Harriman State Park (New York)
| Harriman State Park | |
|---|---|
View from Harriman State Park, facing north
|
|
 Location of Harriman State Park in New York State
|
|
| Location | Orange / Rockland counties, New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 41°14′35″N 74°06′02″W / 41.24306°N 74.10056°WCoordinates: 41°14′35″N 74°06′02″W / 41.24306°N 74.10056°W |
| Area | 47,527 acres (192.33 km2) |
| Established | 1910 |
| Visitors | 1,425,000 (in 2014) |
| Governing body | Palisades Interstate Park Commission |
At 47,527 acres (192.33 km2),Harriman State Park is the second largest state park in New York. Located in Rockland and Orange counties 30 miles (48 km) north of New York City, it is a haven for hikers with over 200 miles (320 km) of hiking trails. The park is also known for its 31 lakes, multiple streams, public camping area, and great vistas. The park's hiking trails are currently maintained by volunteers from the New York - New Jersey Trail Conference.
On its northeastern edge, Harriman State Park borders the 5,000-acre (20 km2) Bear Mountain State Park as well as the United States Military Academy's 16,000-acre (65 km2) forest reserve. To the southwest, it partly borders the state-owned 18,000-acre (73 km2) Sterling Forest reserve. These areas, together with the state's Storm King forest reserve of 1,900 acres (7.7 km2), amount to contiguous protected forests that are substantially larger than Harriman alone.
Edward Harriman and Mary Averell Harriman owned 30,000 acres (120 km2) in Arden, New York as part of their estate. They opposed the state's decision to build a prison at Bear Mountain and wanted to donate some of their land to the state in order to build a park. A year after the death of her husband in 1909, Mary Harriman proposed to Governor Charles Evans Hughes that she would donate 10,000 acres (40 km2) of land and $1 million for the creation of a new state park. As part of the deal, the state would do away with the plan to build the prison, appropriate an additional $2.5 million to acquire additional land and construct park facilities. The Palisades Interstate Park Commission would have its authority extended north into the Ramapo Mountains and the Hudson Highlands, and New Jersey would also contribute an amount of money deemed reasonable by the Commission. The state agreed and on October 29, 1910, W. Averell Harriman presented a deed for the land and a million-dollar check to the Commission.
...
Wikipedia