Roundtop Picnic Area
Quick Bits
Main Activities - Hike
Distance - 0.6 miles trail
Quiet - some road noise from being in town
Surface - dirt trail, some roots
Elevation - steep
Pets - allowed on leash
Address - 1 Roundtop Park Street, Endicott, NY 13760
Hours - Seasonal (April to October, closed during winter months),
Roundtop My Map.jpgIn a Nutshell
A seasonal park with nice facilities and an even better view. Roundtop sits at one of the highest elevations in the Village of Endicott. Picnic areas and a playground adorn the park. A scenic view area overlooks the Susquehanna River. A short hiking trail leads from here down to Grippen Park. Due to the steep entrance road, the park is closed in winter.
Location and Parking
There are a couple parking areas, but since the park is so small you can basically see them all. Other options are to park at Grippen Park and hike up or walk up from some other area in the Village of Endicott. You can walk up an abandoned road that comes out near intersection of the three streets of Lillian, Overlook Terrace, and Edwards.
Note: Grippen Park is temporarily closed at this time, so parking there is not permitted. Though there are a number of side streets where you may park.
More details
Roundtop Park has great facilities and a long history. You'll sometimes see it as "Round Top" (two words) and some locals refer to it as "Round Hill". Back in the day, some might have brought their loves here to look at stars. The small park has a couple of picnic shelthers, a playground, picnic tables, and grills. An area with tables provides a great scenic view of the Susquehanna River. A short hiking trail (1.2 miles round trip) leads from Roundtop Picnic Area down to the river area and Grippen Park, another Broome County Park. The trail is short, but steep. The high point in the Picnic Area is about 1076 feet which is 273 feet higher than the shore of the Susquehanna down below.
There is a nice viewing area with a couple tables on the river side that looks to the east southeast and gives a decent view to the east. I think the view is a little better if you go to the center of the open field by the picnic shelters, especially when leaves are off the trees.
While it is often listed as closed during the Winter (November to March), I've been there and see others walking and hiking, and with their dogs. In addition to the short trail maintained by the Rotary Club, there are other older paths/roads down into the village. The history goes back centuries to where Native Americans used the land. In the 1920s, the Endicott Johnson Shoe Corporation would purchase the land, more so for the surrounding land that would become residential and recreational property for workers of EJ Shoes. Later the land would be turned over to local government, and then County government.