You May Want To Avoid America's Dirtiest State Parks, According To Visitors

While exploring the great outdoors, few experiences are as uniquely disappointing as coming across trash-strewn landscapes and polluted waters. Unfortunately, not every destination has the unsullied scenery you can expect from places like this picture-perfect island with the cleanest air on Earth. In fact, some spots lean hard in the other direction (like the famous yet disgusting Santa Monica Beach). So, before you set out on your next state park adventure, save yourself from being let down by knowing which ones aren't worth the trip.

Much like how outdoor explorers have weighed in on the best state parks to visit for pristine hiking adventures, past visitors disgruntled over filthy conditions have shared their thoughts about some of America's grungiest spots. With over 867 million visits recorded across all 9,817 state park units in the United States, there is a seemingly endless well of reviews commenting on cleanliness factors such as bathroom maintenance, water pollution, and littered trash. When considered in combination with news reports and pollution research, those reviews provide helpful insight to travelers who'd rather not end up hiking along defiled trails or swimming in diaper-filled lakes.

Out of the 9,817 areas protected under state park systems, this roundup focuses only on state parks proper. That means no state recreation areas, beaches, or historical monuments. So, spots like Texas Hill Country's Enchanted Rock State Natural Area? Not in the running for consideration this time around. With this stipulation applied, the list was narrowed down to 2,474 candidates. From there, reviews guided the development of this guide to five of America's dirtiest state parks: Beltzville, Storrie Lake, Golden Memorial, Lake Thunderbird, and Border Field.

Located in the Poconos town of Lehighton, Pennsylvania's Beltzville State Park stretches across just over 3,000 acres. This outdoorsy attraction's main draws include the trout-filled Pohopoco Creek and the sandy shores of Beltzville Lake, where you can fish, swim, or even go iceboating (weather permitting). However, before you get too excited, keep in mind that your ability to enjoy these waterways might be affected by the park's ongoing struggles with cleanliness. Unfortunately, this destination earned its spot among our list of America's dirtiest state parks due to issues such as litter and pollution sullying the grounds and unhealthy levels of bacteria in the water.

"It's a terrible shame how this park has been destroyed by people who have no respect for nature's beauty," one Google Maps reviewer wrote, adding that the area is known for having visitors dump garbage and leave "dirty diapers in the water." Another reviewer on Tripadvisor claims the lake is "being taken over by vegetation," saying: "This growth is serious and advancing at a high rate of speed. Going to be unfishable like so many PA lakes!" In contrast to these negative accounts, a past visitor on Yelp pointed out that Beltzville's hiking areas are "fantastic," with "some nice elevation, soft packed trails, not too much mud," with landscapes perfect for enjoying "glorious spring sunshine."

While this state park has only a 3.8-star rating on Tripadvisor and a 3.6-star rating on Yelp, it has a more forgiving rating of 4.5 stars on Google Maps. Surprisingly, Beltzville remains a popular recreation spot despite the mixed reviews it receives online. In fact, on hot summer days, the park has even had to turn away incoming sightseers due to the area reaching maximum capacity.

Over 1,800 miles southwest of Pennsylvania's Beltzville State Park, you can discover New Mexico's Storrie Lake State Park. Travelers will find this attraction in the town of Las Vegas (no, not the one known for its nightlife), under a 90-minute drive east of Santa Fe. Centered around its namesake lake, this destination is most popular for activities like windsurfing, fishing, camping, and boating — unless murky waters, gross bathrooms, and smoke-filled air wafting in from regional wildfires is enough to turn visitors away.

Storrie Lake might not seem too poorly rated if you only look at Google Maps reviews. However, this spot's 4.2-star Google rating becomes questionable when compared against a 3.5-star Tripadvisor rating and a 2-star Yelp rating. "NM State Parks just seem to get worse," one Google reviewer wrote. "No showers. Poor upkeep. Rates still go up. Not a happy camper!" A Tripadvisor user echoed this sentiment, saying the "bathhouse was not cleaned the whole 4 days we were there." In addition to bathrooms being "trashed and full" here, a Yelp reviewer who described the park as a "disgusting place" added that the area struggles with overgrown weeds. To make matters worse, the lake that draws so many visitors to the park is apparently "infested with zebra mollusks (an invasive species)," according to another Tripadvisor review.

Speaking of the lake, while many visitors appreciate the water's beauty when levels are high, drought conditions can make the area impossible to enjoy. Flooding also puts Storrie Lake at risk, though, as run-off water can cause contamination. Additionally, air quality is a concern to keep an eye on, as New Mexico wildfires have impacted this park before.

Next up is Mississippi's Golden Memorial State Park. Located in the small town of Walnut Grove, this 120-acre park features a historic schoolhouse, nature trails, a small lake, and the state's second-largest loblolly pine tree. The site's most popular activities include fishing and boating, but what about hiking? Well, based on reports from past visitors, hitting the trails here might just show you exactly why this park earned a spot on this list of dirty destinations.

"A disgrace to the state park system of Mississippi," one AllTrails reviewer wrote of Golden Memorial State Park and its hiking scene. "Dilapidated. Rusty nails sticking out of abandoned 2x4s everywhere. I phoned before driving one hour to confirm the trail to the second largest pine in Mississippi was open and was told it was. No evidence of any trail." Plus, the AllTrails user added, there were "conflicting signs about authorized access at the lake." Another reviewer on ParkAdvisor shared: "The hiking trails are poorly marked and poorly maintained. Don't expect anything 'scenic.' If I could give negative star rating, I probably would." How are conditions beyond the trails, though? Per a past park-goer on Google Maps, the "park is severely run down. Playground equipment is broken and dangerous. Garbage everywhere. Remains of wedding parties strewn about the pavilion. Docks are rickety and have loose railings and floor planks. Even the front gate is broken and tossed haphazardly aside. Picnic areas are all falling apart."

A more forgiving Google reviewer sheds light on the park's situation, saying: "It's very obvious they don't get a lot of state funding, like all the other small parks. Such a shame." So, while some visitors here may appreciate the rustic vibes, for now, it seems like Golden Memorial State Park will be stuck with a less-than-stellar 3.7-star reputation until funding for improvements comes through.

Oklahoma's only urban state park may be an underrated lakefront spot for camping, but it's not without some issues. After all, Lake Thunderbird isn't nicknamed Lake Dirty Bird for nothing. Dyed crimson and made murky due to the local soil, the water here may be safe to swim in, but it's definitely not the cleanest. Away from the water, there are hundreds of campsites, though these areas are also far from pristine.

"I hate to post such little stars," a one-star review on Google Maps reads, "but [Lake Thunderbird State Park] really needs to be maintained before it turns into a total dump." This visitor's main concerns? "The one shower we attempted to use was taped, there was garbage all over the campsites and it didn't look like anyone had even glanced at it after knowing we had reserved it." To make matters worse, "the beach areas were littered with trash including diapers." Speaking of the beach areas, a Tripadvisor reviewer warns visitors to "expect to walk through lots of goose poop on the beach and the grass." Keep an eye out for litter, too. "I spent 15 minutes picking up litter around my campsite just so that I wouldn't get blamed," one camper wrote in a review on Campendium.

Even more charitable reviews admit that while this is a "beautiful area," there's so much trash and "broken glass everywhere" that it "seems like the place is really neglected, which is a real shame." If those conditions aren't enough to make you rethink your visit to Lake Thunderbird State Park, keep in mind that the area also has a significant problem with ticks. "Not worth it to come home infested with ticks and the risk of illness," a Google Maps reviewer shared. "Pulled at least 30 off my dog and a handful off myself even after we sprayed ourselves."

California is home not just to the top four national parks with the worst air quality but also to several polluted beaches. To find one of the state's top 10 most contaminated shores, all you need to do is visit Border Field State Park. Situated within San Diego county, not far from the U.S.-Mexico border, this attraction is actually closed as of November 2025 due to storms that flooded the area with sewage.

This sewage incident isn't an anomaly, either. Over a decade ago in 2013, a Yelp reviewer wrote: "Went down here and was kind of shocked about the raw sewage in the ocean." More recent reviews indicate that this pollution problem hasn't gotten better. "Unequivocally the worst beach in California," a Google Maps reviewer wrote in 2024. "The atmosphere is both destitute and erratic. You're made to feel as if you shouldn't be there. Even the birds attack you. The air is filled with gasoline and the water is beyond repair." A hiker on AllTrails shared that sewage has even been known to leak onto the trails here, "so the smell is terrible most of the time."

Located within the Tijuana River Valley, Border Field State Park's poor conditions are so severe that the California State Lands Commission (SLC) describes the area as being in a "pollution crisis." As the SLC explains, "Untreated wastewater flows, contaminated sediment loads, and trash influxes plague the Tijuana River watershed," and "overflows of untreated wastewater, sewage, and debris impede public access to the coast as beaches are closed throughout the year due to poor water quality and fecal contamination."

Given the sheer size of America and its many state parks, it can be difficult to determine which destinations are definitely the dirtiest. After all, a quick Google search for "America's dirtiest state parks" won't exactly bring up any peer-reviewed studies on the matter. Plus, while official data makes up an essential part of the research process, this list sought to incorporate and highlight the experiences of park visitors.

With all these factors in mind, Explore's roundup of the dirtiest state parks in America was created by comparing reviews across several platforms (from Tripadvisor and Google Maps to AllTrails and Yelp) with news reports and pollution data. Referencing the latter sources helped verify claims made by travelers and further justify each place's position on this list. Need an uplifting story after reading about all these polluted places? Read up on the two cleanest cities in the U.S. here.