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Sandyfield was a settlement of about 30 houses in the Town of Ramapo in Rockland County, New York, United States, that was submerged in 1928 when swampy Beaver Pond was dammed to create Lake Welch in Harriman State Park.
The hamlet was settled in about 1760 along the road from Stony Point to Central Valley. The road is now a hiking trail called the Hasenclever Road.
In 1910, when Harriman State Park was created, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission notified residents that they would have to leave their homes. The park's plans included the creation of a 216-acre (0.87 km2) lake, Lake Welch, by erecting a dam at Beaver Pond and submerging the area. There was an attempt to resist through political channels, but in 1939 the last residents were ordered to leave.
By 1942, the lake was completed using workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps that was building the park. The new lake was named in honor of William A. Welch the first chairman of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, who was responsible for the creation of Harriman State Park.
After completion of the lake dam, Lake Welch Beach opened to the public. Featuring a half-mile beach walk and 2,500 space parking lots, the beach is the largest in the Palisades Region with almost a half million visitors in 2020. Every winter, the lake is drained about 20 feet to reclaim sand lost to the water.
The beach can be accessed from Exit 16 on the Palisades Interstate Parkway via Lake Welch Drive (closed winters) or County Route 106.
Adjacent to the lake is Beaver Pond Campground, one of two state-run overnight areas in the park. There are over 100 platform/ground camping sites with facilities but no connections for RVs.[ as of? ]
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41°13′56″N74°04′41″W / 41.23222°N 74.07806°W
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Harriman is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. It is in the southeastern section of the town of Monroe, with a small portion in the town of Woodbury. The population was 2,714 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area.
The Palisades Interstate Parkway (PIP) is a 38.25-mile-long (61.56 km) controlled-access parkway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. The parkway is a major commuter route into New York City from Rockland and Orange counties in New York and Bergen County in New Jersey. The southern terminus of the route is at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey, where it connects to Interstate 95 (I-95), New Jersey Route 4, U.S. 1, U.S. 9, and US 46. Its northern terminus is at a traffic circle in Fort Montgomery, New York, where the PIP meets US 9W and US 202 at the Bear Mountain Bridge. At exit 18, the PIP forms a concurrency with US 6 for the remaining duration of its run.
Bear Mountain State Park is a 5,205-acre (21.06 km2) state park located on the west bank of the Hudson River in Rockland and Orange counties, New York. The park offers biking, hiking, boating, picnicking, swimming, cross-country skiing, cross-country running, sledding and ice skating. It also includes several facilities such as the Perkins Memorial Tower, the Trailside Museum and Zoo, the Bear Mountain Inn, a merry-go-round, pool, and a skating rink. It also hosts the Bear Mountain Circle, where the historic Palisades Interstate Parkway and Bear Mountain Bridge meet. It is managed by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, which is overseen by the State of New York.
At 47,527 acres (192.33 km2), Harriman State Park is the second largest state park in the U.S. state of 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.
The New York – New Jersey Trail Conference (NYNJTC) is a volunteer-based federation of approximately 10,000 individual members and about 100 member organizations. The conference coordinates the maintenance of 2,000 miles of foot trails around the New York metropolitan area, from the Delaware Water Gap, north to beyond the Catskill Mountains, including the Appalachian Trail through New York and New Jersey. It also works to protect open space and publishes books and trail maps. The organization's headquarters are at 600 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah, New Jersey.
The Minnewaska State Park Preserve is a 22,275-acre (90.14 km2) preserve located on the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County, New York on US 44/NY 55, five miles (8.0 km) west of New York State Route 299. The park, which features scenic overlooks of the nearby Catskill Mountains, is primarily used for picnicking, hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing and swimming. The park is managed by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
The Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC) was formed in 1900 by Governors Theodore Roosevelt of New York and Foster Voorhees of New Jersey in response to the quarrying operations along the Palisades Cliffs of New Jersey. The Palisades, a National Natural Landmark that are also called the New Jersey Palisades or the Hudson River Palisades, are a line of steep cliffs along the west side of the lower Hudson River in Northeastern New Jersey and Southeastern New York in the United States. After its formation, the PIPC quickly moved to acquire the lands at the base of the Palisades to stop quarrying operations in both New York and New Jersey. The commission consists of ten commissioners, five appointed by each governor, and was ratified by an Act of Congress in 1937 when its interstate compact was approved. Today, the Commission owns and operates more than 125,000 acres of public parkland in New York and New Jersey including 21 state parks, 8 historic sites, and the Palisades Interstate Parkway. These parks are visited by more than 7 million people annually.
Major William Addams Welch was an American engineer and environmentalist who would have a major impact on the state and national park systems of the United States. Born in Cynthiana, Kentucky, he obtained a civil engineering degree from Colorado College in 1882 and a master's degree from the University of Virginia in 1886.
Doodletown was an isolated hamlet in the Town of Stony Point, Rockland County, New York, United States. Purchased by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission during the 1960s, it is now part of Bear Mountain State Park and a popular destination for hikers, birdwatchers, botanists, and local historians. It is located north of Jones Point, west of Iona Island, and southeast of Orange County. The former settlement is now a ghost town.
Bear Mountain is one of the best-known peaks of New York's Hudson Highlands. Located partially in Orange County in the town of Highlands and partially in Rockland County in the town of Stony Point, it lends its name to the nearby Bear Mountain Bridge and Bear Mountain State Park that contains it.
County Route 106 (CR 106) is a 7.8-mile (12.6 km) east–west county route in Rockland County, New York, in the United States. It serves as an eastward continuation of Kanawauke Road, extending from the Orange County line to U.S. Route 9W (US 9W) and US 202 in Stony Point via Harriman State Park. CR 106 intersects with several county highways in Rockland County along the way. The route was only one of two in Rockland County to keep its numbering from Orange County, with the other being CR 72. CR 106 had one spur route, CR 106A, which was recently decommissioned.
Seven Lakes Drive is a north–south parkway located in the Hudson Valley region of New York in the United States. It extends for just under 18 miles (29 km) on a northeast–southwest alignment from an intersection with New York State Route 17 (NY 17) in the village of Sloatsburg to a junction with U.S. Route 9W (US 9W) and US 202 south of the Bear Mountain Bridge in the town of Stony Point. Most of the parkway is located in either Harriman or Bear Mountain state parks, except for a small stretch near its western end. Ownership of Seven Lakes Drive is split between three entities, two of which are also responsible for maintenance of the road.
At 310 acres (1.3 km2), Lake Sebago, near Sloatsburg, is the largest lake in Harriman State Park in the U.S. state of New York. The name is Algonquian for "big water". It is located just south of Lake Kanawauke and is accessible via Seven Lakes Drive and the Palisades Interstate Parkway. New Sebago Beach opened in the 1940s but closed in 2011 due to damage from Hurricane Irene, and the picnic areas closed in 2012 due to Hurricane Sandy.
Lake Kanawauke is a primarily man-made lake in Harriman State Park. The name is Onondaga in origin, and means "place of much water". There are three parts to the lake, lower, middle and upper; the total area is 186 acres (0.75 km2). It is located in the Town of Tuxedo in Orange County and the Town of Haverstraw in Rockland County, both residing within the state of New York.
Pine Meadow Lake is a 72-acre (0.29 km2) lake in Rockland County, New York. It is found at an elevation of 974 feet (297 m). It is located at the end of the 5.5-mile (8.9 km) Pine Meadow Trail in Harriman State Park.
Arden Valley Road is a parkway located in Southfields, New York, in the United States, that travels through Harriman State Park and is owned by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. At 5.2 miles (8.4 km) long, it begins at New York State Route 17 (NY 17) in Southfields and ends at Seven Lakes Drive in Harriman State Park. Arden Valley Road also serves a trout stocking area for the Ramapo River. The road is located entirely in Orange County and is home to the Elk's Pen Trailhead in Harriman State Park. In 1921, plans arose by the commission to construct the road, which was completed the same year and stretched along the borderline with the Harriman estate. Major William A. Welch ordered 75 elk from Yellowstone National Park to be placed in a wired cage between Arden and Southfields in 1919. The elk eventually disappeared from the pen by 1942, and the area became the current Elk's Pen trailhead for trails within Harriman State Park.
County Route 106 (CR 106) in the county of Orange County, New York, was a continuation of two routes, New York State Route 17A (NY 17A) at its western terminus and Rockland CR 106 at the eastern terminus. Route 106 began at an intersection with NY 17A and its parent route, NY 17 in Southfields, where CR 106 signs are still posted according to the August 2018 Google Street View images. The route went eastward through Harriman State Park, crossing Seven Lakes Drive before entering nearby Rockland County, New York. There it became Rockland County Route 106 and heads all the way to Stony Point.
Lake Welch Parkway, sometimes labeled Lake Welch Drive, is a parkway located within Harriman State Park in southern New York in the United States. It extends for 5.60 miles (9.01 km) on a southwest–northeast alignment from an intersection with Seven Lakes Drive to a partial interchange with the Palisades Interstate Parkway. The parkway is located entirely in Rockland County, although it runs close to the border with Orange County. It is inventoried by the New York State Department of Transportation as New York State Route 987A, an unsigned reference route; however, it is owned by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. The portion of Lake Welch Parkway that lies south of Tiorati Brook Road is closed during the winter. The parkway is the main route to access all beaches in Harriman State Park: Lake Welch, Lake Tiorati, and Lake Sebago.
Tiorati Brook Road is a scenic road located within Harriman State Park in southern New York in the United States. The highway extends for 3.6 miles (5.8 km) between Tiorati Circle, a traffic circle connecting Tiorati Brook Road to Seven Lakes Drive in Orange County, and an interchange with Lake Welch Parkway just west of where that parkway ends at Palisades Interstate Parkway in Rockland County. The road crosses over the county line roughly midway between the two locations. Tiorati Brook Road is owned and maintained by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission.
Lake Tiorati is one of the seven main lakes in Harriman State Park, located in Orange County, New York. It is a man-made lake, created by dredging swampland and constructing a concrete dam. The name Tiorati means "Blue like Sky". Its name is the Algonquin word for "sky-like".