There is also a Harriman State Park in Idaho.

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Harriman State Park is the second largest state park in New York. Located in Rockland and Orange counties 30 miles north of New York City, it is a haven for hikers with over 200 miles of hiking trails. The park is also known for its 31 lakes, multiple streams, public camping areas, and great vistas. The park is currently maintained by volunteers from the New York - New Jersey Trail Conference.

On its northwestern edge, Harriman State Park borders the smaller Bear Mountain State Park.

Contents

1 History 2 Famous trails in Harriman Park 3 Famous sites in Harriman Park 4 See also 5 External links

History

Edward Harriman and Mary Averell Harriman owned 30,000 acres (120 km²) in Arden, New York as part of their estate. They were against 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 $1,000,000 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 $2,500,000 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 William Averell Harriman presented a deed for the land and a check for $1,000,000 to the Commission.

In 1913, Major Welch started construction on the road from Bear Mountain to Sloatsburg, known today as the Seven Lakes Drive. In 1962 a new road from the Southfields section of 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. The Civilian Conservation Corps offered thousands of young men to do 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.

Famous trails in Harriman Park

• Appalachian trail
• Long Path

Famous sites in Harriman Park

• Lemon squeezer

See also

• For a detailed description and history of the park and each of its trails, see Harriman Trails: A Guide & History (http://www.nynjtc.org/books.html)

• List of New York state parks
• Bear Mountain State Park

External links

• Harriman State Park Official Website (http://nysparks.state.ny.us/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/nysparks/parks.cgi?p+121)
• New York - New Jersey Trail Conference (http://www.nynjtc.org)