Magnificent Obsession: Would canoes or kayaks be welcome on Harriman’s Little Long Pond? ©suzy allman
This Year, I’m Getting the Permit.
Harriman State Park is large enough to embody the notion of two types of park: an idyll, a place where one goes to escape the city and especially other people, and a place that draws from one of the largest urban areas in the world and symbolizes the new “outdoor active”.
“Be careful what you wish for”, was the advice I received on a discussion board, when I wondered why Tuxedo, NY hadn’t embraced its location as an easily-accessible gateway to this world of camping, hiking, biking, and water activities.
Sometimes I think, if the state opened Harriman a little more, and promoted — gradually — its beautiful outdoors environment to recreation and different kinds of quiet activity, more people would come.
And if the notion of someone paddling Little Long Pond in a kayak or canoe doesn’t trouble your idea of Harriman State Park as an undefiled Eden, wouldn’t it be nice if the Palisades Interstate Park Commission made a change to boating regulations in Harriman, and allowed kayakers and canoeists to enter Little Long Pond?
Bridge over Little Long Pond, Harriman State Park. Pretty autumn photo by Jag9889
This would created a water trail that would start at the boat launch at Lake Kanawauke, wrap around the shoreline of that long lake to the south and back to the launch, and then allow a paddler to continue under Route 106 and into the northern section of Kanawauke before continuing on to Little Long Pond and through the narrow causeway, around the serene-looking island in the middle, and then returning to the launch at the finish.
This would make for a trail that is a little over five miles long.
And if they’d also only relax the rule that states you can’t leave your kayak or canoe at any time other than at the boat launch.You could paddle to the far end of Little Long Pond, tie your boat up there and hike up to Good Spring Mountain and the beach at Lake Sebago, seeing it before it fades, Planet-of-the-Ape-style, into a sandy memory. You can also visit https://thecoastalside.com/ to know more about kayaking and its adventures .What a great day.
Boating permits go on sale April 1.
I agree. Unfortunately, PIPIC is among Those Who Love to Say No. I think that they have a secret plan just to keep people out of the Park. Period.
Donald:
NO!
;0)
I’m not aware of any restrictions on Little Long Pond – I’ve been doing it for years without any problems, most recently this past October. The only restriction I’m aware of is that you can’t go north of the Kanawauke boat launch during the Summer – something like June through September I think. It has to do with all the camp grounds in that area.
There are two other restricted-access lakes. One is Island Pond, which is for fishing only (I have no answer why, but then it is Harriman!) and the other is Lake Stahahe, and that is because an invasive plant species was introduced several years back.
Where did you hear that Little Long Pond was off-limits? There was no mention of that in any of the boating regulations you receive when you get a seasonal boat pass, at least not last year or any year prior.
Hi Curt! Thanks for the comment. Last summer I was figuring out the fishing regulations for each of the lakes in Harriman, and at the same time I asked about kayaking. I was told by a ranger at Lake Welch that Little Long Pond was off limits to fishing and boating. But since your post, I’ve looked through the pamphlets I have on both fishing and boating, and you are right: there’s no mention of Little Long Pond being off-limits to boating.
So I’m going to revisit this, and ask another ranger, and also someone in a more senior position. It is very difficult to find this information on the state website (hence the fumblings of this page).
Thanks again. And now I want to know what that invasive plant species is…
Hi,
I wonder if it goes back to when there were a few more Camps on Little Long Pond?
I attended Camp Quidnunc back in the mid-to-late 60’s which was across the lake from Tom Jones Mtn. There is also a Masonic Camp still on the Lake just below Tom Jones.
I have been back in the last 5 years for reunions, and I just have great memories of being in and on that lake.
I just found your blog and looking forward to reading more.
I love Harriman Park.
Thanks
Hi Carol — thanks for the post! (You wouldn’t happen to have any camp pictures, would you?)
I’d love to map out every single summer camp in the park, and then give it to an artist to really go to town on. I bet there’d be a hundred.
And, what a great blog there is for the camp!
Great idea, I love to hike in Harriman but I also love to kayak. How can we persuade PIPIC to relent? I am a past volunteer for PIPIC as a Native American Rock Shelter Site Steward. I moved away from the area 3 years ago but now I am back and hope to pick up my volunteer work in the Park.
Hey Ken: You live and learn! I had no idea the park had such stewards. I’d love to know about what you do as a volunteer — drop me an email if you get a chance/have a mind to (suzy@suzyallman.com). Really cool.
Do I have camp pictures??? Of course I do!!! And my Mother went to Quid from 1939-1944 (I think those were the years) and she has so many photos as well.
There is a group on facebook but it is a closed group for former G.S. Campers of Quid.
We try and do a reunion every year and stay at Baker Camp and always go back through the old campgrounds and look around.
I have also stayed at Camp K-20 (the Masonic Camp at the base of Tom Jones) and also a very nice place.
I questioned the no canoes on Little Long Pond (or K-1 as we knew it) because we had row boats, canoes and eventually sailboats!
Great place and sad they tore down the Bridge over the highway.
Would love to chat sometime.
Carol
Thanks for that reply, Carol. Those pictures must be something else, and be a great source of memories. I’d love to meet up sometime and chat about this — just let me know the when and where!
Suzy
Hi Suzy,
I too have been kayaking Little Long Pond. I have done it several times the past 3 years. If it is off limits, I was unaware as it was never mentioned to me when purchasing seasonal boat permits at Tiotati circle. You are correct, it is a wonderful route to do both the north and south sides of Kanawauke and little long pond. Strangely enough I have never seen another kayak on Little Long Pond now that I think of t.
John
Thanks for that, John — I’m almost certain now that the advice I’d gotten is wrong. I’m going to amend this article.
Thanks so much! Maybe I’ll see you out there (you’ll be the only other person on Little Long Pond!)
Suzy, I also want to say that I just recently discovered this blog and you do a wonderful job with it. Thank you for creating it. I live 15 min from Harriman in Mahwah NJ, so Harriman Park is a big part of my life.
Hey John: Thank you so much! It must be distracting to live so close to all those trails. How do you get anything done? I think if I could put everything else aside and just write about the park, that would be just fine! Thank you for the comment.
What an amazing park and a pond!
Hello,
I see the comments are quite old and hope this website is still active. My family rented a cabin for about 30 years at the Masonic Camp. I am looking to post some early photos of the campers in the 30’s. Hoping I will get down to K-20 this year to the reunion.