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Harriman State Park (New York)

2025-08-19T15:07:01Z

69.119.147.64:

{{For|the state park in Idaho|Harriman State Park (Idaho)}}
{{short description|State park of New York state, United States}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Harriman State Park
| iucn_category =
| photo = Harriman_state_park.jpg
| photo_caption = View from Harriman State Park, facing north
| map = New York
| map_caption = Location of Harriman State Park in New York State
| location = [[Orange County, New York|Orange]] / [[Rockland County, New York|Rockland]] counties, [[New York (state)|New York]], United States
| coordinates = {{coord|41|14|35|N|74|06|02|W|type:landmark_region:US-NY|display=inline,title}}
| area_acre = 48556<ref name=RIoG_ParkStats/>
| area_ref = <ref name=RIoG_ParkStats>{{cite book |title=2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook |url=http://www.rockinst.org/nys_statistics/2014/2014_Yearbook_Section_O.pdf |publisher=The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government |year=2014 |chapter=Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9 |page=672 |access-date=February 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916082616/http://www.rockinst.org/nys_statistics/2014/2014_Yearbook_Section_O.pdf |archive-date=September 16, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| established = 1910
| visitation_num = 1,425,000
| visitation_year = 2014
| visitation_ref = <ref name=RIoG_ParkStats/>
| governing_body = [[Palisades Interstate Park Commission]]
}}

'''Harriman State Park''' is a {{convert|48556|acre|km2|adj=on}} [[state park]] in the U.S. state of [[New York (state)|New York]].<ref name="park size">{{cite web |publisher=New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |url=http://parks.ny.gov/parks/145/details.aspx |title=Harriman State Park |access-date=February 19, 2016}}</ref> Located in [[Rockland County, New York|Rockland]] and [[Orange County, New York|Orange]] counties {{convert|30|mi}} north of [[New York City]], it is the state's second largest, and features 31 lakes, multiple streams, public [[camping]] area, and great vistas. Its over {{convert|200|mi}} of trails are a haven for [[hiking|hikers]], currently maintained by volunteers from the [[New York - New Jersey Trail Conference]].

On its northeastern edge, Harriman State Park borders the {{convert|5000|acre|km2|adj=on}} [[Bear Mountain State Park]] and the [[United States Military Academy]]'s {{convert|16000|acre|km2|adj=on}} forest reserve. To the southwest, it partly borders the state-owned {{convert|22000|acre|km2|adj=on}} [[Sterling Forest State Park|Sterling Forest]] reserve. Together with the state's {{convert|1900|acre|km2|adj=on}} [[Storm King State Park|Storm King]], these contiguous protected forests are almost as large as Harriman alone.

==History==
[[Image:Mary Williamson Averell Harriman.png|left|thumb|Mary Harriman Rumsey, daughter of E. H. and Mary Averell Harriman]]

[[E. H. Harriman|Edward Harriman]] and [[Mary Williamson Averell|Mary Averell Harriman]] owned {{convert|30000|acre|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 {{convert|10000|acre|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, Harriman's son [[W. Averell Harriman]] presented a deed for the land and a million-dollar check to the Commission.
[[Image:Kanawauke.jpg|thumb|Lake Kanawauke]]

In 1913, Major [[William A. Welch]] started construction on the road from [[Bear Mountain (Hudson Highlands)|Bear Mountain]] to [[Sloatsburg, New York|Sloatsburg]], known today as the [[Seven Lakes Drive]]. In 1962 a new road from the Southfields section of [[Tuxedo, New York|Tuxedo]] to [[Kanawake Circle]] was opened. There were also numerous other roads completed around Bear Mountain and [[Dunderberg Mountain]] in order to make it easier for people to reach the new park. In addition, there was [[steamboat]] service from [[Manhattan]] offering round-trip tickets for 85 cents for adults and 45 cents for children.

The park received a large influx of free labor during the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]]. The [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] (CCC) offered thousands of young men work such as building roads, trails, camps and lakes. Projects completed by the CCC in the park included Pine Meadow, Wanoksink, Turkey Hill, Welch, Silvermine and Massawippa Lakes. In 1974, [[Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 6231]] crashed in the park.<ref name="ntsbreport">{{cite web |date=1975-08-13 |title=Aircraft Incident Report. Northwest Airlines, Incorporated, Boeing 727-25, N264US, near Thiells, New York. December 1, 1974. |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7513.pdf |publisher=[[National Transportation Safety Board]]}} - [https://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR75-13.pdf Copy at] [[Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University]].</ref> In 1993, the [[World Orienteering Championships#Venues|World Orienteering Championships]] were held at Harriman State Park.

==Trails==
[[File:Crossing of Appalachian Trail and Long Path (2013).jpg|thumb|Crossing of Appalachian Trail and Long Path (2013)]]

There are more than forty marked hiking trails ({{cvt|225|mi}} total) in Harriman, and another 57 unmarked trails and woods road ({{cvt|103|mi}}, foot traffic ''only''). Some of the better known trails include the following:

{{Div col}}
* [[Appalachian Trail]], {{convert|18.8|mi|km}} are within the park
* [[Blue Disc Trail (Harriman State Park)|Blue Disc Trail]], 2.8 miles (4.5 km)
* [[Long Path]], {{convert|25|mi|km}} are within the park
* Pine Meadow Trail, {{convert|5.5|mi|km}}
* Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail, {{convert|21|mi|km}}
* Red Cross Trail, {{convert|7.9|mi|km}}
* Seven Hills Trail, {{convert|6.7|mi|km}}
* Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail, {{convert|23.5|mi|km}}
* Timp-Torne Trail, {{convert|11.2|mi|km}}
* Tuxedo-Mt Ivy Trail, {{convert|8.2|mi|km}}
* White Bar Trail, {{convert|7.4|mi|km}}
{{Div col end}}

In addition to the hiking trails there are a number of horse trails in the southeastern portion of the park and a mountain bike trail at the Anthony Wayne Recreation Area in the northeast of the park. In winter some of the trails are open for cross-country skiing. The hiking trails are maintained by the [[New York - New Jersey Trail Conference]].

==Environment==
The park lies within the [[Northeastern coastal forests]] [[ecoregion]].<ref name="terrestrial">{{cite journal |author = Olson, D. M, E. Dinerstein |title = Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth |journal = [[BioScience]] |year = 2001 |volume = 51 |issue = 11 |pages = 933–938 |doi = 10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2 |display-authors = etal |doi-access = free }}</ref>

==Lakes==
[[Image:Silvermine Heron Mallards.jpg|thumb|right|[[Great blue heron]] and [[mallard]]s at Silvermine Lake]]
[[Image:GreatBlueHeron.jpg|thumb|right|[[Great blue heron]] at Sebago Lake]]

There are 32 lakes and ponds in Harriman. Some of the larger ones are:

* [[Lake Sebago]], {{convert|310|acre|km2}},boat launch, cabin camping
* [[Lake Tiorati]], {{convert|291|acre|km2}},swimming beach, boat launch
* Lake Welch, {{convert|216|acre|km2}}, swimming beach, camping
* [[Lake Kanawauke]] (lower, middle and upper), {{convert|186|acre|km2}}
* Lake Stahahe, {{convert|88|acre|m2}}
* Silver Mine Lake, {{convert|84|acre|m2}}
* [[Pine Meadow Lake]], {{convert|77|acre|m2}}
* Turkey Hill Lake, {{convert|58|acre|m2}}
* Island Pond, {{convert|51|acre|m2}}
* Lake Askoti, {{convert|41|acre|m2}}
* Lake Skanatati, {{convert|38|acre|m2}}
* Lake Wanoksink, {{convert|38|acre|m2}}
* Lake Skenonto, {{convert|37|acre|m2}}
* Queensboro Lake, {{convert|35|acre|m2}}
* Hessian Lake, {{convert|33|acre|m2}}
* Summit Lake, {{convert|33|acre|m2}}

<gallery widths="200px" heights="155px">
Image:White-tailed Deer, Sebago Lake.jpg|[[White-tailed deer]] at [[Lake Sebago]]
Image:RedEft.jpg|[[Red eft]] on the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail
Image:Otter, Sebago Lake.jpg|[[North American river otter|River otter]] at Lake Sebago
Image:TimberRattler.jpg|[[Timber rattlesnake]] near the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail
Image:Black Duck, Sebago Lake.jpg|[[American black duck]] at Lake Sebago
Image:Black snake.jpg|[[Eastern racer]] on the [[Pine Meadow Lake]] Trail
Image:White-tailed Deer, Kanawauke Lake.jpg|White-tailed deer at [[Lake Kanawauke]]
Image:Island Pond-Harriman State Park.jpg|Island Pond, Harriman State Park
</gallery>

==Parkways and park roads==
The following parkways exist within the park:

* [[Palisades Interstate Parkway]]
* [[Seven Lakes Drive]]
* [[Long Mountain Parkway]]
* [[Lake Welch Parkway]]
* [[Tiorati Brook Road]]
* [[Arden Valley Road]]
* [[County Route 106 (Orange County, New York)|Orange]]-[[County Route 106 (Rockland County, New York)|Rockland CR 106]]

==See also==
* [[Bear Mountain State Park]]
* [[List of New York state parks]]
* [[New York–New Jersey Trail Conference]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* Myles, William J., ''Harriman Trails, A Guide and History'', The New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, New York, 1999.
* [http://www.nynjtc.org/product/50-hikes-lower-hudson-valley 50 Hikes in the Lower Hudson Valley]—Written by New York-New Jersey Trail Conference members Stella Green and H. Neil Zimmerman, The Countryman Press. 296 pages, 2008, 2nd ed.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Harriman State Park}}
* [http://parks.ny.gov/parks/145/details.aspx New York State Parks: Harriman State Park]
* [https://palisadesparksconservancy.org/park_detail.php?park_id=6 Palisades Interstate Park Commission: Harriman State Park]
* [http://www.nynjtc.org/park/harriman-bear-mountain-state-park New York-New Jersey Trail Conference: Harriman-Bear Mountain State Parks]
* [http://www.harrimanhikers.org Harriman Hikers]

{{Protected areas of New York}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Harriman State Park (New York)| ]]
[[Category:Civilian Conservation Corps in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Parks in Orange County, New York]]
[[Category:Parks in Rockland County, New York]]
[[Category:Protected areas of the Hudson Highlands]]
[[Category:Ramapos]]
[[Category:State parks of New York (state)]]

Hudson Highlands State Park

2025-08-19T14:51:22Z

69.119.147.64:

{{short description|Protected area in mountains along Hudson River north of New York City}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Hudson Highlands State Park
| iucn_category =
| iucn_ref =

| photo = Hudson Highlands view south from Breakneck Ridge.jpg
| photo_caption = View south from [[Breakneck Ridge]]

| map = USA New York
| map_image =
| map_size =
| map_caption = Location of park within New York
| relief = 1

| location = [[Hudson Valley]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[United States]]
| nearest_city =
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| coordinates = {{coord|41|27|31|N|73|57|35|W|display=inline,title}}
| coords_ref =

| length =
| length_mi =
| length_km =
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| area_sqmi = 11.98
| area_ref =
| elevation = {{convert|1260|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| elevation_avg =
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| authorized =
| created =
| designated =
| established =
| named_for = Location in [[Hudson Highlands]]
| visitation_num = 224,015
| visitation_year = 2014<ref name=NYSP_attendance>{{cite web |url=https://data.ny.gov/Recreation/State-Park-Annual-Attendance-Figures-by-Facility-B/8f3n-xj78 |title=State Park Annual Attendance Figures by Facility: Beginning 2003 |website=Data.ny.gov |access-date=February 21, 2016}}</ref>
| visitation_ref =
| governing_body =
| administrator =
| operator = [[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]]
| owner =

| website = [http://parks.ny.gov/parks/9/details.aspx Hudson Highlands State Park]
| embedded =
}}
'''Hudson Highlands State Park''' is a non-contiguous [[state park]] in the U.S. state of [[New York (state)|New York]], located on the east side of the [[Hudson River]]. The park runs from [[Peekskill, New York|Peekskill]] in [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester County]], through [[Putnam County, New York|Putnam County]], to [[Beacon, New York|Beacon]] in [[Dutchess County, New York|Dutchess County]], in the eastern section of the [[Hudson Highlands]].

The park's lands, heavily mined, [[logging|logged]] and [[quarry|quarried]] in the past, were assembled over the mid-20th century from different purchases by the state, totaling {{convert|8900|acre|km2 sqmi|2}} as of 2025.<ref name=RIoG_ParkStats>{{cite book |title=2014 New York State Statistical Yearbook |url=http://www.rockinst.org/nys_statistics/2014/2014_Yearbook_Section_O.pdf |publisher=The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government |year=2014 |chapter=Section O: Environmental Conservation and Recreation, Table O-9 |page=672 |access-date=February 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916082616/http://www.rockinst.org/nys_statistics/2014/2014_Yearbook_Section_O.pdf |archive-date=September 16, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> They range from riverside [[salt marsh]]es to mountain summits, including the highest in the Highlands, the {{convert|1610|ft|m|adj=on}} south summit of [[Beacon Mountain]].<ref name="PCNR page">{{cite web|title=Hudson Highlands Hiking|url=http://www.pcnr.com/TODO/pcnrHudsonHighlandsColdSpring.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090721211113/http://www.pcnr.com/TODO/pcnrHudsonHighlandsColdSpring.html |archive-date=July 21, 2009 |publisher=Putnam County News & Recorder, LLC |work=Putnam County News & Recorder|year=2007|access-date=February 10, 2009|quote=South Beacon Mountain. Marked by its abandoned fire tower, this is the highest summit of the Hudson Highlands.}}</ref> It is managed by the [[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]] (NYSOPRHP) from offices at [[Fahnestock State Park]] to the east. Its parcels adjoin others owned by other public agencies and private preserves, some of which are managed by NYSOPRHP as well and are open to the public.

Due to its panoramic views of the river and mountains, and easy access by both automobile and rail, it has become a very popular destination for [[hiking|day hikes]]. The park's best known [[trail]] makes a steep, rocky ascent up [[Breakneck Ridge]]. Other trails climb neighboring [[Bull Hill]] and follow the cliffs of [[Anthony's Nose (Westchester)|Anthony's Nose]]. The [[Appalachian Trail]] (AT) also goes through the southeast corner of the park.

==Geography==

The park is composed of four separate tracts of land, two of which are contiguous, reflecting its piecemeal acquisition. The southernmost section begins just north of [[Peekskill, New York|Peekskill]], abutting the [[New York National Guard]]'s [[Camp Smith (New York)|Camp Smith]], following the Bear Mountain Highway ([[U.S. Route 6 in New York|US 6]] and [[U.S. Route 202 in New York|202]]) around the lower slopes of [[Anthony's Nose (Westchester)|Anthony's Nose]]. In [[Putnam County, New York|Putnam County]], it serves as the AT's corridor along the north of the mountain and on [[Canada Hill]]. In the land above [[Manitoga]], the former estate of industrial designer [[Russel Wright]], the AT interconnects with its trail system and follows the border with another parcel known as the Osborn Preserve, formerly part of Wing & Wing, the estate of 19th-century [[Illinois Central]] railroad president [[William H. Osborn|William Osborn]].<ref name="NYNJTC map 101">{{cite map |publisher=[[New York-New Jersey Trail Conference]] |title=Map #101 |edition=8th|year=2008 |scale=1:31,683 |series=East Hudson Trails}}</ref>

The AT leaves the state park for a [[National Park Service]]-owned corridor here, and the other trails provide access to [[Sugarloaf Hill (Hudson Highlands)|Sugarloaf Hill]], whose {{convert|760|ft|m|adj=on}} summit looks across the river at the village of [[Highland Falls, New York|Highland Falls]] and the [[United States Military Academy]] at [[West Point, New York|West Point]]. Here, near [[Garrison, New York|Garrison]], the southern parcels end.<ref name="NYNJTC map 101" />

North of the villages of [[Cold Spring, New York|Cold Spring]] and [[Nelsonville, New York|Nelsonville]] is the central and largest section. Starting at the Little Stony Point area along the river, which is separated from the rest of the parcel by the [[easement]] for the [[New York City water supply system]]'s [[Catskill Aqueduct]], this section contains Bull Hill and Breakneck Ridge, with [[Breakneck Brook]] between them, then sprawls into [[Dutchess County, New York|Dutchess County]], where it includes [[Pollepel Island]], [[Sugarloaf Mountain (Dutchess County, New York)|Sugarloaf Mountain]], the south summit of [[Beacon Mountain]] and [[Beacon Reservoir (Dutchess County, New York)|Beacon Reservoir]], reaching its northern terminus at the Dry Brook [[trailhead]] at the end of Pocket Road in the city of [[Beacon, New York|Beacon]]. It is complemented by [[Storm King State Park]] across the river.

The [[Fishkill Ridge Conservation Area]], owned by the environmental organization [[Scenic Hudson]] but managed by NYSOPRHP, bridges the gap between that central tract and the northern tract, a trail-less parcel on [[Sour Mountain]] at the Highlands' northern end, reaching almost to [[Interstate 84 in New York|Interstate 84]] at the bottom of the slope.<ref name="NYNJTC map 102">{{cite map |publisher=[[New York-New Jersey Trail Conference]] |title=Map #102 |edition=8th|year=2008 |scale=1:31,683 |series=East Hudson Trails}}</ref>

Also in Beacon is the {{convert|66|acre|ha|adj=on}} Denning Point parcel. This small wooded [[promontory]] is located where [[Fishkill Creek]] drains into the Hudson.<ref name="New York Walk Book172-3">''New York Walk Book'', 172–73.</ref>

==History==

===The Eastern Highlands before the 20th century===

[[Swedish people|Swedish]] [[botanist]] [[Pehr Kalm]] sailed up the Hudson in 1749 and wrote one of the earliest accounts of the eastern Highlands:
{{blockquote|Eastward a high chain of mountains whose sides were covered with woods up to no more than half their height. The summits, however, were quite barren, for I suppose nothing would grow there on account of the great degree of heat, dryness, and the violence of the wind to which that part was exposed.<ref name="Kalm quoted in 50 Hikes">{{cite book|last=Long|first=James McMartin|title=50 Hikes in the Hudson Valley|year=1994|edition=2nd|publisher=Backcountry Publications|location=[[Woodstock, Vermont|Woodstock, VT]]|page=52|isbn=0-88150-292-8}}</ref>}}
Kalm landed in the area and wrote the first scientific description of [[Kalmia latifolia|mountain laurel]], a plant species still abundant in the area.<ref name="Kalm quoted in 50 Hikes" />

For most of American history, the Highlands were harvested for their natural resources, particularly mineral. [[Iron ore|Iron]] and [[Copper extraction techniques|copper]] were mined from them. Some of the former was used to make [[cannon]]s by the [[Continental Army]] during the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], and the [[West Point Foundry]] in Cold Spring continued making them under the direction of [[Robert Parrott]] through the late 19th century. [[Quarry|Quarries]] were also carved out of the slopes, most notably on Breakneck Ridge and Bull Hill.
[[File:Breakneck Ridge quarries from 9D.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Quarrying created the stony cliffs on the south face of Breakneck Ridge]]

By the beginning of the 20th century, the eastern Highlands had been mostly tapped out as an easy source of minerals and were [[reforestation|reforesting]]. Early hikers began to explore them, following the abandoned paths and roads from the earlier extractions. One, William T. Howell, catalogued their history and lore. In 1910, he pleaded for the land to be left alone and preserved in near-wilderness condition as summer vacationers started to head north looking for green spaces:
{{blockquote|There is but one perfect solution as to the preservation of the Highlands, though I know in my heart that it will never be realized. That is, to leave them alone. By that I mean, keep out all foreign influences. That means more than quarries and manufacturies. It means hotels and parking projects, and even ... roads and easy paths. There is something more at stake here than the preservation of the scenery ... There is a wild charm and isolation about the Highlands that will fly forever when the "improvements" begin to come in.<ref name="Howell in Forest and Crag">{{cite book|last=Waterman|first=Guy|author2=Laura Waterman|title=Forest and Crag: A History of Hiking, Trailblazing and Adventure in the Northeast Mountains|year=1989|publisher=[[Appalachian Mountain Club]]|location=[[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston, MA]]|page=413|isbn=0-910146-73-X}}</ref>}}

===Creation of park===
As New York began creating its first state parks in the Hudson Valley Region during the 1910s and 20s, it concentrated its efforts on larger tracts it had acquired such as [[Harriman State Park (New York)|Harriman]] and [[Bear Mountain State Park|Bear Mountain]] to the southwest and Fahnestock to the east. Much of the present Hudson Highlands State Park was either part of large [[estate (land)|estates]] or owned by commercial interests seeking to exploit their mineral resources. An organization called the Hudson River Conservation Society (HRCS) worked to preserve the lands by persuading owners to donate them to the state or include clauses in [[deed]]s that forbade or greatly restricting quarrying and mining operations on the property.<ref name="New York Walk Book148">''New York Walk Book'', 148.</ref>

In 1938 the society made its first significant accomplishment when it persuaded Rosalie Loew Whitney to give the state [[New York State Department of Environmental Conservation|Conservation Department]] {{convert|177|acre|ha}} on the northwest face of Breakneck Ridge from the estate of Thomas Nelson, the local landowner from whom Nelsonville took its name. The next year, an appeal to save Anthony's Nose raised enough money to purchase {{convert|200|acre|ha}} of its northern slope.<ref name="New York Walk Book148" />

No more major land acquisitions took place until the 1960s, when the [[New York State Council of Parks|State Council of Parks]], forerunner of NYSOPRHP, formed the temporary Hudson River Valley Study Committee to develop a comprehensive plan in response to increasing industrial interest in the area, exemplified by [[Consolidated Edison]]'s proposal to excavate a large chunk of [[Storm King Mountain (New York)|Storm King Mountain]], across from Breakneck, for a [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] plant, which would have involved running [[power line]]s across the river and into the eastern Highlands. In 1967 the state acquired the Little Stony Point property to prevent its development.<ref name="New York Walk Book148" />

The park finally began to come together towards its present form in the next few years, as the [[Rockefeller family]]'s Jackson Hole Preserve [[Foundation (non-profit)|foundation]] gave New York a [[trust deed (real estate)|deed of trust]] for land purchases in the Hudson Highlands. Approximately {{convert|2500|acre|ha}} were acquired this way, primarily in the large central parcel of the park along the Dutchess-Putnam county line. In 1974 William Henry Osborn II, a past HRCS president, donated the {{convert|1033|acre|ha|adj=on}} preserve that bears his family name to the state. Scenic Hudson acquired the {{convert|923|acre|ha|adj=on}} Fishkill Ridge Conservation Area in 1992 with assistance from the [[Lila Bell Wallace|Lila Acheson]] and [[DeWitt Wallace]] Fund for the Hudson Highlands.<ref name="New York Walk Book149">''New York Walk Book'', 149.</ref>

The north end of the park became the center of a local controversy in the late 1990s. It is home to a [[Burrow|den]] of Eastern [[timber rattlesnake]]s, a New York State [[threatened species]]. The state's [[New York State Department of Environmental Conservation|Department of Environmental Conservation]] brought suit to stop the snake-proof fences a local quarry operator had put up while it was applying for permission to mine stone from the operation. In 1999 then-[[New York State Attorney General|Attorney General]] [[Eliot Spitzer]] persuaded a court to order the fence be torn down.<ref name="Spitzer court order">{{cite press release |title=Spitzer And DEC Win Court Order For Threatened Snakes |url=http://www.oag.state.ny.us/media_center/1999/mar/mar05a_99.html |publisher=Office of the Attorney General |date=March 5, 1999 |access-date=February 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015135227/http://www.oag.state.ny.us/media_center/1999/mar/mar05a_99.html |archive-date=October 15, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It survived appeal, and became a legal [[precedent]] establishing New York's right to enforce the state's Endangered Species Act on private property.<ref name="THR Sour Mountain story">{{cite news|last=Hall|first=Wayne|title= Rattlers still king in habitat fight|url=http://archive.recordonline.com/archive/2004/09/12/biz1w.htm|publisher=[[Ottaway Community Newspapers]]|work=[[Times-Herald Record]]|date=September 12, 2004|access-date=February 9, 2009|quote= Basically, Sour Mountain Realty put up a snake fence on its Fishkill Ridge rock mine property to prevent rattlesnakes from gliding onto the land – land targeted for dynamite-aided quarry expansion. In the first real legal test of the New York Endangered Species Act in more than two decades, two courts in 1999 and 2000 upheld the state Department of Environmental Conservation's right to impose the Act on private property. And the judges held that state law was based in sound habitat protection biology.}}</ref>

==Flora and fauna==
[[File:Hudson Highlands SP.JPG|thumb|Park at its lowest point along the [[Hudson River]]]]

The park's plants and animals are part of the [[Northeastern coastal forests]] [[ecoregion]].<ref name="terrestrial">{{cite journal|author=Olson, D. M, E. Dinerstein |title=Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth |journal=[[BioScience]] |year=2001 |volume=51 |issue=11 |pages=933–938 |doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2 |display-authors=etal |doi-access=free }}</ref>
Its variety of [[biome]]s – ranging from [[brackish marsh|brackish tidal marsh]] and [[mudflat]]s along the river's edge to [[Pine barrens|pitch pine-oak-heath rocky summit]] forest and rocky [[grassland]]s at higher elevations – contribute to its [[biodiversity]]. The mountain slopes are dominated by [[oak-hickory forest|oak hickory]] and [[chestnut oak]] forests.<ref name="State parks biodiversity report">{{cite web|url= https://parks.ny.gov/documents/publications/BiodiversityAppendicesSection.pdf |title=Appendices, Biodiversity in New York's State Park System }} {{small|(214 KB)}}, 90–91. Retrieved February 8, 2009.</ref>

Besides rattlesnakes, the park also supports some other state-listed threatened species, such as the [[bald eagle]] and [[least bittern]]. Three of New York's five known [[eastern fence lizard]] communities are found in Hudson Highlands State Park, near the northern end of its [[range (biology)|range]].<ref name="biodiversity press release">{{cite press release|title=STATE PARKS HIGHLIGHTS UNIQUE ECOLOGICAL INVENTORY|url=https://parks.ny.gov/newsroom/press-releases/release.aspx?r=590|publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]]|date=April 20, 2007|access-date=February 9, 2009|quote=There are only five existing populations of fence lizard in New York, making this the rarest of New York's three lizard species. All of these populations are within state parks and three are in Hudson Highlands State Park. Fence lizards are at the northern extent of their range in New York and are listed as state threatened.}}</ref>

==Public use and access==

The park is open during daylight hours year-round. It is used mainly for passive recreation, mostly [[hiking]], but also [[birding]]. Limited [[hunting]] is allowed: [[bowhunting|bowhunters]] make take [[white-tailed deer|deer]] during that [[Hunting season|season]] in the late fall, and [[shotgun]]s may be used during spring [[wild turkey|turkey]] season. Some areas near the riverside are accessible by [[kayak]], and there is a state-owned launch for them off the Annsville Circle, where [[U.S. Route 9 in New York|US 9]] meets routes 6 and 202, north of Peekskill. [[Camping]] and open fires are prohibited, as are vehicles of any kind, and there are no designated campsites or shelters in the park.<ref name="State parks page">{{cite web|title=Hudson Highlands State Park|url=https://parks.ny.gov/parks/9/details.aspx|publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]]|access-date=February 10, 2009}}</ref>
[[File:BannermanCastle3685.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Bannerman's Castle on Pollepel Island]]
[[Pollepel Island]], while accessible by water a short distance from the east bank of the river, is the only area of the park to which access is restricted. It and the ruins of Bannerman's Castle, listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], can only be visited by making advance arrangements through NYSOPRHP for a guided tour.<ref name="State parks page" />

===Access===

The park is most frequently entered from its western side. [[New York State Route 9D|NY 9D]] runs near or along its boundaries, particularly between Cold Spring and Breakneck Ridge, and two of its major [[trailhead]]s are along that section at Little Stony and Breakneck points. The Osborn Preserve and Anthony's Nose sections have trailheads along the Bear Mountain Highway and at the Appalachian Trail crossing at South Mountain Pass Road south of Canada Hill. The AT's junction with US 9 and [[New York State Route 403|NY 403]] allows access from the east. In Garrison it is also possible to use the trails from Manitoga and the Castle Rock Unique Area to reach the park parcels on the ridgetops.<ref name="NYNJTC map 101" /><ref name="NYNJTC map 102" />

The Fishkill Ridge areas and Mount Beacon are commonly climbed from the east either by following the Fishkill Ridge trail from its northern terminus at Pocket Road in Beacon. From the west, they can be reached from the [[Wilkinson Memorial Trail]] on Old Albany Post Road North just south of the county line along US 9.<ref name="NYNJTC map 102" />
[[File:Breakneck Ridge train station.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Breakneck Ridge station]]
Hikers coming from the south also have the option of taking the train to the trails from as far away as [[Grand Central Terminal]] in [[midtown Manhattan]]. [[Metro-North Railroad]]'s [[Hudson Line (Metro-North)|Hudson Line]] parallels NY 9D and the east bank of the river, where [[request stop]]s have been built at [[Breakneck Ridge (Metro-North station)|Breakneck Ridge]] and [[Manitou (Metro-North station)|Manitou]], south of Garrison along the river. The former is a short distance from the trailhead and parking lot; the latter is at river's edge, requiring a short climb up to the Manitoga and Canada Hill areas. Service to those stations is weekends-only, with northbound trains making stops in the mornings and southbound ones taking returning hikers in the evening. At other times hikers can use the [[Cold Spring (Metro-North station)|Cold Spring station]], with regularly scheduled trains.<ref name="Hudson Line schedule">{{cite web|url= http://mta.info/mnr/html/planning/schedules/pdf/Hudson%20Line%20Oct%205,%202008%20-%20Weekend%20Timetable.pdf |title=Hudson Line Schedule }} {{small|(289 KB)}}, [[Metro-North Railroad]], October 5, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2009.</ref>

===Trails===

The trails of the park are maintained by volunteers from the [[New York-New Jersey Trail Conference]], which also publishes detailed maps. Some follow, in whole or part, old woods roads left over from the quarrying and mining operations; at other times they climb the steep and rocky peaks directly. They are [[trail blazing|blazed]] with NYSOPRHP plastic disks, except for the Appalachian Trail which uses white paint blazes.

Many take advantage of the ridgetop topography and thinly wooded summits to offer panoramic viewpoints over the river and region.
[[File:Trail up Breakneck Ridge.jpg|225px|right|thumb|Hikers working their way up a steep section of Breakneck Ridge]]

Some of the longer and more frequently-hiked trails in the park are:

*'''[[Appalachian Trail]]''' (AT): A {{convert|5.1|mi|km|adj=on}} section of the Georgia-to-Maine long-distance trail passes through the southern portion of the park near the Osborn Preserve. From NY 9D just north of the [[Bear Mountain Bridge]], it ascends Canada Hill and follows that ridge for two miles before descending to the US 9/NY 403 junction at Graymoor.<ref name="New York Walk Book165–66">''New York Walk Book'', 165–66.</ref>
*'''Breakneck Ridge Trail''': One of the most popular trails in the park,<ref name="50 Hikes53">McMartin, 53. "Judging by the cars that line NY 9D two miles north of Cold Spring, near the underpass and trailhead below Breakneck Ridge's cliffs and jagged skyline, it is easy to believe that this mountain is everybody's favorite in the Hudson Highlands."</ref> due to the challenge of the westernmost section, which climbs {{convert|1250|ft|m}} in its first {{convert|0.75|mi|km}} through steep rocky chutes that require [[scrambling]] and offer views of Storm King and [[Newburgh Bay]]. The entire trail, {{convert|4.6|mi|km}} in length, continues over the mountain along the ridgetop to South Beacon Mountain.<ref name="New York Walk Book151–53">''New York Walk Book'', 151–53.</ref>
*'''Camp Smith Trail''': This {{convert|3.7|mi|km|adj=on}} trail follows a narrow corridor through of parkland between the [[Camp Smith (New York)|National Guard base]] and the [[Bear Mountain Bridge Road|Bear Mountain Highway]], traversing Anthony's Nose. It has many steep and rocky sections with views of [[Bear Mountain (New York)|Bear Mountain]], the bridge and [[Haverstraw Bay]] to the south.<ref name="New York Walk Book171–72">''New York Walk Book'', 171–72.</ref>
*'''Fishkill Ridge Trail''': Starting from the Pocket Road trailhead in Beacon, this {{convert|4.9|mi|km|adj=on}} trail makes a large loop over that mountain, offering some views over Fishkill and southern Dutchess County along the way.<ref name="New York Walk Book155–56">''New York Walk Book'', 155–56.</ref>
*'''Notch Trail''': Formerly the Three Notch Trail, this {{convert|5.8|mi|km|adj=on}} trail follows wood roads from near the summit of Bull Hill, down into the col and up the north face of Breakneck Ridge. There it joins that trail for {{convert|1.3|mi|km}} along the ridge, then descends the face of Sunset Point to Squirrel Hollow Brook and continues a long traverse across the lower slopes of South Beacon Mountain to reach Route 9D in Dutchess Junction south of Beacon, near Melzingah Brook.<ref name="New York Walk Book158–59">''New York Walk Book'', 158–59.</ref>
*'''Osborn Loop''': This {{convert|3.4|mi|km}} trail connects to the AT near Canada Hill at both ends. It can be reached from Manitoga, the AT, or the trails around Sugarloaf Mountain.<ref name="New York Walk Book167–68">''New York Walk Book'', 167–68.</ref>
*'''Undercliff Trail''': A {{convert|4|mi|spell=in|adj=on}} route from Nelsonville to Breakneck Ridge that crosses the shoulder of Bull Hill along the way. It takes its name from the many cliffs whose foot it passes.<ref name="New York Walk Book160-61">''New York Walk Book'', 160–61.</ref>
*'''Washburn Trail''': The main route up Bull Hill from the Little Stony Point trailhead just north of Cold Spring climbs the mountain's {{convert|1420|ft|m}} in almost {{convert|2.3|mi|km}}. This is the greatest vertical ascent of any trail within the park.<ref name="New York Walk Book161–62">''New York Walk Book'', 161–62.</ref>
*'''[[Wilkinson Memorial Trail]]''': Longest trail in Hudson Highlands State Park at {{convert|9.5|mi|km}}. It begins along NY 9D just north of Breakneck Ridge and gradually ascends to cross all the summits of [[Scofield Ridge]], the highest peak in Putnam County, located outside the park. It descends from there to Old Albany Post Road North, just off US 9 near the county line.<ref name="New York Walk Book162–64">''New York Walk Book'', 162–64.</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Hudson Valley}}
* [[List of New York state parks]]
{{Clear}}

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* [http://parks.ny.gov/parks/9/details.aspx New York State Parks: Hudson Highlands State Park]
* [http://www.nynjtc.org/park/hudson-highlands-state-park New York-New Jersey Trail Conference: Hudson Highlands State Park]

{{Protected areas of New York}}
{{Hudson River}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:State parks of New York (state)]]
[[Category:Protected areas of the Hudson Highlands]]
[[Category:Fishkill, New York]]
[[Category:Parks in Westchester County, New York]]
[[Category:Parks in Putnam County, New York]]