[6] As of 2014,[update] the NYS OPRHP manages nearly 335,000 acres (523 sq mi; 1,360 km2) of public lands and facilities, including 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, that are visited by over 78 million visitors each year.

Management of state-owned parks, and guidance for the entire state park system, was accomplished by various regional commissions, private organizations, statewide advisory councils, and divisions within other state agencies prior to the establishment of NYS OPRHP, which grew from the framework created by these earlier organizations.

[7] State-level procurement and management of parks in New York began in 1883, when then-governor Grover Cleveland signed legislation authorizing the appropriation of lands near Niagara Falls for a "state reservation".

[12] To address the need for statewide coordination, the New York State Council of Parks was created by legislation adopted on April 18, 1924.

[7]: 34, 36  The state also began at this time to expand into new areas, such as an increase in boating facilities and establishment of parks within New York City.

The agency's name was updated in 1981 to its current form, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP).

[13] The state park system underwent a period of rapid expansion during former governor George Pataki's administration.

[17] Although the governor was lauded as a conservationist for his actions,[16] the new parks increased financial burdens on the NYS OPRHP, whose funding for operations remained steady.

To help address an estimated $1 billion in needed repairs, $143 million in funds were made available in 2012; the money came from a combination of state, federal, and private grant sources.