYOC) or dog (BYOD?). There’s a small beach for launching water capable vessels and plenty of people were making the most of the warm spring temperatures. Towards the grassier side I spotted children playing cricket, dog walkers and joggers.
There’s a huge mound in the middle area by the parking lot that reminds me of scenes from the UK of neolithic ruins. Perhaps a Stonehenge will be revealed here one day after enough archeological digging.
There wasn’t any parking fee just yet but I suspect that will change very soon when the season kicks in. If one is touring the area by automobile this makes for a pleasant stop, perhaps with a picnic basket and blanket. I couldn’t see spending more time here, however, unless you are engaged in the sporting life.

I think this park is hella dope. I went driving around last weekend, (March lets be reminded) and you aren’t charged to park yet. It was awesome to see some guys windsailing and windsurfing on the Hudson River at this time of year. They had wetsuits on and it was a perfect slightly windy day for it. Sweet sight indeed!
In warmer weather yes you need to pay to park and such, but the money gets fed back into the park so its worth it. They have campsites, pavillions for functions, an RV site where you can actually rent and stay for quite some time, a nature center [not sure of its status tho and if its still funded/​in use,] beautiful water front views, BBQ area and overall a great spot to spend a summer day with friends. On some weekends ppl gather their boats together and party on the river too. Not sure how crazy it gets but I might check it out this summer hah!

I have lived in the area for about a dozen years and I had never visited Croton Point Park until now. What have I been missing? A lot! Far too much to explore in just one fell swoop, there are definite areas to the park. G and I took a long stroll along the waterfront enjoying the sounds of the water lapping against the shore. Strangely the River was quiet for miles and miles in either direction with nary a boat or barge distracting from the stunning scenery of the western shore. From our vantage point we could see clearly to the Tappan Zee Bridge, across to Haverstraw and the gypsum plant and up north in the direction of Peekskill (no Tootie or Blair though, lol).
With lots of nooks and crannies to explore, besides the seawall there is a beach as well as trails that meander into the wooded areas, CPP certainly has offerings for all types. There are numerous picnic tables, grills, rest facilities, a band shell, you know park things! But the location and ample parking makes this a very popular destination for summer visitors so I am sure it can get quite crowded. Natch for me for another uncrowded and somewhat solitary perambulation around this spectacular outdoor green space. I would not have been surprised at all if found a four leaf clover so blessed do I feel to have this park as well as the others I have visited lately to explore with G and The L.
In honor St. Patrick’s Day and the first signs of edible spring vegetation bursting forth from the cold ground: